Tag Archives: kamat

Coffee,  Silks, sweaters,and Air India

Posted on by
Reply

UNITY BUILDINGS IS a collection of low blocks near to Bangalore’s Town Hall. The buildings are arranged each side of a long Central avenue. I am not sure when they were built but my suspicion is that they were constructed in the 1970s.

 

Unity Buildings

At one end of the central avenue, there is an older building, Haigh Memorial Hall, which was built in the 1920s. Constructed to commemorate a Wesleyan missionary,  Reverend Henry Haigh, this grey coloured edifice houses an Air India office. Haigh arrived in India in 1875, and during his long stay there he did much work to produce publications in the Kannada language. He returned to England in 1903. The Unity Buildings complex stands on land owned by one of the churches in Bangalore.

 

We visit Unity Buildings for several reasons. First, there is a Kashmiri shop, where over the years I have bought excellent woollen Pullovers (sweaters). Another reason is to visit two shops that offer good selections of silk scarves and other garments. One of them is Janardhana Silk House and the other, the less costly Shobha Silks.

 

The third reason to visit the complex is to enjoy good South Indian filter coffee and vegetarian snacks a the Unity Buildings branch of Kamat. According to a sign within the restaurant, this Kamat company has been in business since 1948, when it was founded by Sri Rangappa Pandurang Kamat (1919-1993). Other branches of Kamats were established by Rangappa’s younger brother Sri Sheshagiri Pandurang Kamat (1926-2002). The Unity Buildings branch of Rangappa‘s company was opened in 1972, and maintains its original appearance, apart from new overhead lights.

 

Usually full of customers, Kamat in Unity Buildings was almost empty on Republic Day this year (2026). When we stepped inside, we were given a warm welcome by the manager, whom I imagine was pleased to see at least two customers on such a quiet day.

 

On normal working day,  Unity Buildings is a bustling place, but never as busy as, say, Bangalore’s Commercial Street area and KR Market (City Market). However, it is a pleasant place to shop for various things.

If it ain’t broke …

Posted on by
Reply

THE KAMAT GROUP has been operating hotels and restaurants for about forty years, if not longer. One of the branches is opposite the Jumma Masjid in the busy Commercial Street district of Bangalore (Bengaluru) in South India. I have visited this eatery many times during the 28 years that I have been making visits to Bangalore.

We usually drop in, or rather ascend the steps to, the seating area of Kamat’s to have a cup of coffee after doing errands in the crowded lanes that form the bustling area through which Commercial Street runs.

The interior of Kamat never changes. It has probably looked as it does today ever since it opened sometime before my fist visit to Bangalore. Its walls are simply decorated with mirrors and polished woodwork. A wooden barrier runs along the midline of the rectangular seating area, which comprises basic tables and chairs.

Despite not having the latest, trendy internal decor, Kamat in Commercial Street attracts many customers. The owners have done nothing noticeable to modernise the place; to make it compete with the many much more glitzy places in the city. Clearly, they understand the maxim ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’