Pune: In an era of rising living costs and shrinking attention spans, Darshan Restaurant in Pune reminds the community of a time when ₹100 represented far more than purchasing power.
As Darshan recently completed 50 years of service, memories from its early days resurfaced – stories that reflect dignity, trust, opportunity, and the beginning of many life journeys shaped within the walls of Darshan Restaurant.
During the mid-1970s, several young men worked at Darshan as “Bandhus,” interns who supported daily operations ranging from waiting tables to cleaning floors.
For three hours of honest work each day, they earned ₹100 per month. While modest by today’s standards, the stipend at Darshan symbolised discipline, self-respect, and the pride of earning through effort.
Anand Kelkar, who later became an engineer with TELCO, remembers working as a waiter at Darshan in 1976.
The ₹100 he earned at Darshan helped him navigate difficult times and instilled values of resilience and dignity of labour that stayed with him throughout his life. These lessons became so meaningful that he later named his son Sudarshan.
Also Read: Wok FM Goes Live Across Over 250 Stores as Chinese Wok Builds Sonic Identity
Similarly, Vishnu Joshi, now a finance and administration professional, recalls earning ₹100 during his time at Darshan Restaurant.
When he unexpectedly received a job opportunity requiring immediate joining, he informed owner Sital Ahuja while still holding the restaurant keys. The response he received at Darshan was not suspicion but encouragement, reinforcing the culture of trust that defined Darshan Restaurant in its formative years.
Darshan Restaurant: A Management College
For Pramod Kulkarni, who later worked with the SSC and HSC Board, the experience at Darshan Restaurant shaped his understanding of fairness and belonging.
He remembers a regular customer who drank hot milk daily for seven years without a price increase – an example of how relationships mattered more than margins at Darshan Restaurant.
Catering professional Deepak More describes Darshan as a “management college,” where he learned every aspect of operations – from sweeping floors to handling cash and managing people.
With education only up to the 12th standard, the skills he developed at Darshan Restaurant, supported by a modest ₹100 stipend, helped him build a career serving eminent personalities.
Also Read: AXOR NewStore in Mohali: AXOR Strengthens North India Presence with New Brand Store
At the centre of this journey is Sital Ahuja, whose philosophy at Darshan emphasised that employees are individuals whose value cannot be measured on a balance sheet.
Mentorship, personal bonds, and mutual respect fostered long-term loyalty across generations connected to Darshan Restaurant.
Today, Darshan continues its journey into a new chapter under the leadership of Kunal Ahuja and Vishakha Ahuja, with an expanded presence in Baner alongside the flagship Prabhat Road location.
Even as Darshan Restaurant grows, its foundation remains rooted in the same values of trust, dignity, and opportunity that defined Darshan Restaurant five decades ago.
