Unforgotten Brands: Adyar Ananda Bhavan

Posted on July 18, 2024by Vejay Anand

An iconic symbol of genuine tradition, this brand rose from humble beginnings as a tiny sweets shop.

At the age of ten or eleven, Thirupathi Raja fled his family and went to live in Chennai, where he found employment cleaning tables at a restaurant. Later, he started helping out in the kitchen and picked up the skills of a senior cook to produce all sorts of sweets.

Just a few years later, he made his way back to Rajapalayam, his homeland, but he departed for Mumbai at the age of nineteen. He began his employment in Mumbai in a Tamil grocery store in the Matunga neighbourhood then moved on to a textile factory. Buying idli-making vessels in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, and selling them in Mumbai was another side hustle he had for a while.

Thirupathi Raja eventually took his father’s counsel and returned to Rajapalayam to be with his family. Beginning with producing paddy and sugarcane, he began farming on their 8-acre ancestral land.

His dreams persisted even as his farm prospered. He began producing sweets and opened a little store called Guru Sweets in 1960. Guru Sweets sold wheat halwa, laddu, jahangir (a heartier take on jalebi), badusha, and the world-famous Mysore pak along with his wife Muthu Lakshmi. Karasev, a delicacy made from gramme flour, was one of the few savoury goods available at the store.

The efforts were quickly rewarded with success. Thirupathi Raja plotted his growth, expecting to increase profits by leasing nearby farmlands using borrowed money. However a severe dust storm wiped off their crops, and they were in deep debt. Along with his family, Thirupathi Raja considered suicide due to this. Extreme poverty and starvation befell them during this time.

Despite the challenges, the family persevered and came out on top. Moving to Bengaluru was a bold choice he took in the mid-1970s. He established Srinivasa Sweets with the steadfast backing of his wife and two boys, who put off finishing school to assist with the business.

As they built their company, brick by brick, the family lived frugally. While their two sons oversaw different areas of the business, Thirupathi Raja made sweets with the help of his wife. They overcame several obstacles and had a new beginning in Bengaluru because of their doggedness.

If the 1979 anti-Tamil riots that rocked Bengaluru hadn’t happened, the family might have kept Srinivasa Sweets going. They moved to Chennai because of the impact on their business; Srinivasa Raja, his younger son, was left in charge of the Bengaluru store.

Thirupathi Raja and K T Venkatesan, his eldest son, opened Sri Ananda Bhavan, a store in Washermanpet, Chennai, for the first time in 1979. After Srinivasa Raja closed his Bengaluru store in 1988, he moved to Chennai to live with his father and brother. A second location in Adyar was quickly opened because of the business’s success. They grew to identify with the Adyar outlet’s success, which led to the establishment of Adyar Ananda Bhavan. A third location in Purasaiwakkam was added to their empire in 1992.

In the world of sweets, Adyar Ananda Bhavan stands out for its dedication to tradition and quality. They differentiated themselves from competitors by introducing new varieties of candies. Popular sweets from Rajasthan, Bengal, Punjab, and UP were made by bringing in people from those regions, and they were a huge success.

They made a significant move in 2005 when they opened A2B restaurants in addition to Adyar Ananda Bhavan candies, marking their entrance into the restaurant industry. They capitalised on their reputation for quality and tradition while increasing their visibility and revenue through this decision. The store in Puducherry was co-located with the opening of our first A2B outlet.

Adyar Ananda Bhavan has grown into a corporation employing over 12,000 people and generating over Rs 1200 crore in revenue. The United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia are just a few of their global branches. As they reflect on their incredible journey, they remain steadfast in their commitment to family and trust, quality, and giving back to society. An iconic symbol of genuine tradition, this brand rose from humble beginnings as a tiny sweets shop.