People were in a joyous mood. They were celebrating the Koniamman Car Festival colourfully. Each and everyone on the street had a plate full of goodies. The flavor of food was wafting through the streets. Sale of costume jewellery, balloons, toys etc., were in full swing. Meanwhile people were seeking the benediction of Koniamman at Thermutti. She had brought them together. They were praying, eating, chatting and shopping in the process of meeting her. Divyesh Thakker took me to Vysial Street on his scooter and I was super thrilled to see people having a good time. We meandered through the streets and reached the 100 plus year old building which houses A.K. Fruits. A.K stand for Apple King. The old building houses some lovely carved wooden pillars.
People were in a joyous mood. They were celebrating the Koniamman Car Festival colourfully. Each and everyone on the street had a plate full of goodies. The flavor of food was wafting through the streets. Sale of costume jewellery, balloons, toys etc., were in full swing. Meanwhile people were seeking the benediction of Koniamman at Thermutti. She had brought them together. They were praying, eating, chatting and shopping in the process of meeting her. Divyesh Thakker took me to Vysial Street on his scooter and I was super thrilled to see people having a good time. We meandered through the streets and reached the 100 plus year old building which houses A.K. Fruits. A.K stands for Apple King. The old building houses some lovely carved wooden pillars.
Senior fruit merchant Ramniklal Haridas and his sons - Kiran, Rajesh welcomed us with apples. "Our Kula devata is Ambaji and we hail from Porbander in Gujarat. Long ago, our elders came by boats to Calicut and then moved over to Coimbatore. My father Haridas Thulasidas (1889 - 1956) for the first of five brothers. The others were Ramdas, Premji, Gokuldas and Narsi. I was born in the same building during the year 1930. It used to double up as a shop cum home for us. We are seven brothers and one sister Sarla. Our mother Mani Bai took good care of us. Father was a strict and a quick to react person. However his hard work did not find a parallel. Administration was his forte. He used to travel and meet the owners of fruit orchards. Purchases were made based on his visits. Father knew the merchants in the neighbourhood and used to visit ' Raju Bhavan ' the residence of P.A.Raju Chettiar and chat up with him and other friends. I studied at St.Michaels High School and stood first in Tamil. This was followed by an Intermediate at Government Arts College and I quit after one year. I have been in business for more than 6 decades," smiled Ramniklal Haridas. His wife Devi hailed from Mumbai and had been an excellent cook. The entire family speaks good Tamil and were always known as ' Tamil Seths '.
The founder Haridas had been sourcing betel leaves (Chettipalayam, Vellalore & Podanur) and sending them all over the country. Fruit business had followed. They used to get oranges from Nagpur and apples from Shimla.
"My close friends were D.G.Shah, Balakrishnan and Selvanayagam. Devi married me in Mumbai and our reception was at Gita Lodge those days. Life was interesting then. We used to go to Govinda Iyer (opp to Thermutti) for idli, sweets from Original Viswanatha Iyer and the badam halwa used to be superb. South Indian jalebis were his speciality. We used to eat our local food regularly. Idli, dosa, uppuma and vadai were savoured by us. Lunch consisted of rice, chappaties and vegetables. Dokla and Kandvi were eaten once in a way. Cycling around town used to be the order of the day. We watched Tamil dramas like Sati Leelavathi, Santha Sakubhai, Krishna Leela and Prahalada in a shed. Live music accompanied the shows. Harmoniums, violins, singers etc., would be present on the spot. I liked the movie ' Naam Iruvar '. Life was peaceful and I attended Sathyanarayana poojas every month. The family moved to R.S.Puram in 1960 and I was the first fruit merchant to buy a scooter (Vespa - MSV 439) and also a car", smiled Ramniklal Haridas while his son Rajesh Raichura offered us a cup of coffee. Those were times when he felt shy to go on a scooter. Ramniklal was riding the scooter until the age of 85.
The 92 year old elder brother Vijaykumar Haridas lives in Chennai and he was associated with Devar Films. He is known for his translations and hit dialogues in movies. He has a good knowledge of Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Tamil and English.
' An apple a day keeps the doctor away ' is true here. The sons Kiran and Rajesh are a standing testimony. They eat quite a few apples everyday. "Apples were considered to be premium then. Fruit awareness was poor. Apple was a high status fruit. Only the well to do would buy apples. I used to travel to Srinagar and then the orchards to purchase apples. Shopian was a destination. Apples came from Iran too. My sons went there a few years ago. Those days we reached Pathankot by train and then travel by bus. It would to take days to travel. Life was more leisurely then," added Ramniklal Thulasidas who had also been the trustee of the old Dev Daman Sri Krishna Temple on Vysial Street. The ' Annakoot ' festival here continues to be famous.
A.K. Fruits sold fruits to shops in wholesale and also to a number hand cart and koodaikara vendors (basket vendors). These people used to buy from them and resell in the market. Many of them got credit for the day and settled their dues by the evening. Their households ran because of this arrangement. A number of small businesses came up because of these acts. Women empowerment took place automatically. Today Sadhana Kiran runs ' Teaming Turtles ' in Sai Baba Colony and Revathi Rajesh is part of an all women advocates team.
Kiran and Rajesh, the gen three spoke about the fruit business and the types of apples, "We sell about 15 types of apples. Shimla Royal Apples, Kashmir Delicious Apples, Kashmir Maharaja Apples, Golden Apples. A few Golden Apple trees are required in each orchard for they help in pollination. Washinton Apples, Fuji Apples, Royal Gala from New Zealand, Turkey Apples, France Apples and Apples from Italy, Greece and Poland. Every type has a different taste and appeal. We have visited several orchards over the years. Long ago payments were by demand draft or by cash covers which were insured. Our elders placed fresh currency notes in a cover and send it by insured post. We sent 10 to 15 covers everyday. Our H.T Logo used to affixed with aid of a metal stamp and sent. An impression used to made on the lac which had been poured on the cover before sealing it. Growers used to send us their fruits and we would sell after charging a 10 % percent commission. Those were the terms then." Apples, oranges, mangoes, pomegranates, grapes were also part of the offer for years.
The family continues to cherish the memories of their neighbours who lived in Venkataramana Road in R.S.Puram. "S.Padmanabhan, his wife Sitakalyani and daughter N.Vijayalakshmi were well known to us. Dr.Haneef and Bab's Flash were in the same street as us. We have had a lot of good interactions with all our neighbours. Those were golden days," added Kiran and Rajesh.
Ramniklal Haridas continues to cherish his memories and simply loves Coimbatore.