With around a billion eligible voters, India is undergoing the biggest general elections in the world. While our dedicated election officers work tirelessly to bring democracy to our doorstep, citizens eagerly line up to exercise their rights.
On the polling day in Bengaluru, Karnataka, the city witnessed two notable queues: one at the polling station and another at a local restaurant.
What made this restaurant stand out? Most of the weary voters were lining up outside Nisarga Grand Hotel for their free dosa and juice.
“I don’t care who they voted for, just that they did. We served over 6,000 free dosas on polling day,” says SP Krishnaraj, the owner of the hotel to The Better India.
Curious about why a man in Bengaluru is serving free dosas? Join The Better India as we delve into his heartwarming journey and discover where it all began.
It all started with an angry young man
Krishnaraj worked with different restaurants before opening his own place in 2017. “I had always been in the business of restaurants working for different places but opening my own restaurant was my biggest dream. After years of hard work, he was able to open Nisarga Grand,” he says.
Recalling the initial days of his restaurant, he says, “The initial days were not as grand as I had hoped for them to be. But what I focussed on was providing quality service to the people,” he shares.
It was around this time that he started chatting with a young guest. “It was back in 2018 and the elections were going on. I started to chat with the young man and noticed that he had not voted. I inquired why and he simply said that he didn’t want to vote,” he recalls.
On further questioning, Krishnaraj realised that he did not like any parties contesting at the time. “He said that they all are the same and he had no faith in any leader. I proceeded to make him understand that voting is a right that he needs to exercise. It is important to uphold democracy,” he says.
The two started to have a discussion and the man casually mentioned “If I go and vote, you will have to give me free dosas”.
“I think he was joking but I readily agreed and urged him to vote. He did show up some hours later with an inked finger. I gave him free dosa and juice that day,” he says.
Krishnaraj kept replaying the incident and realised that there must be many more people like that man.
“I have always been a patriot and have wanted to do my part in the country’s growth. In society, I believe that the Constitution is the highest entity and everyone should follow it. The incident gave me an idea,” he says.
Krishnaraj decided to distribute free dosas every election.
Ink that finger and get a free dosa!
He was eagerly waiting for the 2018 elections but little did he know that a fight lay before him.
“I issued a notice on Facebook, WhatsApp, local newspapers and to my friends that I will be distributing free dosas to whoever votes. I had my staff prepare the batter, the chutneys and everything,” he says.
However, he found out that he was barred by the EC to distribute the food. “My friend advised me to go to the high court and file a plea. The HC gave a verdict at 8:30 pm in my favour. It was a single-bench decision but it was challenged by a bunch of hotels in the city.”
There was another hearing that started at 12:30 at night.
“The double bench also decided that my cause was valuable and I could do it. For a moment, before the verdict, I had lost faith and was worried about the wastage of food that it would cause,” he says.
However, that year, Krishnaraj distributed over 3,000 free dosas and filtered coffee to voters.
The next year, he distributed 4,100 free dosas. “Every year, I go through the same drill. In 2019, during the lok sabha elections, I was prepared so I went to court 15 days ahead to avoid any last-minute panic. I won again and fed free dosas to thousands,” he says.
This year was no different. While the city’s residents stood in the scorching sun waiting for their turn, workers at the Nisarga Grand Hotel got ready to prepare thousands of dosas.
“This year too, we did not get the permission initially. But, we were able to secure it by the polling date. Every year the number of people grows. This year, we served 6,800 people free masala dosas. The people always embrace this idea with a welcoming heart,” he says.
Apart from distributing free dosas, Krishnaraj believes in creating social awareness in other areas as well. Of course, this, too, he does in his own way.
“I always want to help people in some way or the other. When there was a lot of misunderstanding about the Rs 10 coin, and vendors were not accepting it, I asked people to give me the coin instead and would give them 10 percent off on their bill,” he says.
Despite the challenges of frequent court visits, Krishnaraj remains steadfast in his goal.
“It can be taxing to visit the court every time I try to do this, but it doesn’t demotivate me at all. Instead, it inspires me even more,” he explains.
“What keeps me going is the smile on people’s faces when they come to the hotel to claim their free dosas. It’s heartwarming to see so many people turn up at the hotel, as it indirectly indicates that all of them voted. That is reward enough for me,” he shares.
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All pictures credit: Krishnaraj)
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