Where tradition is the spice of business

If cameras had been commonly used in the early 19th century in Lucknow, the walls of this iconic shop would have been full of pictures ranging from Nawabi to British customers, claims Dheeraj Kumar Gupta, who sits at the counter at

Mata Badal Pansari

in

Aminabad

.

Set up in 1857, Madal Badal Pansari has neither lost on tradition nor customers. Known far and wide for selling hard-to-find ayurvedic medicines and other rare herbs, the shop has celebrity chefs such as Vikas Khanna and Sanjeev Kapoor as its regular clients.

“Khanna had also mentioned about our shop and

spices

he bought from us when he was interviewed by media during his recent visit to Lucknow,” says Dheeraj, the sixth generation of Mata Badal—the man who had set up the shop.

Dheeraj runs the 160-year-old store with his father.

Located in a lane in Aminabad—the market that sells everything from a needle to a sword—Mata Badal Pansari gets its name from the owner himself. When Mata Badal had set up the shop, the market was nothing but a huge park, says Dheeraj.

Both the Nawabs and the British were among the store’s regular customers. “Only if clicking pictures was as easy as it is today, we would have had the most interesting collage to display,” he adds.

As one walks into the store, the huge iron shutters at its entrance, high ceiling and the large storage space—it is rare to find such in a place like Aminabad—lend credence to its past.

“We get rare herbs from farmers in Darjeeling, Nepal, Goa and even abroad. We actually get ‘Multani mitti’ from Multan in Pakistan,” says Deepak.

Anyone who has ever lived in Lucknow would have heard of Mata Badal Pansari if not visited the shop.

Meetu Kumar, an HR professional settled in New Delhi, says, “Though I am from Unnao, my maternal grandmother in Lucknow would ensure that she always got henna for her hair from Mata Badal Pansari. I remember how my mother used to shop from them too for the best henna. Now, I get it whenever I land in Lucknow.”

Through all these years, the shop has not deviated from tradition. The interiors have not been changed and sales are only over the counter.

“We have customers visiting us from all parts of the country and even beyond. We have not thought of adopting online or other platforms to sell our products,” says Gupta. His younger brother, though a lawyer, makes it a point to participate in the family business too.

With its huge clientèle, the shop caters to various famous personalities.

“Raj Bhawan has always bought herbs from us and so have most chief ministers. We have never tried or even thought of marketing the fact that we have sold herbs and medicines to famous people. To us, every customer is equally important,” says Gupta.

Mata Badal Pansari has never been into advertising. Its popularity and credibility have travelled far and wide mainly through word of mouth.

Swati Singh, a Lucknowite now settled in Bangalore, says she keeps a note of spices and herbs required in her kitchen in a diary but never buys them from just any store

“I have to get my spices from Mata Badal Pansari in Lucknow. Either I ask my brother to courier them to me or I buy them myself when I come to Lucknow,” she adds.