A garden of abundance for Puneites with humble pockets

Pune has attracted people from far lands time and again, over the centuries. Many of whom have loved the city so much that they decided to build their homes and lives on its soil.

One such family is of Sayed Ali Sajjadi from Iran, which has been feeding the city’s not-so-privileged class with delicious and affordable non-vegetarian fare for almost 80 years.

It all started in the 1920s, when Sayed Ali’s wanderlust and opportunities for trading brought him to the city. He soon fell in love with it and decided to settle here. He launched his own little eating place called Gulzar.

Sayed Ali, who had fruit and rose gardens in Iran, named his venture after them, as Gulzar means ‘garden’ in Persian. Sayed’s grandson Husain explains,“He launched this restaurant with the sole purpose of serving labourers and the likes, as eateries generally catered to the rich. Even now, anyone coming to our restaurant can have a wholesome non-vegetarian meal at only Rs30.”

Since its origin, the paaya, which is a soup comprising bone marrow, is Gulzar’s signature. Besides this, there are the perennial favourites like bun maska and the Irani chai, along with egg parathas, chicken biryanis, chicken curries, kurmas and kathi rolls, which are available in the evening.

Sayed Ali died an early death, when his son Sayed Latif was just 12 years old. Sayed Latif took over the reins of the restaurant and took it further. With time, Gulzar grew with the city, expanding to a larger area. Its moment of fame came in 1971, when scenes of the Bollywood film Ek Nazar were shot at the restaurant.

Superstars Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan graced the restaurant and its patrons were happy to see their favourite joint featured in movie. Husain recalls, “I was only a couple of months old and my father would tell me that Bachchan used to come play with me at our house, located just above the restaurant.”

The restaurant, which is now run by Sayed Latif’s sons Husain and Ali, continues with its motto. One can often catch the brothers sipping galla chai and preside over the eatery’s workings.

Educated at St Vincent’s and The Bishop’s High School respectively, Husain and Ali haven’t been lured by the glitter of the corporate world or fancy fantasies of launching high-end restaurants. They wish to take forward the legacy that their father and grandfather handed down to them and continue serving delicious food to everyone who enters Gulzar’s portals.

Ali recalls, “We recently had a customer, who came in a Mercedes Benz car. We later realised that he was an old patron, a labourer, who had climbed the ladder and done very well for himself. We have many such clients, who started out small and then really prospered.” He adds, “At present, 90% of our customers are those who have been coming for generations and this is what makes us proud. We wish to continue serving them.”