The Rs 40 vegetarian meals at Sangeetha
| Photo Credit: AKHILA EASWARAN
What connects MS Subbalakshmi, KJ Yesudas and a popular Chennai vegetarian eatery?
The answer is Sangeetha, one of Chennai’s iconic vegetarian brands that has completed 40 years in the food business. With 34 branches in Chennai and 23 abroad currently, Sangeetha has braved competition and inflation to enjoy continued patronage among Chennai’s foodies.
Known for its hot, crisp masala dosas and meals, Sangeetha’s journey started at a small place in Armenian Street, Parry’s, where P Suresh set shop. His father, Padmanabha Pothi, had had considerable experience in the restaurant business, having run hotels in Thiruvananthapuram and later in Chennai’s West Mambalam (Hotel Suprabath) and Broadway (Hotel Swathi).
Suresh’s dream was to become a photographer but the hotel business that his father was passionate about kept drawing him. Their 1985 outing at Parry’s was named Sangeetha (which means ‘music’), as a hat-tip to legendary singers MS Subbulakshmi and KJ Yesudas. “These singers gave so many people peace of mind with their voices. We wanted to do the same through our food offerings,” says Suresh, who subsequently became closely associated with the founder of Saravana Bhavan, P Rajagopal (known as Annachi), whom he considers one of his gurus.
Suresh, whose day today is filled with meetings and inspections at various branches, is a foodie himself. “I have travelled the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu and eaten in various places. Kathiravan’s Hotel in Srivilliputhur is a personal favourite; it serves three types of sambar. I also fondly remember the times eating butter dosas late at night at a small hotel near a provisions market in Salem.”
In Chennai, he is a regular visitor to Pondy Bazaar’s Shri Balaajee Bhavan for its onion rava dosa and Rayar’s Mess for its unique chutney.
Sangeetha restaurant’s P Suresh with his daughter Sanjana Suresh
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN
Fan for life
For many Chennaiites, meals during lunchtime is most satisfying. At Chennai’s Sangeetha, they are priced only at Rs 40, till July 24. This limited meals, which also includes a special vada and sweet apart from regular lunch offerings, will be on from 11am to 4pm at select outlets on select dates.
This has seen a lot of patronage; the Parry’s branch saw more than 2,000 walk-ins for this offer on the first day. While the meals might be sought-after this season, there are a few people — like TV personality and actor, Bosskey — for whom this hotel has been an everyday haunt for the past three years. Every day, at 10am and 6pm, you can find him at the RA Puram branch of Sangeetha – sharing a laugh with a group of friends, some of whom he would have made just that day. “My breakfast is a combination of pongal, dosa, coffee and laughter,” says Bosskey, who is friends with everyone at the branch, from the manager to the support staff. He jokes, “Thanks to my daily visits to the hotel, I may soon be entitled to an award for my association with Sangeetha, titled ‘Sangeetha….Gallaa Nidhi’!.”
For people like Bosskey and many other Chennaiites, Sangeetha is more than a hotel. It is an emotion. And that’s exactly what the folks running the restaurant intend to be grateful for, as they turn 40. “This (the Rs 40 offer) is not about making money. It is about celebration. It is about giving back to the people of Chennai who have given us so much love over the years,” says P Suresh, who runs Sangeetha along with his daughter Sanjana Suresh, P Rajagopal and Anirudh Rajagopal.
The Rs 40 limited meals offer is on till July 24, at various branches in Chennai.
Published – July 17, 2025 06:02 am IST
