When the mercury is rising and you want to escape the heat, head for Ambika Rasvanti Griha

"Mota ki Chota?" Tanaji Damodar asks, as you settle down on a bench in Ambika Rasvanti Griha - so, would you like to have a big glass or a medium size glass of Ganna Ras?
And as an ever-smiling Tanaji invites you to have a glass, Ananth Garud, reaching out for a second helping recommends, "Have a Mota glass, it is very good for health". Ananth has been having his glass of Ras every time he passed by Ambika Rasvanti Griha for the last 25 years. For him, this place is one of the "clean, hygienic and the best in Pune. And of course, it is so nice to talk to Tanaji."

Located near Chaturshringi Temple on the Senapati Bapat Road, Ambika Rasvanti Griha started off as a small sugarcane juice joint, way back in 1975. "As the financial condition back home was difficult, I came to Pune from my village Kalyan in search of a job. I worked at Finolex for a while and later one of my friends helped me to buy a hand driven sugarcane juice machine. Soon my brother Kailash came over to give me a hand. Later I could afford to buy an electric machine. And here we are." narrates Tanaji.

What makes the Ras so tasty here? "Unlike others, we are very choosy about the sugarcane. We never compromise on taste or quality. We use the sugarcane from our own fields or the ones from the people whom we know" explains Kailash proudly.

"And I make lots of variations for people with all sorts of tastes, like for example if somebody wants "Strong Ras", I put extra ginger. I put extra lime for people who want the Ras to taste like Lemonade! And I put the right amount of ice for people who like it just cool or super chilled. Each, according to their own taste", Tanaji smilingly reveals the secret of why people are drawn to his joint.

Interestingly, the people who enjoy their drink here are an eclectic mixture. Teddy, an Ethiopian student studying at Symbiosis has been a regular here for the last four years. "This stuff is good man. Earlier I used to drink only Pepsi, but now it's  fifty-fifty with Tanaji's Ganna Ras. I play football everyday, and I drink two Mota glasses before the game and two after. Once I even drank six glasses at one go. This is really a good thing man!" Teddy's admiration goes further. "Unfortunately, we don't get sugar cane juice in Ethiopia. But when I go back to my country, I will take back a juice machine from India. I am going to start a Rasvanti Griha there."

So does anybody hold record for gulping the maximum number of glasses? "11 Mota glasses", beams Tanaji happily. "One chap liked the juice so much that he just couldn't stop himself"

As this place is open for most of the year, one wonders when does Tanaji get a time off: "On an average at least a hundred people come to have Ras here everyday and the numbers go unto three to four hundred in the summer. That means I have to stay here fulltime. I go to my village once a fortnight to spend time with my family." Tanaji explains. "And every June we close the shop and spend about three weeks on Pandharpur Yatra as Warkari's. I have been doing that for the last 20 years without a break." About his family he says, "I want my children to get proper education, something I had missed because of my difficult conditions."

And what is Tanaji's secret of a happy and smiling face?
"By gods grace, all my basic needs are met, I don't want to run after money. I love to serve people. And that's why people are so affectionate to me. What matters finally is the satisfaction of people who come here and they come back again and again. That's what makes me happy".

No wonder so many people from even far off places like Pimpri and Chinchwad go out of their way to drop in at Ambika Rasvanti Griha. So when the mercury is rising and you want to escape the heat, you now know where to head for a cool sip. Anytime.

Address: Ambika Rasvanti Griha,
Near Chaturshringi Temple,
Opposite Indraprasta Marriage Hall,
Senapati Bapat Road
Pune

Text and Photographs: Harikrishna