Mumbai’s iconic Karachi Bakery shuts down, but not because of political pressure to change name

The photo is for representational purpose only

After days of controversy surrounding its name, Mumbai's well-known Karachi Bakery shut down. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had objected to its "Pakistani" name a few months back. However, the owners cited the agreement lease lapse as a reason, even though MNS claimed credit for the closure.
The shop was part of the iconic Hyderabad-based chain. Rameshwar Waghmare, manager of the bakery, told the Times of India, the closure had nothing to do with the controversy around its name. Waghmare said, "We shut shop after the old lease agreement lapsed. Our landlord had been demanding a higher sum as rent which was unviable for us," he said. He also said, "The Covid-19 lockdown had already caused business volumes to drop. We did stave off closure for a few months but finally decided to close."

But, Haji Saif Shaikh, vice president of MNS, tweeted, "After massive protest on Karachi Bakery for its name #Karachi led by Vice President of MNS - @mnshajisaif karachi bakery finally closes its only shop in Mumbai." In November last year, Shaikh had protested and asked the owners to change the name, which was perceived to be "ant-national" and "unpatriotic".

Shaikh told the same paper, "I did not ask Karachi Bakery to shut down business. But our soldiers are being killed on the border. Every day we receive news of skirmishes with Pakistan. So I gave a 15-day ultimatum to the owners to either change the name, or the spelling." He continued, "I said spell it Karachee. They replied saying the name reflects their age-old ties to their native city. So I felt that 70 years after Partition, their hearts still beat for Pakistan. Today I am happy."
The shop had branches in various cities and is owned by the Sindhi Hindu Ramnani family, who had migrated to India after the Partition. Regarding the future of the brand in the city and about the space, Waghmare informed the owners will take a call on the same. He told the same paper, "There was no reason to capitulate by changing our name. The bakery was a legitimate business with all valid licences and approvals granted by government authorities. Our decision is based on business factors. Let others take credit for it if they wish."

As reported by Mid-Day in November 2020, MNS had sent a legal notice to the owner of Karachi Bakery branch in Bandra. They also demanded that the boxes supplied from the Hyderabad branch to Maharashtra branches should also have it written in Marathi. They also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Karachi Bakery head office in Hyderabad, raising objections over the bakery operating by the name ‘Karachi Bakery'.

On the other hand, during that time, a viral video of Shiv Sena leader Nitin Nandgaonkar asking the owner of Karachi Sweets in Bandra West to change the name of the shop had surfaced online. Nadngoankar even shared the video on his social media account, and claimed that Maharashtra will not tolerate Karachi's name in its state and this has to be changed.