Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips
  • Home
  • Travel-News
  • Travel Tips
  • Exclusive Stories
  • NRI News
  • Explore India
  • FAQs
Font ResizerAa
Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Travel-News
  • Travel Tips
  • Exclusive Stories
  • NRI News
  • Explore India
  • FAQs
Search
  • Home
  • Travel-News
  • Travel Tips
  • Exclusive Stories
  • NRI News
  • Explore India
  • FAQs
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Kamalathal idli, Tamil Nadu idli woman, what to buy for Rs 1 in India, inspiring stories, Indian women
Flavors

Serving Yummy Idli Just for Rs 1, this 80-year-old is Real Annapurna for the Poor in India

indianeagle
2019-09-19

Currently, India is going through economic slowdown and employment crisis, with the automobile manufacturing sector having hit a rough patch over the waning of the GDP growth rate to 5% in the first quarter of FY20. With the stock market bull making way for a bear market, investors are walking a tightrope. Even at this juncture, few social entrepreneurs including 80-year-old Kamalathal of Tamil Nadu are unaffected by the growth slowdown in the country.

While most of us ponder over what we can buy with 1 rupee in India, Kamalathal is happy selling fluffy, hot, yummy idlis with sambar and chutney for an incredible Rs 1. The octogenarian with boundless enthusiasm has been following the same routine and filling thousands of stomachs at an unbelievable price for the past 30 years, which will put to shame cheaper than the cheapest breakfast joints across India.

Kamalathal idli, Tamil Nadu idli woman, what to buy for Rs 1 in India, inspiring stories, Indian women
Image Credit: PTI

Though Kamalathal’s idli for one rupee has become a social media sensation, many of us don’t know what sort of toil and moil she goes through daily to continue her ‘holy’ mission to mitigate the hunger pangs of those who can’t afford a meal at market prices.

Kamalathal wakes up before the sun rises in Vadivelampalayam near Perur, Tamil Nadu, offers her prayers to the almighty, collects fresh vegetables for sambar from the farm and makes chutney using a grinding stone to crush coconut and other ingredients. In the same laborious manner, she prepares the idli batter daily in the evening for the next morning.

On being asked how she manages to continue the arduous job of grinding 6-8 kilos of rice and urad dal daily, she says that having grown up in a joint family, she is used to cooking for a large number of people. Grinding the ingredients for idli batter and cooking for a few hundreds daily is a spiritual pursuit to her.

Unlike the community and temple kitchens with modern cooking equipment, Kamalathal’s idli shop in Vadivelampalayam, which her home doubles up as, is equipped with a firewood stove, a grinding stone, and traditional vessels. At 6 o’clock in the morning, she opens the doors to a lineup of her loyal patrons from the same neighborhood and the neighboring areas.

Also Check: Chennai’s Auto-rickshaw Driver Makes 2000 Idli Varieties 

Kamalathal’s idli was priced 50 paisa per piece ten years ago. One rupee for one piece of idli has remained unchanged for the past few years. She refuses to hike the prices for her satisfaction of serving platefuls of idli to the needy, the poor and the hungry who can’t afford a filling breakfast for Rs. 15-20 anywhere else. Daily wage laborers account for a majority of her customers from the economically backwater class.

“Striving to satisfy the hunger, not filling my coffer with monetary gains is my mission,” Kamalathal says without mincing words. Kamalathal’s idli comes at a very nominal price, so that daily wage laborers can save some bucks for their family.

Her grandchildren do not like her to continue the work, as she needs to take care of her health. But, the tempo of her daily life shows no sign of abatement as she believes that her work keeps her active physically and mentally.

This story is brought to you as part of the initiative, “Explore India with Indian Eagle”, aiming to promote what is good and inspiring in India through our overseas Indian community portal, Travel Beats. Indian Eagle is a leading air ticketing partner of Indians abroad, striving to make travel to and from India cheaper and better.

More Such Stories for You

  • Indian parents' trip to USA, Indian parents' visit to Nvidia office California, Inspiring stories of Indian parents

    Indian Techie Takes Parents to His Nvidia Office in USA; It Leaves Them Teary-eyed out of Pride and ...

