MTR in Bengaluru
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K
Bengaluru’s Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, or MTR is an institution. In the last century, it survived World War II, invented the rava idli, and hosted casual visits from many celebrities. Its art deco-style facade is part of every poster of the city. All these stories and more come together in a new coffee table book, The MTR Story: A Labour of Love, launching on March 2, 2025. Marking the restaurant’s 100th anniversary, the book true to its name is a labour of love, and delves into MTR’s origin, history, and people, and finds out what keeps it going after all these years.
“The thought of documenting MTR’s journey had been on my mind for a long time, but they were scattered,” says Hemamalini Maiya, the managing partner of MTR Restaurants, and the first woman in her family to lead the business. “The turning point came when I realised that we were losing people — family members, long-time employees, and customers — whose experiences had shaped MTR. Their stories needed to be captured before they faded away.” Hemamalini with author Pratima Chabbi, has dug deep into the archives and family records for the creation of this book.
The book cover
| Photo Credit:
Pratima Chabbi
How it all began
The 294-page, hardbound book is peppered with beautiful photographs. It starts right at the beginning with the history of Udupi hotels in Bengaluru. Pratima and Hemamalini take a trip to Parampalli village in Karnataka. This was the family home of the Maiya family that consisted of nine children. Bad monsoons and harsh summers led to poor harvest and financial troubles. In search of better opportunities, 11-year-old Ganappaiah, and his nine-year-old brother, Parameshwara, left home for the bigger city. “The research for this book was largely rooted in oral histories, which I found to be one of the most compelling aspects of the process,” Hemamalini, who is Ganappaiah’s grandniece, adds.
Hemamalini Maiya, the current custodian of MTR
| Photo Credit:
Tanushree Bhasin
Ganappaiah’s son, Parampalli Vasudeva Maiya, who is now 83 years old, tells the moving story of their early days. They took up jobs as cooks in hotels and homes but soon felt the need to create something of their own, “They scouted the city and found a small, nondescript hall they could rent next to a mosque and opposite a school in Mavalli, a working-class Muslim neighbourhood. There, they founded the Brahmins’ Coffee Club in 1924.” In the 1930s the name was changed to Mavalli Tiffin Rooms due to the former’s caste-based exclusiveness. Soon another brother, Yagnanarayana joined the business. The rest is, quite literally, history. The British, the Emergency, Hindu-Muslim riots, all feature in the pages.
The people behind MTR
Through The MTR Story: A Labour of Love, we meet the people who make the well-oiled machine run every day. For example, Srinivas Gowda, 56, began his journey with MTR in 1989, as a salesman, and now works in the kitchen. Srinivas SK, 47, began his journey at MTR as a cleaner, in 1998, but is now one of the main cooks. We meet the men who make their iconic bisibelebhath, kharabhath, pooris and filter coffee. We meet the suppliers of the milk and the vegetables.
MTR tiffin parties were popular in the 1940s and 1950s
| Photo Credit:
Courtsey: MTR Restaurants
Pratima’s love for the restaurant comes through in her writing. She says she enjoyed meeting the people who work behind the scenes. “And then there is Hema’s story—stepping into her father’s (Harishchandra Maiya) role the very next day after his passing, holding everything together at a time of immense personal loss.”
When Hemamalini took over the reins in 1999, she was seen as a temporary fix until a male successor emerged. “The idea of a woman leading MTR was almost unheard of,” Hemamalini shares. “Earning trust wasn’t immediate. I didn’t walk in with authority—I had to build it.” The book closes with somber thoughts on the next generation of successors and just to balance it all, a quick mango pickle recipe.
FACTS WE LEARNT FROM THE BOOK:
MTR changed its name from Brahmins’ Coffee Club to Mavalli Tiffin Rooms in the 1930s. This was the same time as the Periyar-led campaigns against orthodox practices and the segregation of diners based on caste.
Yagnanarayana Maiya visited Europe in 1952 and loved the cafes there. The dessert French Fruit Mixture was introduced after that.
Staff member Kodanda began working in MTR in 1966, at the age of 14. And still makes the fruit salad daily.
MTR tiffin parties were popular in the 1940s and 1950s. These events took place in the Press Club, Cubbon Park, and in Lalbagh.
The thali was introduced in 1998. There was no formal announcement or menu listing at the time—it was simply communicated by servers, one guest at a time.
The MTR Story: A Labour of Love is priced at ₹1,600. It will be available for purchase on Amazon and at all MTR outlets globally
Published – February 25, 2025 11:40 pm IST