The aroma of the steaming country chilli chicken and the call of Thankarasu and Shantha welcoming travellers to their little shop is a long-familiar sight in Chinnappampatti. It is mostly lorry drivers returning from the village, trying to avoid the tollgate on the Salem Bangalore National Highway, who make a pit stop here for Shantha’s flavourful food.
People used to come to the shop to have the famous Chinnappampatti chicken. But now, they visit to see the shop run by the parents of T. Natarajan, Team India’s latest bowling sensation.
Natarajan is dialing up the heat in Australia with his fiery yorkers, but back home in Chinnappampatti, Shantha’s food strikes the perfect balance.
Thankarasu and Shantha have been running the shop, serving tasty chicken dishes to customers, for 18 years. In the early days of starting their business, the couple used to sell food in carts before opening the shop near their house.
The couple, who belongs to a family of weavers, raised their five children by working hard, day in and day out in their shop. Much like most parents, they pinned all their hopes on their eldest―Natarajan. His passion for cricket was never a problem for Thankarasu and Shantha, even when others told them that chasing his cricket dreams were a waste of time and would ruin his life.
“Let him follow his passion,” the couple would say. When Natarajan donned the Indian jersey for the first time to represent his country, Shantha teared up. “You did it, my son,” she said.
Natarajan’s achievements in the cricket world, however, hasn’t gone to any of their heads. Thankarasu and Shantha will continue to run their shop, they said. Until their three daughters are married, the couple will continue making their delectable country chicken dishes.
While their Chinnappampatti chilli chicken is still sought after, Thankarasu and Shantha also worry that people flock to their shops now only to take selfies with the parents of Natarajan.