Currently a part of Karnataka, this was the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. The purpose of Sharma’s visit was an Army recruitment interview.
This was the start of Old Mumbai Ice Cream Company, which has over 25 stores across India today.
Netrapal says, “These were all stick ice creams and even though he did this for more than one year, he found that he wasn’t able to make a lot of money. So, in 1980 he moved to Ichalkaranji (Maharashtra) where he started working at a photo studio.”
But the idea of selling ice creams recurred to Rambabu when he was watching the crowds one evening at a junction called the Janta Chowk.
He started by selling 50 kulfis a day and slowly reached more than 300 a day. That was when he decided to quit his job.
In 1995, when hawkers were banned from setting up their shops along the roadside, Rambabu leased out a small shop in Ichalkaranji. Following this, the family set up a shop in Sangli in 2011.