One rupee idli, five rupee lunch: Trichy couple wins hearts

The couple, Chandrashekhar and Pushpa Rani, has been running their small restaurant 'Pushpamma Hotel’ for almost a year. The food stall offers varieties of South Indian delicacies. College students throng at the stall as it is near the government college on Racecourse road.

Trichy: Couple running 'Pushpamma Hotel' near Racecourse road sells idli for Rs 1 and lunch for Rs 5 to college students and differently abled people. The couple, Chandrashekhar and Pushpa Rani, has been running their small restaurant 'Pushpamma Hotel’ for almost a year. The food stall offers varieties of South Indian delicacies. College students throng at the stall as it is near the government college on Racecourse road.

Even the daily work labourers can get idli here at Rs 3 and Pongal at Rs 5. The small eatery also offers six varieties of rice namely lemon rice, vegetable biryani, tamarind rice, tomato rice and mushroom rice at Rs 5, making the place a huge hit among locals.

Chandrashekhar, a welder by profession, and his wife has braved all odds to set up this food stall for the benefit of common people. Shekhar says he manages to run the stall with his earnings from welding shop.

The couple said that their low-cost food was intended to help people get over the economic impact caused by the pandemic. The restaurant, which was shut down for three months due to COVID, has attracted more crowd after being re-opened due to low-cost food.

Pushpa Rani told ETV Bharat “We were selling these dishes for Rs 20 when we started. At times, we used to dump the leftovers. One day a college student, who is staying in a hostel, noticed it and requested us to give him the food at a cheaper rate."

"It was after this incident that my husband Chandrashekhar decided to sell food at low cost instead of wasting them. He assured me that many people, especially workers and college students, would benefit from this. My son Sam Nath also helps us," she said.

She said “We are running the hotel with the meagre amount my husband gets from his welding works. We are happy to serve the food to the poor and needy. We will continue it even after the pandemic."

Karthick, a college student said “Many of my friends are staying in a nearby hostel. Earlier, we used to spend Rs 50 to 100 for outside food but now we have to pay only Rs 20."

Karthik and his friends have lauded the role of Chandrasekar and Pushparani.