Things became worse when the Indira Gandhi administration shut down clubs. However, the friend stole my father’s money and went rogue, leaving him with nothing. “The friend had incurred losses, so my dad helped him set up a pushcart tiffin shop opposite the club in 1976. Just as his life was coming on track in terms of finances, a friend reached out for monetary help. Meanwhile, Srinivas’ hard work and quick learning caught the attention of a club member who hired him as co-partner in another club in the early 1970s. ‘With only a pushcart as his prized possession’ Eventually, they fell in love and got married,” Solomon Santhanam, one of the four sons and owner of Seena Bhai in Sowcarpet, tells The Better India.

“My parents used to take the same route while returning home, and would eye each other while crossing the path. While Srinivas began working as an attendant buying cigarettes and tea for members of the MUC Club, Sathyavathi took up a job as a domestic help. The two arrived in the city for work separately, but at the same time. The story began in the late 60s, when Vadamalpettai’s Srinivasa Naidu and Sathyavathi Ammal from Rajahmundry migrated to the Gateway of South India, Madras (now Chennai).

The story of Chennai’s popular joint Seena Bhai Tiffin Centre is nothing short of a movie - an “aww”-inspiring rags to riches story that has love, a villain, betrayal and a happy ending, with a unique addition of finger-licking ghee soaked oothappam and idlis.

Pandian stores 20th september 2019