Five Puri

 I was there in the medieval city affectionately called Budaun. As an active part of my job managing the HR of financial inclusion firm, made me travel to this prominent part of UP. The region is very notable for food the serves for starving bellies. Throughout my extensive travel from Agra to Bareilly I had invariably found the same food changes its own delicacy. In Agra, the kind of Puri you will get is somewhat unique from Delhi or Budaun. 

These conventionally represent the myriad minor changes in the taste that could be or could not be observed by starving tentacles. It was harsh cold in the dewy morning of the fierce winter of 2010 in Budaun. A delicious morning compels me to have a quick breakfast. Chillness enforced me to bring back some boundless energy in the form of a hasty breakfast. Budaun is efficiently being a small town and I guess I was in the outskirts of the town. We decided to hunt for morning food outside the place where we resided. 

On the way to the office premises, we fortunately discovered a small roadside but adequately serving eatery. That eatery served us the five garma garam Puries with aloo subji in a dried leaf plate. The delicious breakfast that tantalized our capacious mouth will always be stored in some corner of the memoir forever in life. 

Out of five puries served, first, puri gave me a sense of belonging to the local food, it started giving me the much-needed respite from lack of energy. Second, puri, poured a feeling of enthusiasm, in a chilled morning, people wake up to their senses and ignite their livelihoods. I felt the only thing that is protected from all weather is livelihoods. Irrespective of the scorching heat of summers, torrential rains of the monsoon, and bone-chilling cold of winters, we all wake up to our senses and apt for living and earning in dignified ways. Third puri, gave me an opportunity to interact with the owner of the eatery, how delicately he made puri, for how long, what are the ingredients, etc. Sometimes we get lots of insights from strangers. The fourth puri was the inflection point. the point where I started feeling energized, The energy started flowing in the forms of aspirations and determinations. Fifth puri, It made me sure, that this delicacy will take more than an unusual time to come back again. Good things happen very few times in life.

 The Budaun breakfast is one of the few things. Certain memories are retained in life and we carry those memories for a long time and wait to get them reflected once again. Off-course, the brain conditions our emotions of happiness to derive feeling of nostalgia when memories reappear. I happened to wait for 14 odd years to get another reflection of Budaun Puri Sabji incident. Its was in Mumbai. The very famous Pancham Puri, located in Fort area.  

Around 175 years ago, a young man Pancham Sharma from Tundla, UP the same region of Agra-Budaun traversed to Mumbai in order to start his livelihood. The very famous Pancham Puriwala, as the name indicate serves 5 Puries along with 2 sabjis. Myriad varieties of Puries, The aroma the shop makes everyone feel invited. I was intrigued by the same delicacy and taste offered by Pancham Puriwala. It tantalised my tongue as exactly it happened around 14 years ago at Budaun. Would recommend travelers to visit Pancham Puri to find out your 5 Puris.

- Amol Nakve