Despite being 102, the Madhavashram lodge in the heart of Mumbai seems to attract more and more guests by the day. And its owner, Ramesh Parshuram Mahajan, 68, runs the lodging and eatery facilities with the same zeal that his pioneering father Parshuram Mahajan showed when he opened the lodge.
“This is a business based on my father’s values and I have to continue his legacy. Now, my daughter sits next to me to run this business. It is not something we want to close down ever,” Mahajan says. Mahajan’s view has helped the business thrive despite many traditional Marathi outlets like Anantashram and Kona bar shutting shop in Girgaum.
Madhavashram was started by Parshuram Mahajan when many Mahrashtrians like Parshuram migrated from Guhaghar, Konkan. The perennial problem of finding a decent place to live in Mumbai prompted him to open this lodge. It started out as an eatery and went on to become the famous Madhavashram.
The plot was purchased in 1914 and Madhavashram came up in 1918. There are many concepts at this lodge that may not appeal to people from metros and urban centres. However, people from the rest of Maharashtra do not feel alienated here.
“The concept of a toilet is modern and non-Indian. People in most villages still go outside to answer nature’s call. So, at Madhavashram, all toilets at the end of the passage.
Another interesting thing about the lodge is that it has stuck to traditional Marathi Brahmin catering. They have a ‘khanaval’ inside the lodging section where they serve only meals, while there is a separate restaurant for light Marathi Brahmin snacks.
