Q: What does Rasha stand for? Is there a story
behind it?
I am the sha of the Rasha, namely Shyamala My
partner in life and all crimes is the Ra, Ramadas.
We are both basically from Calicut who migrated to
Chennai and spent a good part of our life in that city.
That is I spent the prime time of my life, my cherished
college days, my early career days, my secret
marriage life, my public marriage life and my son
was born there. And then we came back to Calicut.
You started this restaurant in your 50s, when
most people are thinking of slowing down. What
prompted you to begin something entirely new at
that stage of life?
This was totally unplanned. I was actually planning
to get back to my corporate life after a two-year
break. While doing a product management course
at ISB, I wrote about this new idea and began to
explore it more seriously, after I felt that there was
scope for this business and realised it was something
I wanted to pursue rather than return to what I
was doing earlier.
Was there ever a point when you seriously considered
not going ahead? What kept you moving forward
through those moments?
Not one moment. Many moments came up when
I thought of not going ahead with this business at
different stages. The underlying conviction and
confidence in the idea has kept me going forward,
even when those doubts felt very real.
Why focus on healthy food in a city known for its
rich, traditional cuisine?
The idea of our healthy café is that we take traditional
food and create a healthier version of it, without
losing its essence. We are not doing anything out of
the box, but rather rethinking what we already love
to eat in a better way.
How did Kozhikode respond in the early days? Were
people curious, sceptical, or resistant to the idea?
It was a very slow response. There is a general perception
that healthy food is not tasty or that you need to be sick to eat healthy food. It took us some time
to break these myths, and the response has been slowly
growing. We depend primarily on word-of-mouth publicity,
and that takes time. So patience is key, especially
when you are trying to change something as deeply
ingrained as food habits.
What did you have to learn from scratch as a first-time
founder—from people and operations to sourcing and
finance?
Everything. Working in a corporate environment is
completely different. Being a start-up founder, you
need to be completely hands-on most of the time and
hands-off at certain times. So every aspect of the business
has been a learning experience from scratch,
whether it is managing people, understanding sourcing,
or making day-to-day decisions on the ground.
Many places claim to be “healthy.” What, in your view,
makes your kitchen genuinely different?
I always prefer to call my café a healthier café. What we
eat every day, or what we grew up eating every day, we
bring out a healthier version of it, so it still feels familiar
and comforting. We also ensure that every meal is
balanced and portion-controlled, keeping both nutrition
and satisfaction in mind.
Take us back to opening day. What did it feel like when
your first customer walked in?
Pure excitement and anxiety about how this concept
is going to be accepted, because you never really know
how people will respond until they walk in and try it.
Do you think starting up in your 50s helped you handle
stress and setbacks differently than you might have in
your 20s?
I am really not sure. But if there is one thing from my
20s that I would like to have now, it is the energy and
the don’t-care attitude, which makes you take risks
more easily without overthinking.
Looking back over these two years, what has been the
toughest lesson entrepreneurship has taught you?
Many lessons. The toughest lesson has been that if
you have conviction in your idea and business, the
temporary setbacks are temporary, and you will get
the strength to get through them, even during phases
when nothing seems to be working, and get to the next
sunshine.
Your restaurant has a warm, inviting ambience. How
important was it for you to create that kind of space?
Food is an experience. It is very important to experience
it in an ambience that makes you relaxed, so
that the experience is enjoyable, and people want to
come back not just for the food but for how it makes
them feel.
Has this journey changed your own lifestyle, health, or
outlook on life in any way?
This has made me more self-aware and self-conscious,
both about my choices and how I approach
everyday life.
What would you say to a student who wants to start
something of their own but is afraid of failing?
Be ready to fail. Fail multiple times. While it is easy to
say use every opportunity to bounce back, it is easier
said than done. But in my case, I did not have an option,
I did not have a plan B. So I had to get up and keep
going after every failure. This worked for me. Your story
will be different. Your reason to get up and go will be
different. If you do not have a reason, that is also fine. If
you do not want to go forward, that is also fine, but the
decision has to be yours and only yours.
Kicker: In the end, there is nothing dramatic about
the journey—no sudden turning points, no overnight
success. Just a quiet conviction, tested repeatedly,
and the patience to stay with it. In a city that takes
its food seriously, that may be the most meaningful
shift of all.