UNI CANTEEN

UNI CANTEEN

 During 1960s  most of the office goers in Parliament St., and Connaught Place used to assemble for lunch at a private canteen run by an Iyer in the South India Club premises in Jantar Mantar Road.  Those who come for lunch included high government and private company officials.  The Govt. decided to vacate the premises for some improvement and the South India Club and the canteen.  Both the Canteen Iyer and its valued influential customers were able to locate the premises of the compound of the Press Trust  of India building in Parliament St. (now it has a multi storey building).  Once the PTI started with the idea of going in for a multi-storey building the Canteen had also to shift to a new place.  With the influence of the  influential customers, a suitable place was found and the Canteen was shifted to the UNI (United News of India)premises compound, in Rafi Marg adjacent to Mavlankar MPs Flats and back side of the Planning Commission.  This is the birth of the famous UNI Canteen around the 1970s..

The Canteen was run by one Shri Narayana Iyer, who not only managed the Canteen but also was a very social and philonthropical person.  The canteen attracted huge crowd during lunch hour and became a meeting place also for people.  Those who were regular visitors were Senior Officials of the Pvt. Sector Undertakings like the Birlas (in Uco Bank Bldg), Tatas (in LIC building), IFC (Bank of Baroda bldg) and included senior officials of the nearby Government offices right from the Joint Secy level, and sometimes MPs from Tamilnadu.  Shri S. Balasubramaniam known as Vimal Balu used to bring both Anil and Mukesh Ambanis during the lunch house and also many other business Tycoons.  Further most of the famous Carnatic Music Artists, Dramtists and sometimes Film Actors used to be present as guests of some of the regular clients.  I myself have brought most of the well known artists, journalists from Tamil Nadu to the Canteen who come for programmes organized by me on behalf of the Janakpuri Tamil Association.

Incidentally, this is the place where I started learning Astrology under the shade of a Tree from my Guru Shri T. Rangarajan during lunch hours between 1.00 and 2.30 pm for nearly 8 years.  Famous tamil writer Shri PS Ranganathan (Kadugu) and Shri PV Subramanian (aka) Subbudu famous music critic are also regular visitors to the UNI Canteen.

The proprietor of the Canteen known generally  as Iyer used to prepare some special items like Sweets and Savouries to be taken home.   He will also prepare most of the Deepavali items like Jangri, Badam Halwa, laddu, Mysore Pak, Mixture, Muruku etc. for which one has to place orders well in advance.

I still remember those days when I used to go to the UNI Canteen.