Bonda Ice Cream – a Mouth Watering Combination of Tender Coconut and Ice Cream
Mangaluru: It’s rightly said that age is just a number! Here, we have an example in 63-year-old Seetharam Kamath, who is a Diploma holder in Electrical Engineering. He has no regrets in his vocational education because he has his own venture from the last 40 years near the Sri Ventaramana Temple of Dongarkeri area, Mangaluru.
After completion of his diploma, he joined a company called ‘Silok’ in Bengaluru where he worked for more than one and half years. While he was working, he had some family issues, so he returned to Mangaluru and joined St. Aloysius College of Vocational Education as in-charge of the department and a faculty, but unfortunately the department closed. He then realized the urgency to have something to fall back to as there was no work. Not being economically well, he executed a business which required a small investment and came up with the idea of Bonda Ice Cream, which is mainly made of tender coconut. Tender coconut which contains nutrients – vitamins, carbohydrates and other mineral contents – helps to beat the summer heat.
Seetharam works for more than 14 hours a day in the shop. His day begins at 7 in the morning and ends at 11:30 at night. His son also helps him after the evenings when he is done with his job as a Zilla Panchayat worker. Seetharam believes that there is no alternative for hard work. At present, he manages to sell around 400-450 products in a day. Yes, we know that people like to quench their thirst with tender coconut, but Seetharam wanted to add something extra to this natural drink. He changed the nutritious white flesh of the tender coconut churned into an ice cream and fruit-filled product, popularly known as the “Bonda Ice cream”. Flavors include Mango, Pineapple, Litchi, Butterscotch, Strawberry, Chocolate, Blue Thunder, Royal Lady and many more.
He uses the white flesh (inner layer of the coconut) and mixes it with special flavors of ice creams to suit the tastes of the customers. There are many like him, but they will not match Seetharam as he serves the customers the tasty relish with a smile and courtesy. The price of the Bonda Ice Cream is also very low. So if you are craving for something natural that is created from a tender coconut, then you better try “Bonda Ice Cream” at Seetharam’s shack.
by Abdul Muhaimin
