A school dropout’s recipe for success
CHENNAI, JULY 19, 2019 00:00 IST
Paying respects:People gather outside Saravana Bhavan owner P. Rajagopal’s residence in K.K. Nagar.K. Pichumani
Rajagopal’s Saravana Bhavan chain is synonymous with quality and taste
P. Rajagopal’s rise from penury to prominence was the stuff of dreams. Born in Punnai Nagar in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district on August 5, 1947, he had to struggle to reach the position he occupied before his death, setting up a chain of eateries that became synonymous with quality and standardisation of taste, hygiene and size of portions.
A school dropout, he was sent to Valparai at a young age, where he worked at an eatery. Thereafter, he moved to Chennai and started working during the late sixties as an errand boy in a Mylapore vessel store. He had to supplement his family income, primarily derived from agriculture. Rajagopal did not let go any opportunity to learn — he learnt the art of management from the vessel merchant. It was at this time that he was attracted to the spiritual discourses of the late Kirubanandha Variyar, who would go on to become his guide later in life.
This was followed by his stint as a trader. He started a grocery store in K.K. Nagar. The idea of starting a hotel struck him when his customers frequently complained about the lack of a good eatery in the vicinity. And soon enough, an opportunity came his way.
The owner of Kamatchi Bhavan, an eatery located close to his shop, declared his intention to give up the place as it was not viable anymore. Acquiring the eatery, Rajagopal and his wife started cooking and serving food at cheaper rates, running it first in the same name, and then renaming it as Saravana Bhavan in 1981.
A senior journalist recalls, “I used to visit the small hotel run by Rajagopal in early 1980s. It earned a reputation for clean and tasty food at affordabale rates. They served a meal for Rs. 3 then.” M.G. Sivagnanam, author of Vetri Meethu Asai Vaithen (I desired success), a biography of Rajagopal, said Rajagopal learnt the art of business from his former employers whom he respectfully referred to asMudhalali .
“He treated his employees very well, and they used to fondly refer to him asAnnachi (elder brother),” Mr. Sivagnanam said. With about 4,000 employees, Rajagopal knew each of them personally. He offered welfare schemes to his employees, unimaginable at the time.
Success mantra
Rajagopal himself shared the secret of his success once with the Hindu : “All you need is proper planning and execution, besides having the mental toughness to face challenges. One should also learn by experience.”
Along with his children, he slowly built branches/franchises across the world, serving a certain kind of South Indian cuisine, nearly identical in its taste everywhere. He expanded the business rapidly after setting up the first offshore restaurant in Dubai. Today, there are 83 Saravana Bhavan units worldwide, with 40 in India.
CHENNAI, JULY 19, 2019 00:00 IST
Paying respects:People gather outside Saravana Bhavan owner P. Rajagopal’s residence in K.K. Nagar.K. Pichumani
Rajagopal’s Saravana Bhavan chain is synonymous with quality and taste
P. Rajagopal’s rise from penury to prominence was the stuff of dreams. Born in Punnai Nagar in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district on August 5, 1947, he had to struggle to reach the position he occupied before his death, setting up a chain of eateries that became synonymous with quality and standardisation of taste, hygiene and size of portions.
A school dropout, he was sent to Valparai at a young age, where he worked at an eatery. Thereafter, he moved to Chennai and started working during the late sixties as an errand boy in a Mylapore vessel store. He had to supplement his family income, primarily derived from agriculture. Rajagopal did not let go any opportunity to learn — he learnt the art of management from the vessel merchant. It was at this time that he was attracted to the spiritual discourses of the late Kirubanandha Variyar, who would go on to become his guide later in life.
This was followed by his stint as a trader. He started a grocery store in K.K. Nagar. The idea of starting a hotel struck him when his customers frequently complained about the lack of a good eatery in the vicinity. And soon enough, an opportunity came his way.
The owner of Kamatchi Bhavan, an eatery located close to his shop, declared his intention to give up the place as it was not viable anymore. Acquiring the eatery, Rajagopal and his wife started cooking and serving food at cheaper rates, running it first in the same name, and then renaming it as Saravana Bhavan in 1981.
A senior journalist recalls, “I used to visit the small hotel run by Rajagopal in early 1980s. It earned a reputation for clean and tasty food at affordabale rates. They served a meal for Rs. 3 then.” M.G. Sivagnanam, author of Vetri Meethu Asai Vaithen (I desired success), a biography of Rajagopal, said Rajagopal learnt the art of business from his former employers whom he respectfully referred to asMudhalali .
“He treated his employees very well, and they used to fondly refer to him asAnnachi (elder brother),” Mr. Sivagnanam said. With about 4,000 employees, Rajagopal knew each of them personally. He offered welfare schemes to his employees, unimaginable at the time.
Success mantra
Rajagopal himself shared the secret of his success once with the Hindu : “All you need is proper planning and execution, besides having the mental toughness to face challenges. One should also learn by experience.”
Along with his children, he slowly built branches/franchises across the world, serving a certain kind of South Indian cuisine, nearly identical in its taste everywhere. He expanded the business rapidly after setting up the first offshore restaurant in Dubai. Today, there are 83 Saravana Bhavan units worldwide, with 40 in India.
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