Neighbourhood flour mills of Bengaluru fight for survival

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.

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.

“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.