Ask any Hyderabadi where you can eat the best dosa or idli in the city, and they will point you to Ram Ki Bandi.
Well-known for buttery dosas and soft idlis, this pushcart (bandi) was started in 1989 by a man named Lakshman Rao Shinde.
“My father bought the cart using most of his savings. We made our ends meet with whatever he earned,” says Lakshman’s son, Ram Kumar Shinde (35), who is now incharge.
Despite being in a state of financial crisis, Lakshman Rao worked hard to save money and educate his son.
Initially, he started by preparing plain dosas and idli, and served them with sambar and chutney.
Lakshman did not have any helpers except his eight-year-old son, Ram.
“I would help out at the bandi every day. My father would park it at different locations to attract crowds. We would start our day at 5 am, and I would help around until 8 am,” says Ram.
He adds, “I would wash vessels, cut vegetables, help in the cooking process, and serve customers. Then, I would leave for school.”
After graduating from school, Ram went on to pursue his higher education and completed his Master’s in Business Administration from a university in Hyderabad.
Though he received job offers, he says deep down he had a different calling.
Ram took over in 2011, and began following the same routine as his father.
He soon noticed they were up against bigger outlets in the business, and most of their customers were those in a hurry to grab a quick meal.
That’s when Ram decided to introduce schezwan dosas, tawa idlis, cheese dosas, pizza dosas and more.
In 2021, the father-son duo opened five outlets across Hyderabad and launched a franchise model for the business.
Since then, Ram has employed 70 others and caters to over 1,000 customers at each stall.