Shrewsbury: Not a cookie that will crumble!

The city’s favourite Kayani Bakery opened on Saturday, 46 days after its closure following verbal orders from the Pune Cantonment Board over the issue of trade licence
Those who drove past Dr Coyage Road on Friday evening, were pleasantly surprised to find Kayani Bakery’s quaint compound glittering with lights. Two women adorned its entrance with Parsi-style rangoli, while a banner strung above read, ‘Thank you, for all the support from Pune, India and all over the world! Your voices were heard...your love has overcome...’ No more was it shrouded by that unfamiliar, eerie silence.
These were warm harbingers of the bakery’s reopening, 46 days after its closure on October 10, following verbal orders from the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) over the issue of trade licence.On Friday, district judge S B Bahalkar refused to grant a stay on the joint civil judge senior division’s interim injunction order of November 17 that restrained the PCB from “obstructing business” or “forceful closure” of the bakery.

On Friday, the district court neither rejected nor granted a stay on the lower court’s interim injunction. The court said that it would not disturb the order of the trial. The bakery can now be open.
— Dara Irani, Kayani Bakery’s lawyer.The court has posted the PCB’s appeal against the interim injunction order for a hearing on merits on December 8.
It was an emotional moment for the bakery’s partners and staff members as Thomas Joseph, an employee, unlocked its lofty doors on Saturday. Paurushasp Kayani, one of the partners of the bakery, says, “We did nothing wrong, but we didn’t think a positive outcome would be possible. Our feelings after Friday’s verdict are indescribable. Overcoming this hurdle and reopening is a great moment for us.”
Business resumed at 7.30 am. It was heart-warming to see patrons extending congratulations to partner Rustom Kayani over the wooden counter. It was almost as though the events of the past month and a half were long-forgotten. The infectious spirit of the place was rekindled, thanks to the chatter of customers and attendants over transactions, and the warm aroma of bread and biscuits filling the air. Rustom says, “Our production for day one was less, as we weren’t expecting the usual weekend footfall that usually sees many out-station customers.” The bakery was, in fact, expecting a 25 per cent drop in business yesterday, when compared to a regular Saturday, where they would bake around 250 kilos of Shrewsbury biscuits alone.

For the bakery’s regular patrons, their sugar fix is indeed back. Sopan Baug resident Santosh Sakhrani, for instance, wasn’t aware that the bakery had reopened. “I was surprised to see they had reopened while driving by in the morning. I am very fond of the choco-walnut and mawa cakes sold here.” Camp resident, Dr Sacheen Khirid, echoes a similar sentiment. “I’ve been enjoying the bakery’s products since I was a little boy, I’m 38 now! I’m proud that the bakery followed a transparent, legal procedure to sort the issue out.”
And while its temporary closure brought the city’s love for the bakery to the fore, patrons like food blogger Kainaaz Writer Bokdawalla hope it benefits smaller traders. “When we ran our family business of masalas in the Cantonment area in the early 90s, the main reason we decided to shut shop was because of the grief the authorities gave us when it came to any licence. We’d apply for all the required licences every year and face various issues. This ordeal has highlighted the harassment that many traders are probably enduring quietly, without the means to fight. I hope the authorities get their act together now,” says Kainaaz. Till the time of going to press, DN Yadav, PCB Executive Officer, was unavailable for comment.

The bakery’s oldest employees speak...
The past 45 days were arguably the most difficult for Somnath Patole, Vithal Shinde and the rest of Kayani’s 48 employees. “We have been working at the bakery for over 22 years. Its sudden closure had us feeling lost. It was the only place we knew,” recalls Somnath, who works in Kayani’s baking unit. But Vithal, who works in the packing unit, and Somnath, both admit that it was the assurance of the bakery’s five partners — Pervez, Sohrab, Farrokh, Paurushasp and Rustom Kayani — that got them through this tough phase. For the period that the bakery was shut, the staff members were paid their basic salaries. They were then called back to work when the bakery reopened.
Kayani’s reopening has come as great news for everyone who stood by the bakery through the petition and otherwise. One can say that justice has prevailed.
— Krishna Kamath, a Mumbai resident who initiated the ‘Support Kayani Bakery’ online petition
It's been thirty years since I've shifted to Mumbai, and I remember enjoying Kayani's products as a child because my father would bring them for us. The news of the bakery reopening was great for me, as generations in my family have enjoyed its products.
— Manoj Jhangiani, a Mumbai resident we met at the bakery

With inputs from Shreeya Acharya. Pictures by Shashank Sane