Nearest Metro Station: Shovabazar Sutanuti
After visiting Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House, we reached nearby Laxmi Narayan Shaw & Sons.
Upon request to enhance our knowledge about this historic shop, Keshto Kumar Gupta – the current owner narrated the history as follows:
Khedu Shaw – Grandfather was originally from Gaya (Bihar), opened this shop in 1918 in the name of his son Laxmi Narayan Shaw.
Khedu Shaw used to supply telebhajas (fritters) and tea in the secret meetings of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during the pre-independence era.
Telebhaja is a crispy, salty, finger-licking Bengali morning/evening snack consisting of potato, onion, and vegetables, coated in gram flour batter, and then deep-fried in oil, best eaten with puffed rice.
Telebhaja was Netaji’s favorite. Netaji studied at Scottish Church College. While returning he used to stop at our shop to have telebhaja.
Since 23 January 1942 on Netaji’s birthday till date, as a mark of respect, we started distributing telebhaja for free to children (2 pcs.) and adults (4 pcs.).
Timings: 8 M – 12 Noon / 4 pm – 8 pm (7 Days Open except Holi and Dussehra holidays).
Wonderful shared knowledge. Thank you – said I.
We requested piping hot telebhajas.
The best was – Though it is deep-fried in oil still you won’t find it oily with no smell of oil. This place has its own charm.
In short: pocket-friendly/very cheap and the owner a very nice human. Fantastic place to have fresh & hot morning/evening snacks.
A must-visit place for fritters aficionados. Good, we visited too.