Operators of restaurants and bakeries queue up alongside the general public to collect wheat products from a flour mill in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: File photo
On the narrow and winding Thyagaraj Nagar Main Road, bustling with pedestrians and vehicles in equal measure, you are suddenly hit by the aroma of fresh flour with a strong hint of chilli powder mixed with it. Your nose takes you to the source — a neighbourhood flour mill. About two decade ago, such mills may have been a familiar sight in every area in Bengaluru, but now they are few and far between.
As Bengalureans have shifted from buying grain and grinding them in such mills to buying them ready-made, many flour mills have shut down. The few that still remain, like the one in Thyagaraj Nagar, are no longer milling with customers like they once did.
Mohan, who runs Venkatachalapati Mill, with a mask covering his face to keep the pungent smell of chilli powder from his nostrils, said, “Business is not like it used to be. With the advent of supermarkets and online deliveries, flour is easily available everywhere. Only a handful of older people come to the flour mill.”
While many flour mills in Bengaluru have shut down over the years, the ones which are still functional are being run by the same families for generations. The grinders they use were all brought from Chennai, as they were reportedly not available locally back in the fifties and sixties.
“We have had this flour mill since 1964. Back then, business was very good, and we used to charge just ₹1 per kg. But in the last 25 years, we have seen the advent of ready flour, and we started losing our business. There is no guarantee if we will have business on a given day. I need at least around ₹2,000 a day to sustain and pay the salary to my worker,” said Venkatesh, the second-generation owner of Venkateshwara Flour Mill in Vasanth Nagar.
The flour mill owners say that if their fathers or grandfathers had not started this venture in their own spaces, they also would have shut shop by now. “The only reason we are still keeping the mill running is because we do not have the burden of rent as this is our own property,” Mr. Venkatesh said.
For old time’s sake
“My father and the owner of this flour mill were schoolmates. Since this mill was started around 70 years ago, this is where we get our flour ground still,” said Bharathi, who had come to the Girija Flour Mill in Gandhi Bazaar.
The flour mill on D.V. Gundappa Road is a landmark in itself. From former PM H. D. Deve Gowda’s family to Kannada thespian Dr. Rajkumar’s family, most old families in Bengaluru have visited it.
Bharathi, along with her friend, had come in an autorickshaw to the mill with three buckets full of items. When asked why she chose to go through all the hassle and not just buy from a nearby store, she said, “We do not trust the purity and quality of the flour that comes in packets. It is often mixed with maida. After a few days, we see insects in the flour. But if we get it done, the shelf life and quality are assured. I get my chilli powdered here once a year, and it lasts without any infestation.”
Prakash, the second-generation owner of the mill, says that he gets loyal customers like Bharathi, but he too adds that business is not as good as before.
“We get very few family customers now, but the shops nearby get rice and wheat done here, and then sell it in packets. We are also the designated mill for all the hotels in the neighbourhood, including Vidyarthi Bhavan, and temples nearby,” Mr. Prakash said.
No flour mill in newer neighbourhoods
In some newer areas, even though people are interested in going to flour mills, they cannot find any in their neighbourhood.
“I wanted to get some ingredients powdered for mango pickle. I scoured the area and could not find any flour mills. I ended up buying readymade powder instead,” said Bharath D., a resident of Vijaya Bank Layout near Bannerghatta Road.
Flour mill owners say that while they are considered as cottage industries, they have not received any benefits from successive governments. “When compared to the flour that comes in packets, our quality is always superior. We appeal to everyone to do their best to save the neighbourhood mills,” Mr. Prakash said.
Published – April 28, 2025 10:21 am IST