Meet Mumbai's Rags-To-Riches Restaurant King

In 1976, Poojari married Santoshi, and the couple have three sons - Dhanraj (looking after international operations), Siddharth (Indian operations) and Bharat (Mumbai operations).

When queried about the competition toughening after international fast food giants set up shop in India, Poojari waved at his full restaurant at an off-peak hour.

"Show me, where is the threat? The market is big enough for all to survive. But we shall give best quality and yet charge reasonable prices," he declared.

Poojari is at present making efforts to open additional outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, as also in Gujarat and parts of Karnataka, and in the US and Canada, besides penning a coffee table book on his life story to inspire future generations.

Decades after society gave him employment at four rupees a month, Poojari is now giving back in ample measure to children by providing them with all kinds of educational help in his native Padukone village. H has constructed a free community hall and picks up the medical bills of all his staff, besides giving them generous paid leave, loans to needy employees to help them start their own hotel businesses, marriage or other requirements.