A serendipitous meeting between Anju Sudharshan and Ranga Shankara theatre’s founder Arundhati Nag led to the creation of Anju’s Cafe. “We met at a common friend’s house. She was going out the door and I was coming in. She called me later and asked me to take the space and start the cafe,” says Anju who had been cooking for friends and family in her home kitchen then.
This year, the cafe is celebrating its 20th anniversary. At any afternoon, a mix of theatre folks, casual visitors and newbies to town who are watching a play for the first time, can be spotted at Anju’s. It has evolved into an integral space for the theater community of Bengaluru, and loved for its sabudana vada, akki roti, and annual onam sadyas.
Bengaluru | ‘The dream is not over’: Arundhati Nag on 20 years of theatre space Ranga Shankara
Anju moved to Bengaluru in 1987, after being born and brought up in Mumbai. “I come from a family of foodies, so I always used to cook for office parties and school events. My boss eventually told me, ‘I want to fire you, so that you go and start your own food business. That is where your heart lies.’ He helped me set up a kitchen 24 years ago, and we started supplying lunches to office employees.”
