Arriving at C. Kunhiraman General Stores in Royapuram on a rather humid August day, one comes upon a packed crowd, each person holding a paper cup filled with golden yellows — either mango ice-cream or mango juice. This lively scene is on replay since the 1950s. So is the story of C. Kunhiraman’s phenomenal success as a neighbourhood retail business.
Round the corner, Madras Day demands a retelling of the story. Why not? It is a story that does not pall on the listener, nor the narrator. Akilesh Baskaran, who runs the shop along with his cousin, agrees to tell the famous story one more time for ears younger and removed from the neighbourhood.
Founded in 1925 as a general store by Akilesh’s grandfather C. Kunhiraman, the retail business added sodas and lime juice to its offerings in the 1930s. Another two decades would lapse before the business would take on the yellow hue.
After Kunhiraman’s demise, Narayani found herself holding the reins of the shop. That was in the 1950s. And she soon discovered an ally in the king of fruits, the mango. She introduced mango ice cream with the help of the staff. In no time, it was in demand. Narayani was only in her 20s.
“The anglo-Indian community was very supportive then, and we owe much of our success to them, who used to buy mango ice-cream in bulk. When many left the country, our business experienced a lull. However, it has recently picked up again, thanks to social media,” shares Akilesh.
“The ice-cream has not changed a bit since the last time we visited in 1993 before moving abroad,” shared Ramachandran C and Anuradha R, originally from Mylapore, as they joined the conversation with their scoop of vanilla and mango.
Behind the consistent flavour is considerable effort.
“We have always used mango pulp tins since my grandmother’s time, but back then, we had our own farm for milk production. Now, we only use packet milk, so we have to put extra effort to ensure the quality and taste remains the same,” he explains.
The staff makes ice-cream daily, trained by Akilesh and his family, with a shelf-life of five days. “We only paused during the pandemic, but we continued selling groceries. Now we are back to making ice-cream every day as we are seeing a demand from the current gen too,” comments Akilesh.
“When our older customers return from Australia and New-Zealand, they say our taste is just the same, which gives us the most joy. And there are some first-time customers from abroad who come with a list of things to do in Chennai, and they tick off a box at Kunhiraman’s. So, we are not driven by commercial interests,” Akilesh further adds.
In the afternoon, a group of friends who are older customers, came by for a post-lunch treat for their sweet tooth, reminiscing how the shop’s exterior remains unchanged too, reminiscent of many old Madras shops that have since vanished. As the Royapuram shop approaches its centennial mark next year, the owners plan to make a few structural updates. Akilesh aims to make their legacy known far and wide, opening a new branch, C Kunhiraman shop in Perambur, solely for the mango ice-cream and milkshakes.
“Decades may have flown by, but the first mango ice-cream our grandmother introduced remains a favourite among the young and old,” comments Akilesh.
