01 September - Poona Guest House established 1935

 

The Special cover and cancellation was released on 06 December 2023 during the PunPex exhibition held in Pune.

History:

When Nanasaheb Sarpotdar came to Pune from the Konkan, he arrived with hopes to contribute to Marathi cinema. He soon started the Aryan Film Studio in Peshwe Park, and over the course of his life, made 49 silent films. He is also credited with introducing actresses like Lalita Pawar and Durga Khote to the industry. Although Pune was a thriving hub for cinema, the film industry was not a reliable source of income, so Sarpotdar started the Poona Refreshment House in 1935 on the ground floor of a building on Laxmi Road. He also realised that artists from all over Maharashtra came to Pune to contribute to cinema, but they did not have many places to stay in, so he decided to expand his refreshment house to a guest house.

He soon bought the upper storeys of the same building and started a guest house with 14 rooms. In the adjoining rooms, he set up a dining hall. Initially, snacks were served on the ground floor and meals on the upper floor. But with time, the ground floor was sold off, and the upper floor housed a restaurant-cum-dining-hall. As its popularity grew, the guest house hosted veteran artists like Bal Gandharva, Shahu Modak, Madhu Apte, Dada Kondke, and P.L. Deshpande, and came to be known as kalakaranche maherghar, or a maternal home to artists.

Today, this guest house is called Poona Guest House (PGH). The dining hall, which is named Alpopahar, is frequented by people from all over the city. PGH maintains its legacy of supporting cinema and still has rooms reserved for aspiring artists.

PGH may have not changed much in terms of ambience, location, or its mission to support cinema. However, it has undergone some changes in its menu. The limited menu that it started off with has diversified to include dishes from all over Maharashtra. The guest house believes that this diversification showcases their regional pride, and is not merely a matter of business. The goal was to serve simple yet delicious Maharashtrian food to the public. The owners noticed that there was a rage for Konkani food like dadpe pohe (uncooked flattened rice mixed with grated coconut, raw onions, and spices) and Kolhapuri and Marathwada-Vidarbha items like wada bhaat (spiced rice with lentil fritters). Hence, they expanded the menu and introduced combination meals, which are more pocket-friendly.

Today, PGH is famous for its thali (a platter including many small servings of items, to be considered as one wholesome meal), ukidiche modak (sweet rice dumpling stuffed with a saran, which is a mixture of coconut, jaggery, and cardamom), thaalipeeth (multigrain flatbread), and dadpe pohe. The thali generally has a bhakri (flatbread made with coarse grains), two vegetables dishes made using village recipes, thecha (a spicy condiment made using green chillies), and two rassa bhaajis (gravies).

Above details taken of website : https://map.sahapedia.org/article/Poona-Guest%20House/2789