Vrajeshjani
Jail Bhajiya House
'Jail Bhajiya House' is the favourite haunt of Ahmedabad's snack lovers.
In 2009-10 alone, Jail Bhajiya House achieved a turnover of around Rs 70 lakh. The daily sales are to the tune of Rs 25,000. And the total turnover of bhajiya business run by prisoners across Gujarat jails is a whopping Rs 1.27 crore.
Chandubhai Prajapati, who earned name and fame at Jail Bhajiya House outside Sabarmati Jail, now runs his own venture. Before being sentenced to life in 1983 in a triple murder case along with infamous criminal Babu Bhaiya, he owned a small hotel in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad.
In his first month in jail, Chandubhai offered help to the jail authorities in preparing delicious bhajiya and other savouries. In 1998, the then jail superintendent V.T. Gautam proposed to the then IG (Prison) Vijay Guman that a tea and bhajiya stall could be started outside the jail with Chandubhai's help. The IG approved the idea. The enterprise was an instant hit, says a senior jail officer.
Apart from bhajiya, the prisoners make other popular snacks like fafda-jalebi and managed the sales from the outlet close to the jail. One-time murderers, molesters and marauders found solace in the business of pakoras. Their enthusiasm hasnt waned one bit in all these years. The stall is manned by inmates of Sabarmati Jail. They are brought out from their cells after securing special permission from the Gujarat home department. The jail authorities said only convicts with very good conduct work in the stall. Four teams of ten convicts each work in rotation for a month. None of these notorious criminals serving life terms for offences like murder and rape have never attempted to flee. Says Veluji Saguji Zala, serving a life sentence for murder: When I was jailed I thought my life was over. But making bhajiya has given me a new reason to live. Nothing gives me more happiness than seeing satisfied customers. Why would I ever even think of escaping from this place?"
Jail Bhajiya House is now all set to sport a new look. Under the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporations town planning scheme, the existing snack outlet is in line for demolition.
A few months back, a new bhajiya outlet was inaugurated at the nearby RTO Circle but its design was not quite satisfactory. Hence, students of National Institute of Design are designing a new outlet which will give the snack shop a professional feel. The Jail Bhajiya House is also going through brand-building exercise.
Jail Bhajiya House
'Jail Bhajiya House' is the favourite haunt of Ahmedabad's snack lovers.
In 2009-10 alone, Jail Bhajiya House achieved a turnover of around Rs 70 lakh. The daily sales are to the tune of Rs 25,000. And the total turnover of bhajiya business run by prisoners across Gujarat jails is a whopping Rs 1.27 crore.
Chandubhai Prajapati, who earned name and fame at Jail Bhajiya House outside Sabarmati Jail, now runs his own venture. Before being sentenced to life in 1983 in a triple murder case along with infamous criminal Babu Bhaiya, he owned a small hotel in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad.
In his first month in jail, Chandubhai offered help to the jail authorities in preparing delicious bhajiya and other savouries. In 1998, the then jail superintendent V.T. Gautam proposed to the then IG (Prison) Vijay Guman that a tea and bhajiya stall could be started outside the jail with Chandubhai's help. The IG approved the idea. The enterprise was an instant hit, says a senior jail officer.
Apart from bhajiya, the prisoners make other popular snacks like fafda-jalebi and managed the sales from the outlet close to the jail. One-time murderers, molesters and marauders found solace in the business of pakoras. Their enthusiasm hasnt waned one bit in all these years. The stall is manned by inmates of Sabarmati Jail. They are brought out from their cells after securing special permission from the Gujarat home department. The jail authorities said only convicts with very good conduct work in the stall. Four teams of ten convicts each work in rotation for a month. None of these notorious criminals serving life terms for offences like murder and rape have never attempted to flee. Says Veluji Saguji Zala, serving a life sentence for murder: When I was jailed I thought my life was over. But making bhajiya has given me a new reason to live. Nothing gives me more happiness than seeing satisfied customers. Why would I ever even think of escaping from this place?"
Jail Bhajiya House is now all set to sport a new look. Under the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporations town planning scheme, the existing snack outlet is in line for demolition.
A few months back, a new bhajiya outlet was inaugurated at the nearby RTO Circle but its design was not quite satisfactory. Hence, students of National Institute of Design are designing a new outlet which will give the snack shop a professional feel. The Jail Bhajiya House is also going through brand-building exercise.