Murder on the Menu: The Sensational Story of the Tycoon Who Founded Saravana Bhavan

by Nirupama Subramanian

Contrary to popular perception, over 90 per cent of Tamil Nadu is meat-eating, with vegetarianism largely confined to the Brahmins.

Saravana Bhavan opened its doors on 14 December 1981 in a run-down corner on the outskirts of what was then Madras.

One way in which he achieved this was by getting banana leaves cut to fit and line the steel thalis in his restaurant. Now a common practice in south Indian restaurants, this was a Saravana Bhavan innovation, introduced so that people would get over their reluctance to eat off plates on which others before them had eaten. It also made the thalis easier to clean.