  • Sankurathri Foundation Kakinada, Padma Shri Chandrasekhar Sankurathri, Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology

    Padma Shri Chandrasekhar Sankurathri: His Tragic Loss in Air India Plane Crash 1985 Made Him a Hero ...

  • Brooklyn Curry Project dosa NYC, best south Indian food NYC, Swetha Venkat Raju Brooklyn Curry project, Indian restaurants New York

    This Indian Working Couple, a Techie and a Lawyer, Brings Indian Culture of Socializing over Food to...

  • Namkeen Queens USA, Aishwarya Shankar Namkeen Queens, Inspiriting stories, Indian food in USA

    Namkeen Queens: A Heartwarming Story of Saas-Bahu Bonding over Food and Serving Nostalgia in USA

This 2-year-old Orphan Boy with Rare Skin Disease from Hyderabad Finds Home and Care in USA
Nilgiri Mountain Railway Travel from Ooty is Simply Unforgettable
This Indian-origin Sikh in USA Sells Gas at Lower Prices to Help People amid Skyrocketing Fuel Prices
14-year-old Chennai Boy’s GPS System for Fishermen Wins Google Community Impact Award
Indian-origin Storeowner Feeds Hungry Thief Rather than Punishing him for Stealing Food
TAGGED:Inspirational StoriesTamil Nadu
Share This Article
Facebook LinkedIn Threads Email
1 Comment
  • AJ says:
    2019-09-29 at 11:01 pm

    Great touching story! God bless Kamalathalamma!
    __________//\\__________ NaMo!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Find Us on Socials

richest Indian Americans, Indian billionaires in America, richest Indian immigrant CEOs USA, Jay Chaudhry net value, richest Indian American CEO
Forbes 2025 List of Richest Immigrants USA has 12 Indian American Billionaires with Total Net Value $55bn
Features
US re-entry experience, CBP scrutiny at US airports, carrying gold to USA from abroad, US customs duty on valuables above $800
“My US Re-entry Experience is Insightful for You,” Shares Indian American KrishnaKumar Podagatlapalli
Travel Stories
US Visa integrity fee for non-immigrants, US DHS news, US visa news for Indians
USA Brings Visa Integrity Fee for Nonimmigrants Including Indians: Check if $250 is Waivable or Refundable
News
Ethiopian Airlines free stopover program, Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa stopover, US to India airline stopover programs
Traveling to India or USA with Ethiopian Airlines? Explore Stopover in Addis Ababa with Free Hotel, Meals, Visa
Travel Tips

More Such Stories for You

we care charity NH, Shefali Kalyani We Care Charity, Philanthropy, Indian NGOs USA, Inspiring stories
Features

Indian American Shefali Kalyani Quits Job to Serve the Poor at We Care Charity in USA and India

7 Min Read
Girls Who Code, Reshma Saujani, NYC Indians, NRIs
News

Forbes Names Indian American Reshma Saujani among 5 Fearless Female Founders to Follow in 2018

4 Min Read
Akruti Babaria Kulture Khazana, Indian American women entrepreneurs, life of Indians in USA
Features

This Indian American Mom Quits Lucrative Job to Become Her Own Boss and Help Other Parents

6 Min Read
Shriti Pandey ecofriendly house, Gaytri Paney organic farming Mumbai, Indian women quit USA jobs, inspiring stories Indian women
Features

These Indian Women Quit Well-paying, Cushy Jobs in USA and Return Home to Fight Climate Change

6 Min Read
Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips

Travel Beats is an Indian Community portal by IndianEagle, a leading travel organization for Indians in USA. Travel Beats celebrates the achievements of young Indians and publishes exclusive stories from the US and India. It also publishes the latest news about Indian Americans from different walks of life and lists upcoming Indian events in USA. It also shares updates from US-India airlines. To be precise, Travel Beats is a consistent effort by IndianEagle to bridge between Indians in America and India.

Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Indian Eagle
  • Share With Us

© 2025 IndianEagle LLC. All rights reserved.

    Designed and developed by Indianeagle  

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?