An insight on Vada Pav: Its relation with Shiv Sena

 

Vada Pav an 'Indian burger' is one of the snacks which became an instant hit in India and around the world. This Mumbai snack which rules the taste buds of many, started its journey in the early 60s and within no time it conquered the hearts of all Mumbaikars. Its impact is so strong that the first thing that comes to the mind after hearing the word Mumbai is vada pav. 

Vada pav is not only a snack for mumbaikars, its a part of their identity. It is astreet food that could be found in every corner of this city. It is a favorite snack or a quick food for everybody from a school going kid to a corporate employee and from a daily wager to a person driving a luxury car. 

This mouthwatering Indian burger consists of a boiled potato patty seasoned with local spices, dipped in the chickpeas batter, deep fried round balls of haven are then placed in between the sliced square shaped bread and served with a fried chilly and green chutney.

History:

Mr. Ashoke Vaidya is a creator of this snack and he did that in 1966. He used to have a stall outside Dadar railway station platform number one (his son still runs the same stall) and many mill workers who needed a quick and inexpensive snack while on the way to work at the textile mills used to follow the same path and among them it became an instant hit.

In the 70s and 80s many textile mills shut down because of continuous strikes. During that time and many workers lost their jobs and most of them opened vada pav stalls. For that, they also got encouraged by Shive Sena (one of the most powerful political parties in Maharastra) during that time and this led to the booming popularity of this snack in Mumbai. Slowly it moved outside of Mumbai to other parts of Maharastra and wherever it went it became an instant hit.

In July 1998, Mr. Vaidya expired and till today his legacy has been taken forward by his son named Narendra who still runs the same stall outside Dardar station. 

Vada Pav Food chains:

In the late 90s, many International food chains arrived in India, but nobody was able to challenge its popularity in Mumbai and Maharastra. Seeing this in 2001 Mr. Dheeraj Gupta foresees the business opportunity of this snack and started a food chain named ‘JumboKing Vada Pao' and opened more than 75 outlets across Mumbai. On the same platform in 2004 Mr. Venkatesh Iyer also started a vada pav food chain named 'Goli Vada Pav' and today this chain has more than 300 stores across India in more than 100 cities.

Now:

Nowadays it is not only found in almost all major cities of India but also has gained popularity in many parts of the world. From the early 60s till today many experiments have been done with this snack. Nowadays it has been served in my different flavors, fillings, and chutneys. 

At present, it has become an integral part of the mumbaiya lifestyle and culture, and with the passage of time, its impact is getting stronger day by day. I’ll not be surprised if one day it could be considered as one of the most popular snacks in the world. 

I still remember my first trip to Mumbai in 2009 and all my family members and friends requested me to get a vada pav each for everybody, the story hasn't changed a lot now also, though vada pav has a presence in almost all major cities of the nation, but still Mumbai flavor is unique and could not be replicated anywhere else. In short, if you are travelling to Mumbai, do not miss the opportunity to taste this snack.