How this new café is a culinary celebration of LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in Gujarat

Gazra in Vadodara, which opened on August 23, aims to normalise inclusivity by placing members of the queer community in the same space as others, instead of creating silos for them to work and stay in. Pic/Ashish Raje

Walking through the doors of Gazra cafe in old Vadodara is like walking into another century. Behind us, the Sursagar lake sits serene; a gold-plated statue of Lord Shiva watching over it. Beyond, red brick buildings now converted into government offices remind us of an era that was. Outside of one of the windows is a view of the last surviving example of old-Vadodara architecture, with colourful walls and spacious balconies. It's in the midst of being torn down to make way for perhaps a modern building. Sandwiched, is the Shri Maharani Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya, which houses the newly-opened Gazra, the first eatery in Gujarat launched with the aim to promote inclusivity, with several members of its core team and staff belonging to the LGBTQiA+ community.

Radhikaraje Gaikwad currently heads the Shri Maharani Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya, an centre for empowerment, set up by the then Maharani of Vadodara in 1914

They call it a cafe, but everything about it feels like a recreational space of a royal palace. Including, its protagonist, Radhikaraje Gaekwad, who is chatting with old friend Prachi Agrawal on a couch. "The idea," says the Maharani of the erstwhile royal family of Baroda, "is not to create a separate space for the community. We want to make sure that they work and interact in the same space as everyone; that is true inclusion," she says.

Maya, who is the floor manager at Gazra, is a transwoman who has been working with the Udyogalaya for the last two years

This motivation takes forward the work of the Udyogalaya which was started during the pandemic. It supported women who had lost their husbands to the fatal virus infection; some of them were trained to handle their family's vegetable carts, while others were given driving lessons so that they could operate the vehicles that their spouses had left behind. With this came a tie up with the police for the security of the drivers. The institution then turned attention to the transgender community, and the udyogalaya threw open its doors to the queer, offering upskilling sessions and helping them earn a livelihood.

Chefs Nikita and Ankita peek through the window that provides access to the kitchen. The duo has worked in restaurants all over the world before becoming part of Gazra

Interestingly, this led to the first inclusive garba that was held in Vadodara last year and attended by 40,000 people. For the first time, Pink Passes were handed to queer participants; trans activist-model-actor Sushant Divgikar turned up in drag and sang Pari Hoon Main. The crowds went crazy.

It was here that Gaekwad and Agrawal, a hospitality industry professional, got talking about doing something more.

You can wash your food down with jamun sharbat or mogra shikanji, which are topped off with soda from custom made corked bottles, opened with a pop

The menu is as diverse as its staff. Dhruv, who identifies as gay, is the chef. Nikita and Ankita, friends who have worked across top global restaurants, helm the kitchen. Maya, a trans woman who has been working with the Udyogalaya for the last two years is floor manager.

Everything that goes into Gazra's food is grown within the premises, like curry leaves, which chef Dhruv plucks off a tree outside the kitchen's side entrance every time he needs them for tadka

The spread includes a taste of Mumbai and Gujarat's street food. Vada pav, with a fried green chilli wedged between vada and bread is served with red garlic chutney and spicy boondi. Chapadi undhiyo is a combination of the Gujarati mixed winter vegetable and a hard bread made from whole wheat flour. We liked the Gujju mezze platter with triangular nachos that are actually crisp theplas served with a green chilli thecha dip. Taco chaat is a favourite from the gullies of Surat - a soft taco base topped with fresh salad and crisp farsan. "Chapadi undhiyo is offered as prasad in certain temples of Rajkot and handed out to devotees. We enjoyed recreating it for Gazra," Dhruv tells mid-day. Nikita adds, "We're trying to bring favourites from a variety of regions under one roof. Although we call this a cafe, we didn't wish to present typical cafe-fare. We were keen to serve comfort food."

The menu brings comfort food from various parts of the country under one roof, like Dhapatey from Maharashtra and Chapdi Undhiyo form Rajkot

The decor is a delightful mix of bright colours and old-world utensils, doing justice to the state's rich cultural and arts legacy. Brass pots holding rolled sheets of tissue paper sit on the tables. Antique pots and pans from the palace decorate the floor and the food is passed from the kitchen into the service area through a window transferred from the palace and installed to offer the guests a glimpse of the cooking. Black and white photographs line the walls; we spot a group of ladies gracefully engaging in a garba event from 1910. The women dance inside a white circle painted on the floor; faint signs of the circle are visible on the floor below us.

Prachi Agrawal, a hospitality industry veteran and Radhikaraje's old friend, shaped the cafe from an idea to reality

Where Cafe Gazra's stands used to be a dormitory for young women, who would travel to the udyogalaya from across Vadodara to learn skills that could make them self-sufficient. It continues the tradition of philanthropy and empowerment. In a room on the first floor of the red brick building on the day we visit, a teacher trains three women in the art of tailoring, as the sewing machines clack away. The next room hosts classes in Kathak; another offers lessons in makeup and hair styling. Another room on the ground floor holds music classes.

"The then Maharani of Vadodara, Chimnabai Gaekwad, had visited London in 1910 and witnessed the beginnings of the Suffragette movement," Gaekwad shares. In the mid-1800s, the suffragettes were involved in the Votes for Women campaign to fight for the right of women to vote in the UK. The members used art and propaganda as tools. "She came away impressed and broached the idea of doing something for the women of Vadodara. The Maharaja told her that she could do it if she put the required funds together. And that's when she organised her first fundraiser. The udyogalaya was established by her in 1914." The cafe takes its name after her; she was Gazrabai before she married into the Gaekwad family.

The insistence on pronouncing and spelling the name "Gazra" which is the Marathi intonation for the Gujarati gajra or garland, catches our attention. "There have always been close ties between Maharashtrians and Gujaratis," Gaekwad smiles. Indeed, Sarita Gaekwad, who has been with the Udyogalaya for over a decade, has family in Mumbai. She helms the production of spices and flours that run the kitchen. Most ingredients are made on the premises. Each time Dhruv needs kadipatta for a tadka, he steps out into the compound to pluck a few leaves.

"We're still finding our feet," Agrawal admits, hovering over the dishes going out to guests seated outside. Her attention is however, focussed on a new member of the staff, a trans woman. A family of six walks in. The Lodayas from Vapi, who own a hotel there, are keen to sample Gazra's treats. "We saw Radhikaraje ji's Instagram post and had to come to try the food," says Chandni Lodaya. She points to dish on the menu, asking the waiter what it is. It turns out to be Parsi mawa cake. But first, the Lodayas try the vada pav. They miss the green chilli sitting inside, take a bite and reach for the nearest glass of water. But Gazra has something better to offer for those who want a sip - jamun sharbat and mogra shikanji. The waiters popping the lid of custom-made soda bottles herald the arrival of the drinks to a table.

"The cafe is just the face of Project Gazra," Radhikaraje tells us before she leaves. "We are putting together a film that will, in the simplest of language, tell the story of the queer community and explain to the world what true inclusivity is about."