Did you know: This food stall sells items for less than Rs.1
Home > News Shots > India newsWho does not like to hog on street food- I'm pretty sure everyone would love to. And if it comes even below your budget then you don't mind visiting that place everyday. Surprisingly, there is a food stall which sells one kochuri for 50 paisa, while students get it for half the price.
This shop is owned by 50-year-old man who is popularly known as Mangal or Mongla. The prices in this Kolkata shop have remained unchanged for the last 29 years.
According to The Indian Express report, during 1990, in a discarded room with a meter box, he started this shop for kochuris (deep-fried, puffy bread, stuffed with a filling of mildly spiced, hing-infused green peas). According to the market then, each kochuri was priced at 50 paisa. Quite a number of schools existed in the locality. Students crowded his shop during recess hours or after school hours. Mangalbabu halved his price for them.
Media reports further state that, on coming to the shop in a school uniform, you would be charged 25 paisa. In the evening, fritters such as peyaji, alur chop, mochar chop, dhokar chop, and beguni, were prepared. These telebhajas were priced at a rupee by Mangalbabu according to market prices then. Its been almost three decades, that the price has not changed and remained the same.
While, speaking to Indian Express, Mangalbabu said “We do have a few issues. But I manage my household somehow. When I opened the shop, potatoes were available at 50 paisa per kilo, now each kilo costs Rs 15-20. If I have managed without increasing my prices till now, I will never increase the prices.”
"The shop is in a neighbourhood, everyone is eating here for very long. The students crowd in too, it gives me great satisfaction. If I increase the prices after all this time, many would be disappointed. I have slightly decreased the size of the kochuris. The telebhajas have remained as before," Mangalbabu added.