In an industry where even five years can feel like a lifetime, Malaka Spice has stood the test of nearly three decades. But its founder, Praful Chandawarkar, isn’t interested in counting years. He’s more concerned with counting moments of clarity, connection, and conscious leadership.
In a world flooded with growth hacks and hyper-scaled expansion strategies, this conversation from Today’s Special podcast is a rare breath of fresh air. It unpacks how philosophies as old as Arthashastra and Yogasutra can help modern restaurateurs solve real-world challenges like retention, growth, and staying rooted in a noisy world.
The Inner Game: Why Building the Leader is the First Step to Building a Brand
Many entrepreneurs spend their early years obsessing over brand identity, menu curation, or funding. But Praful flipped the script:
“If the entrepreneur doesn’t grow, how will the business grow?”
For him, the real engine of sustainable business is self-awareness. His turning point? Realizing that most Western business philosophies he had studied were not resonating with his Indian teams. He couldn’t pass down the knowledge effectively. That’s when he turned to Indian management thought:
- Arthashastra, the 2,000-year-old economic treatise by Chanakya
- Yogasutra, the introspective guide by Patanjali
These weren’t just spiritual ideas. They were strategic frameworks. The Yogasutra helped Praful become a more aware leader. He lost weight, made better decisions, and created a new energy that spread through his team.
This idea of inner engineering might sound esoteric to some, but to anyone managing a business where people are the product, it’s revolutionary. A more mindful leader creates a more stable business.
The Power of Indian Strategy: Understanding Chatushtayam
Most modern business playbooks jump from startup to scale overnight. But Praful insists on taking cues from nature. He uses a principle from the Arthashastra called Chatushtayam, which breaks a business lifecycle into four natural phases:
- Start
- Consolidate
- Expand
- Regrow or Reset
“A mango tree doesn’t bear fruit in the first year. Sometimes you have to throw away the first harvest so the tree gets stronger. Why should business be any different?”
This perspective is invaluable for restaurant owners who often get caught in the race of opening multiple outlets without mastering one. According to Praful, the consolidation phase is where most restaurants skip the work. It’s where systems are built, culture is shaped, and leadership is tested.
He urges restaurant owners to stop looking for universal formulas.
Redefining Growth: From Revenue to Relationships
For most restaurant chains, scale means expanding footprint or multiplying revenue. For Malaka Spice, it means multiplying impact.
One of Praful’s most radical ideas is how he turns employees into entrepreneurs:
- His audit manager became the coconut supplier.
- His head chef is now the fishmonger.
- His GM and CEO co-own franchise outlets.
“My purpose as an entrepreneur is to spread prosperity. What use is my success if it doesn’t raise everyone around me?”
This isn’t delegation. This is decentralized ownership. Restaurant owners often struggle with team retention, leadership succession, or vendor reliability. Praful solves all three by giving stakeholders skin in the game. When your team owns a part of the business, loyalty is not a policy. It’s the byproduct of trust.
The Dharma of Service: Seva as Strategy
One of the strongest recurring themes in this dialogue is seva. At Malaka Spice, the philosophy is simple:
For Praful, Praja includes:
- His team
- His vendors
- His guests
- Even the soil at Cherish Farm
This means that whether it’s the vendor who delivers meat or the guest walking in for lunch, Malaka Spice is in their service. This radical mindset flips the usual top-down hierarchy of most businesses. Seva is not a moral idea here. It is a strategic imperative.
“If I’m in service of my vendor, there’s zero chance he’ll bring me bad material.”
Imagine the implications for a restaurant owner: A kitchen that runs on mutual respect. A supply chain built on integrity. A staff that stays not for perks, but for purpose.
Business as a Circle: The Saptaang Framework
Praful brings the Saptang model from Arthashastra into everyday decision-making. It includes 7 elements:
- Swami – The founder or leader
- Amatya – The advisors or leadership team
- Janapad – The territory or client base
- Danda – The operational force or staff
- Kosh – The treasury
- Durga – The infrastructure
- Mitra – The allies, partners, vendors
This is the blueprint of an ecosystem, not an org chart.
Praful maps this framework to every initiative, from restaurants to farms to his cancer charity foundation. And every day, he works on each of these elements in what he calls his Dincharya.
“You want to build a family, a business, or a nation? Start with the Swami, then nurture the rest.”
Dealing with Aggregators: Aligning Dharma with Delivery
What about modern-day challenges? Like Zomato, Swiggy, and the discount trap?
Praful acknowledges that aggregators are now part of the ecosystem. But he draws a hard line: if they don’t align with his dharma, they aren’t Mitras. He uses them only for discovery or logistics, not to erode his value with discounts.
Restaurant owners can take note: every partnership must be value-aligned, not just value-adding.
Passing the Baton: Preparing the Next Generation
As Malaka Spice approaches its 30th year, Praful’s focus is on leadership continuity, not just by hiring, but by mentoring and empowering.
Through Chiranjeev Gurukul, the learning and leadership academy he co-founded, he trains new restaurateurs in these principles. Watch the entire episode:
Final Thoughts: Go Inward to Grow Outward
Praful’s worldview is a beautiful counter to today’s business noise. His message isn’t anti-growth. It’s pro-intention. He doesn’t offer quick hacks, but timeless frameworks.
For restaurant owners, this isn’t just a masterclass in philosophy. It’s a guide to building a business that doesn’t just scale, but lasts.
