This pani-puri vending machine from Bengaluru is spicing up the internet

Bengaluru is trending on social media after the image of an automatic pani-puri vending machine located at its HSR layout road is going viral

India’s very own Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, often makes headlines as the country’s startup hub, where groundbreaking ideas and unique solutions emerge. This vibrant culture has given rise to a phenomenon known as ‘peak Bengaluru’, encapsulating the essence of the city’s innovative spirit.

This time, the city is trending on social media platforms with an automatic pani-puri vending machine.

The image of the vending machine was captured at Bengaluru’s Hosur-Sarjapur Road Layout, popularly called HSR, and was first shared by an ‘X’ user called @benedictgershom. Several people enquired about the location of the stall, to which the user replied that it was located in HSR high street in Sector 6.

From the image shared by the user, the machine appeared to be launched by a company called ‘WTF - What The Flavour.’ While many people expressed their surprise at the sight of the machine, some said the stall rather appeared ‘too clinical’.

“Only in Bengaluru,” a user commented. However, some people were quick to point out that this is not the first time that they have come across a vending machine for the popular street food.

“...have seen this machine a decade back itself near Chamrajpet,” a user identified as @thrishul said.

Another user said that they had seen a similar machine in Hospet city a couple months ago.

Others rather took the humourous path and joked around if the machine would pop out the free ‘sukha puri’ which is usually served at the end by conventional vendors.

Pani-puri, also called golgappas or puchkas in some parts of India, is an Indian street food snack made using crisp, hollow puris (bread) made of wheat flour, in which potato and other types of fillings are used. This is served with spicy tamarind water.

In India, usually at the end of one round of eating pani-puri, the customers get a free ‘sukha puri’ without the tamarind water, hence the user’s reference.