Cheetal Grand, a nostalgic stopover for many heading to Uttarakhand hills, bids farewell to its owner

Indian Express

a day ago

For generations of travellers heading to the hills of Uttarakhand, the road to the Khatauli Bypass has been more than just a stretch of highway—it has been a ritual. A promise of samosas the size of fists, plates of chicken ring rice, fluffy cheese omelettes at Cheetal Grand.
But the red-boarded restaurant, with its triangular roof, manicured bonsais, and forest-green chairs, stood still on Sunday. Not because of the annual Kanwar Yatra closure — that's routine. But from the passing of its most familiar face: Shariq Rana, the man who had, for decades, greeted guests with a warmth that now feels irreplaceable. If you visit Cheetal, you couldn't have missed him: a dense black moustache and a big, warm smile that would greet guests like old friends.
Rana had not been battling a heart condition for the past 28 years and was also diagnosed with cancer two years ago. Speaking to The Indian Express, his son Ali Rana, who is now going to take the business forward, said, 'We are truly distressed with him passing away; he was battling multiple health issues, it would take two hours to get ready every morning, but he never gave up on his dreams.'
Rana breathed his last at 8.15 pm, Sunday night, at the Escorts Hospital in Delhi. He was buried in the cemetery of his native village Phulat Sharif at 10.30 am on Monday. When Rana passed, for many, the void felt collective, and hundreds reached out to bid him farewell.
'People showed up from all walks — politicians, social workers, labourers, officers. That says enough about his legacy, he had always believed in giving back to the community and in helping people,' said a close family relative, who didn't want his name to be disclosed. In Khatauli, Rana was widely known for his social work, almost always without publicity.
Cheetal's story had begun on the banks of the old canal in Khatauli in 1972, when Rana's father, who had come from a catering and hospitality background, had opened the place. The family had deep ties to the Forest Department, and their proximity to forest officers gave them a lease to build an eatery on government-leased land, nestled in a lush green surrounding next to the old Ganga canal, which had a deer park in its proximity and was surrounded by lush-green forests. Due to their love for wildlife, they decided to name it after the spotted deer, or the cheetal that used to graze nearby.
Shariq, along with his elder brother, helped their father run the place and would sell cheese omelettes, heart-shaped cutlets, and crispy samosas that soon earned a following. But it was the experience that stuck: a slice of forest on the highway, a place where time paused.
When the lease on the forest property ended after 18 years, the original Cheetal shifted to a smaller place— the 14-acre land on the lush green environment had been reclaimed, but Shariq didn't let the legacy dissolve. He led the family's effort to relocate and rebuild. A new but smaller Cheetal rose a short distance away.
After the national highway was built, came Cheetal Grand, another new restaurant that carried echoes of the old — a triangular roof with lush green plants decorated at its entrance, a red sign with bold yellow letters the same taste, neat dining areas— a bigger menu but the same taste, and Rana, always at the front, overlooking the orders being prepared and greeting familiar guests personally.
The Beatles, the Dalai Lama among visitors
Even celebrities found their way there — The Beatles, on their way to Rishikesh, the Dalai Lama during a visit, Irrfan Khan, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
Mahesh Kuriyal, a resident of Dehradun, said, 'About 22 years ago, while driving to Delhi, I had severe vertigo about 15-20 km before Cheetal Grand and could not drive. My wife somehow drove to Cheetal, and I just lay down on a bench in the garden. Mr Shariq came and opened a nice air-conditioned room for me. After having a nice nap for four to five hours, I decided to proceed. He didn't charge a single penny from me. Definitely a very humble man and great host.'
'Twenty five years ago, when I used to travel often to Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur, it was a must stop for every trip, it had become popular due to its paratha and cheese omelettes, there weren't many places that used to serve food on the route back then, so Cheetal used to be a luxury experience for us…back then my kids were small, so they used to ask when we are going to reach Cheetal after every five minutes,' said Ajay Pal Singh.
'For us, Cheetal is nostalgia. It wasn't just about food; all visits to Cheetal were memories. Back then, there weren't many places where we could dine, so we used to visit Cheetal,' said Anjum, a regular visitor who is a resident of Muzaffarnagar.