For over 40 years, Marzu2013O-Rin has been a favourite meeting point. Aanchal Kurmi joins its owner Sheriar J Sheriarji and his wife Vijay as they walk down memory lane
For over 40 years, Marzu2013O-Rin has been a favourite meeting point. Aanchal Kurmi joins its owner Sheriar J Sheriarji and his wife Vijay as they walk down memory laneThink delicious food and you are bound to head for Marz-O-Rin, the city's landmark eatery on M G Road. Its owner Sheriar J Sheriarji used to run a Coca-Cola franchisee there. Sheriarji recalls, "I always wanted to start my own snack shop. When Coca-Cola began imposing their strict terms in February 1965, I decided to go for it." Overnight, Marz-O-Rin was born.
Modest startIn the beginning, Sheriarji himself used to prepare the dishes and serve them. In 1972, he married Vijay. "We used to sell chicken rolls and cold coffee for 60 paise each and chutney sandwiches for 20 paise," recollects Vijay.
Adds Sheriarji, "Chicken roll and chutney sandwich are the hot favourites even today." This despite prices having risen to Rs 30 each for the roll and the cold coffee and Rs 20 for the sandwich.
Even after 46 years, the shop remains Sheriarji's first passion. Their eldest son Jamshed is actively involved with the eatery but Sheriarji still oversees the operations. He also continues to keep mum over the name.
"Whenever I ask him what Marz-O-Rin means, he says it is an enigma but refuses to elaborate," laughs Vijay.
Changing times Over the years, the couple has witnessed the city undergo a huge transformation. "Pune is expanding left, right and centre. The crowd scene has changed from almost zero to huge," said Vijay. She added, "Earlier, most of our customers used to be military officers and we could hardly spot even one Maharashtrian among them. Now 90 per cent of our customers are Maharashtrians."
The couple feels that the city has become more vibrant now and the two simply love the atmosphere. As Sheriarji puts it, "Go east, go west, but Pune is the best!"
