Whether it’s loaves of heavenly bread that still induce a food coma, the novelty that is the chocolate-coated Marie biscuits and candied almonds, cream sandwiched biscuits aka the legendary Japanese cake or the unmatched flavoured milk – everybody has a memory of Nilgiris that they coddle close to their hearts. Five Bengaluru-based artists – Pia Meenakshi, Kaveri Gopalakrishnan, Sonaksha Iyengar, Alicia Souza and Neethi have illustrated the nostalgia associated with the quaint supermarket in the heart of namma bustling Bengaluru, something that’s sure to take you back to the good ol’ days.
Imagine, the friends you have made later on in life may have actually been those hustling at the store’s counter for that famed flavoured milk. Intriguing isn’t it? “This was an important part of everyone’s childhood – it was the place for children’s treats,” remembers artist Pia Meenakshi who picked out a memory from mid-1990s and chose to depict it with references to the Japanese cake and sugared almonds. Having moved from Chennai to live with her grandparents in the then sleepy town of Mysuru, Kaveri Gopalakrishnan’s art is reminiscent of the good ol’ days. “I remember their building was covered by lots of trees and that memory stuck with me,” she said, letting her favourite stash of chocolate covered biscuits take over. “My first, most coherent, vivid memory of this place was of bakery where I got the yummiest and fluffiest cakes and bread, two childhood favourites that continue to leave me wanting more,” says Sonaksha Iyengar, a 22-year-old Bengaluru artist whose obsession for baked savouries made their
way into the drawings. “Even today, when I think about it, it takes me back to assorted bread which I gobbled plain and occasionally with some cheese. Also loved the chocolates, cakes and puffs,” she says, conjuring warm memories – just like the bread.
Sonaksha’s illustration
For Alicia Souza it was the aroma of this bread that takes centre stage in her sketch. “The first image that came to my mind is when I shamelessly smell (really hard!) all the fresh bread and pastries. I think I inhale twice as much as I pass the baked good aisle! Do you do this too?” she captioned her trending cartoon.
For 27-year-old Neethi, who also illustrated the visual history of the company – right from 1936 when the dairy and bakery was opened on Bengaluru’s Brigade Road, then a quiet street in the cantonment area, home to the British soldiers, this Bengaluru’s old world charm is the home of her comfort food’s produce – she remembers rushing to gather supplies from the store to make her first payasam (and first dish), to make her new house a home. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Celebrating the old with the new?
