Ep 6 - Eat Raja | Unlocking Old Bangalore's Secrets & Zero Waste Juice Bar | Jimmy Jimmy the Show

In this warm, relaxed episode of Jimmy Jimmy The Show, we trace Anand’s journey: growing up in Malleshwaram wataras, walking the conservancy lanes, playing cricket under tree canopies, running cross-country before “marathon” was a buzzword, and swimming near Sankey Tank (yes, the “kere” stories). We reminisce about Fraser Town, South Parade, Lakeview, IISC’s endless green, and Basavangudi’s Kadalekai Parishe — the legendary groundnut fair — while unpacking how a radio career (Bangalore FM Radio days) and BMS College adventure club culture led Anand to build EAT RAJA, Bengaluru’s cult zero-waste juice bar serving unique juices inside the fruit shell.
Peak Bengaluru Moments :
Malleshwaram roots: watara life, conservancy lanes, first/second temple streets, markets in Yeshwanthpur, and the social fabric of pre-2000s Bangalore
The Malleshwaram–Basavangudi connection: how “Malgudi” was create from Malleshwaram + Basavanagudi; Victorian Bangalore vs Pete areas; cantonment influences and Tamil trades
School-days Bengaluru: group singing at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Seva Sadan, TTD classes, games like lagori, kabaddi/kho-kho, street cricket, tree climbing and “stealing” mangoes
Lakes and greens: Sankey Tank memories, hidden “chikka” kere near Chowdiah, IISC views from Ramaiah Hospital, and that New BEL Road tree canopy
Sports & outdoors: running cross-country, triathlons, stadium mornings, and Turahalli Forest — how BMS’s adventure club and students helped plant and water trees, shaping Turahalli into the green we know today
Basavangudi’s Kadalekai Parishe: origins of the festival, the surge in footfall, and Bengaluru’s Zero Waste Collective making the fair near-zero-waste with cloth/paper bag drives
The Eat Raja origin story: taking over the family juice shop, saying no to all single-use disposables (no straws, no tissues, no plastic/paper cups, no parcel cups), and engineering juices “served in the fruit” — watermelon, guava, dragon fruit, passion fruit, banana, carrot and more
Unique juices and process: engineering thinking applied to fruit geometry, sourcing transparency, farm-to-glass (to-fruit!) storytelling, and why people travel for the concept
Internships with purpose: how Eat Raja pays and mentors student interns to learn ethical business, resource planning, community work (plogging, lake cleaning), and sometimes even fund their own studies
Bangalore food gems: CTR, Veena Stores, Janata Hotel, Raghavendra Stores (near Malleswaram railway station), BBG (Beetle Leaf/Butter Gulkand), Chandu Military Hotel, Moonlight, MTR, Vidyarthi Bhavan, Brahmin’s Coffee Bar (Shankarapuram), Siddappa Hotel’s legendary half-masala, Gundappa Hotel’s 3:30 pm dumroot
Hidden wonders & neighborhoods: Kumbar Pete, Cotton Pete, Malleshwaram conservancies, Pete-area trades, Fraser Town, JP Nagar’s “outskirts” in the 90s, and Sankey bridge check-dam lore
Radio years: Red FM routines, content-life balance, and how Bangalore FM radio shaped Anand’s network, creativity, and city knowledge
Why watch:
If you love Bangalore, this episode is a time machine and a field guide — Malleshwaram, Basavangudi, Kadalekai Parishe, — all in one heartfelt conversation
Learn how zero-waste can be practical, profitable, and photogenic: Eat Raja’s “juice-in-the-fruit” concept is a masterclass in design, storytelling, and sustainability
Discover food and place recommendations you won’t find on tourist lists — from conservancy lanes to 3:30 pm dumroot
About the guest: Anand Raaj (Eat Raja) is a third-generation juice entrepreneur, zero-waste advocate, radio professional, long-distance runner, and community builder in Bengaluru. His shop in Malleshwaram is a destination for unique juices served inside fruit shells — a viral, sustainable concept that’s inspired shops and creators across India.

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Chapters
0:00 – Highlights and Intro
0:34 – Malleshwaram boy: Malgudi origins, Basavangudi connection
4:18 – Watara life, conservancy lanes, temple streets in Malleshwaram
6:03 – City boundary : Sankey Tank, Palace Orchards, Ramanamaharshi (city limit)
9:03 – Growing up without TV: lagori, goli, tree fruit “heists,” street cricket
11:14 – Sankey Tank lore, the chikka kere, Chowdiah memories, school days
14:45 – Sports arc: cross-country, kho-kho/kabaddi, stadium mornings
18:11 – Radio years: triathlons, content-life balance
20:05 – Turahalli Forest: treks, tree-planting, how BMS College adventure club built it
27:14 – Kadalekai Parishe: origins, scale, plogging and the Zero Waste Collective
32:25 – Taking over the family juice shop (1970s legacy to Eat Raja)
40:52 – Zero waste by design: no disposables; serve juice in the fruit
46:34 – Paid internships: youth entrepreneurship and ethical business
49:24 – Five wonders of Bangalore: tree canopies, IISC views, hidden gems
53:31 – Bengaluru's best : dosa, idli, chutney, dumroot and more
55:10 – Postcard to Bangalore: Anand’s heartfelt note to the city