Bakery Beginnings

Written by Hasita Pola

“Almost there,” 5-year-old me winces as she stretches her hand to grab the spice jar at the top of the shelf. As a child, I would climb up to the cupboards in our kitchen and inspect the array of my mom’s Indian spices. Choosing only the most colorful (and random) spices, I would then make my way to my room to experiment. My pink, polka-dotted Minnie Mouse cooking pots would serve as my cauldron as I made the most horrendous creations that would make even the great witch Maleficent gag. Little did I know that this childhood curiosity of mine would soon spiral me into opening my own bakery one day. 

It was around March 2022 when Sruti Akka shared her idea with me about opening a bakery at Haritachala. I was beyond excited as it was quite literally a childhood dream come to life. In her message, Sruti Akka explained in detail about the goals and purposes of the bakery. There were a growing number of foreigners in Tiruvannamalai who were seeking freshly baked Western goods, and our goal was to make Western pastries with as many organic ingredients as possible. The bakery would serve as a nonprofit initiative, with proceeds supporting the upkeep of the farm and mandir. With these goals in mind, we set out to create one of a kind pastries found only at Haritachala Bakery! I was thrilled—it felt like destiny unfolding.

(Later, I discovered that my dad had shared my passion for baking and my dream of opening a bakery with Sruti Akka. It turned out she had long envisioned an organic café or restaurant at Haritachala, serving healthy, organic food made with ingredients grown right on the farm. This café would cater to devotees and gurubandhus visiting Tiruvannamalai, with proceeds supporting the staff, the mandir, the farm, and its various spiritual activities. But she hadn’t found the right people for the project yet.)

During the Giggling Geckos Camp in 2023 Tanvi and I scoured the farm for various fruits that could be incorporated into our baked goods. We came up with a list of baked goods that were inspired by western pastries but still had the Indian flavors that we were used to. After camp ended, Sruti Akka, Tanvi, Sweety Akka and I met on Google Meets to continue planning for the bakery. Tanvi and I occasionally sold the baked goods that we made in my community and the profits we made went towards buying materials for the bakery.

We wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of the Geckos, Sruti Akka, our parents and Baba and Guruji thatha. I’m so thankful to Sruti Akka for giving me the opportunity to fulfil a dream of mine, and for Tanvi, my absolutely amazing partner who helped me a lot through the baking process. Haritachala Bakery is ever growing and we can’t wait to see where we end up in the future!