Meet Mumbai's Rags-To-Riches Restaurant King

At the age of 10, Poojari started as a general help in a small eatery near Babulnath Temple in south Mumbai on a monthly salary of four rupees. Two years later, he chucked it up for a waiter's job in the Bombay Port Trust canteen at six rupees per month.

"This was my real learning ground, understanding people as customers, their tastes, affordability, etc," the reluctant Poojari said, gradually opening up to IANS.

"I slogged there for nearly 18 hours, attended night school up to Std. IX, but could not complete my SSC. I loved reading and compensated by becoming a voracious reader - now, I have a personal collection of over 1,000 books, each of which I have bought and read thoroughly..." he said with the tinge of pride of a self-educated person.

Around 1962, Poojari saw a spark which ultimately lit his dreams for a big future. A distant, aged relative asked him to help out with a small juice and snack centre opposite Naaz Cinema on Lamington Road, the country's electronic hub.

This is where Poojari picked up the nuances of entrepreneurship and that same year, he plunged into it independently.

With a shoe-string budget, he placed a tiny wooden table, erected a hand-operated juicer and started selling fresh orange, pineapple, watermelon and sweet lime juices. There was a small handwritten board, Sukh Sagar ("Ocean of Happiness").

Later, it became a registered brand name and also inspired the various other Sagars all over the world and is currently celebrating its golden jubilee!