When fast food came to Bangalore in 1983, the South-Indian city embraced it with arms and wallets wide open. The pioneer, Café Darshini,[1] went on to inspire a new model of restaurants in the city called darshinis. There are a couple of ways to spot a darshini - affordable South-Indian vegetarian fare, tall steel tables and sometimes, the name.
The observant customer will find that the names seem to have a certain homogeneity. Earlier, the suffix 'Darshini' would separate these restaurants from other South-Indian eateries. However, an analysis of ~1,078 darshini names[2] revealed that this is not the case anymore. Initial findings showed that it is more likely for them to carry the name 'Udupi' (the name of a popular district in Karnataka, known for its local vegetarian cuisine).
However, it's the word 'Veg' (the colloquial word for 'Vegetarian') that found its way to over 500 darshini names.
Vegetarian food is both popular and abundant in India. One can assume that it will be available in most (if not all establishments). However, these name boards seem to indicate an exclusivity of "only vegetarian food" to attract customers. The names ending with "Veg" or "Pure Veg" are a clear nod to the food-preferences of the upper-caste Hindu customers.
"Veg" also found its way into the naming patterns of darshinis. Through the analysis, I identified four patterns with standard prefixes and suffixes.
If you were to go darshini-hopping, you would find most of them clustered in the southern parts of the city, close to where the first darshini appeared. Localities such as BTM layout, HSR and Koramangala - housing large student and working populations - are bursting with them.
So the next time you're in Bangalore, make sure you type the right search words to find your nearest darshini. You'll have a hot meal, coffee, and then kindly asked to be on your way.
