From a tamarind business in Theni to 23 showrooms
How the Balasanka Group grew from a small tamarind business started in Theni in 1966, which still runs today, into two-wheeler, jewellery and watch showrooms across South Tamil Nadu.
Our story · · 2 min read
Most of our customers know us by a showroom name: a TVS or Honda dealership, Akshaya Velli, Tanishq or Titan. Fewer know that all of them grew from one small tamarind business in Theni, started nearly sixty years ago, and that the business is still running today.
1966: SGT, Theni
In 1966, Mr. S. Thirupathi Nadar started SGT, a small tamarind business in Theni. It was a trade where customers judged a seller by the weight on the scale and the grade of the produce. Honest weight and fair grading became the family's way of doing business, and they still are.
From tamarind to pulses
In 1991 the family opened the Balasanka Dhal factory to process pulses, and set up what was then Asia's first solar dryer for pulses. The Sanka Dhal factory followed in 1995, and from 2016 the dhal and tamarind were sold under the Akshaya Dhal brand. From 2001, Sri Balasanka Mills turned tamarind seeds, which used to be thrown away, into starch for textile printing and husk for fuel. The mill has since closed.
The food business itself never stopped. Our Theni factories still make seedless tamarind and toor, urad and moong dhal, sold as Akshaya Dhal, wholesale and at the factory outlet there.
Two-wheelers
Our first two-wheeler dealership, Shri Murugesan Motors, opened in Theni in 1997. Between 2004 and 2017, Balasanka TVS, Mukesh Motors (Honda), Yasotha Motors and the Tenkasi TVS dealership took our two-wheeler business to six towns. Today it is the largest part of the group, with sales, service and genuine spares in every showroom.
Jewellery, watches and eyewear
In 2019 our first jewellery store, Tanishq, opened in Theni. Titan, Titan Eye+, Mia by Tanishq and CaratLane stores followed. In 2021 we opened Akshaya Velli in Theni, our own silver jewellery house, and then took it to Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Sivakasi. In 2025, Zora by Akshaya Velli, its more luxurious line, opened in Theni for silver jewellery, silver gifts and pooja articles.
Today
Alongside the food business in Theni, the group now runs 23 showrooms in Madurai, Rajapalayam, Sivakasi, Srivilliputhur, Tenkasi, Theni, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar. The businesses are very different, but the idea from 1966 hasn't changed: what we sell should be exactly what the label says.
You can read more on our About page, or find a showroom near you.
Last checked on 3 November 2026.