Who’s the go-to mithaiwallah that the sweet-toothed in Kutch, Bhowanipore, Jaipur and Himachal head to year after year on Diwali?
Jaipur ka Ghevar
Lights and crackers aside, Diwali is also synonymous with sweets. While Maharashtra’s tradition thrives on the typical faraal of besan laddoos and karanjis, with savoury chivda and chakli to go with it, sweet tooth foodies around the country tell us where they turn to for their sugar fix every year when the decorations go up.
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Dhairya Gajara
For 24-year-old Dhairya Gajara, Diwali in his hometown Kutch meant feasting on Gulabpak. Made with rose petals, crunchy dry fruits, mawa, sugar, pure ghee and honey, the taste, texture and aroma of this royal sweet is very inviting.
Kutch ka Gulabpak
“Diwali in Kutch means I can feast on a lot of Gulabpak. I first had it as a child when my parents brought it home once and have been in love with it ever since. I made it a point to take it for my colleagues for Diwali during my first internship and have always got it for colleagues at all my jobs ever since. Actual rose petals mixed with roasted mawa gives it such a rich taste that it feels like some kind of a royal dessert. Gulabpak is not merely a sweet but it has turned into an identity of Kutch.,” says Gajara who gets it from Khavda Sweets when he finds himself missing home.
Rajesh Thakkar
Rajesh Thakkar, Khavda’s fourth generation owner, tells Sunday mid-day, “We have been here for 54 years now. We originally hail from Khavda, a village in Bhuj taluka of Kutch, which is where the shop derives its name from. We used to sell sweets locally earlier but migrated to Bhuj and started this business. Since then, there has been no looking back. Gulabpak is a pure mawa sweet with rose petals in it and is a traditional Kutch sweet. It became a runaway hit in our shop and we have now introduced desi ghee and dry fruit versions as well. It is a sweet started by my grandfather and a legacy I am proud to continue,” he says.
Mumbai-based Aakanksha Gupta loves the Malai Ghevar by Kesar sweets at Tonk Road in Jaipur. It’s authentic and abundant in flavour, and most importantly crisp and versatile. “I love their ghevar for Diwali because it is authentically Indian and a dessert that we as a family share and eat. It has largess and abundance built into it. It truly tastes of Kesar. They have many varieties like the one with pista and also seasonal specials, but every time I visit home, I make sure this is a delicacy I bring back to Mumbai. I have tried Ghevars from all across Rajasthan, but nothing comes close to this taste,” she adds.
Divya Arora
Divya Arora, owner, Kesar Sweets says, “When we started the outlet back in 2013, our primary goal was to bridge the gap between the traditional Indian sweets available in the market and the evolving tastes and preferences of the current generation. We realised that not much innovation had been done in this space at the time, and this gap was the driving force behind our initial focus. Our first step towards innovation was introducing dried and candied fruits as well as flavours commonly found in Western sweets into traditional Indian mithai. This was quite unconventional for the Indian market at the time. We incorporated ingredients like blueberries, pecan nuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts into our mithai, which was a unique twist that gained attention. Additionally, we started using zest of oranges, lemon, and spices like star anise and nutmeg in our sweets. These were not very common elements in Indian mithai, and it was our way of reinventing and rethinking traditional recipes.”
Krishna Sweets
Twenty-year-old Kritika Dogra has the taste of gulab jamun from Krishna Sweets on her palate and nothing comes close. Diwali makes it even more nostalgic for her. “We had always looked for ways to bring that Gulab Jamun box into our house, even as I was growing up. We always knew what we had to eat and where it came from, regardless of the occasion—be it a class exam, good grades, someone’s birthday, or a marriage.
Dharamshala ka Gulab Jamun
The shop looks just how it has been since I was a child, nothing has changed. I’ve never found anything nearly comparable to Krishna Sweets, and I pray I never do,” she adds. Of the 30-year-old establishment, owner Satish Kumar, who is speaking to us from Dharamshala says, “Every day that we lift our shutters is a promise to deliver to our customers what they love so much about us.
Kritika Dogra
Since morning, people of all ages flock to our shop for our gulab jamuns. Many of them ask what is so special about them that no one can stop at just one, but honestly, I don’t know. I just make sure no corners are cut, same as I always have. That seems to work. Today, the long gulab jamuns are our best-selling item and we, too, make sure there are two pots of them floating in syrup prominently on display.”
Laxmanjees’ besan barfi, my favorite Diwali delight, evokes a sweet nostalgia that transports me to cherished family gatherings. Its delectable taste and aroma fill my heart with joy, reminding me of the warmth of festive traditions. I fell in love with Laxmanjees when my parents were going abroad for two years and took me to the shop to make me feel better. The next two years cemented that love, and Laxmanjees has been a Diwali favourite ever since,” says author Meghna Pant, 42.
Anil and Manish Verma
Manish Verma, second generation owner, tells Sunday mid-day, his father Anil started the besan barfi here and it became a runaway hit. Today, Kandaghat ki besan barfi is synonymous with Agra ka petha. “Ours is a small shop in this sleepy town, but people come here specially for it. And we never let anyone leave without tasting it either.
It’s like, the minute we run out of the day’s stock - which is 700 to 800 kg per day - we know we can safely down our shutters because that is our main attraction. We sold over two lakh kilograms of it in the last Financial Year! We also ship it all over India now, so that people across the country may try our humble offering,” says Verma.
Bhowanipore ka Baked Rossogulla
Pranaadhika Sinha Devburman loves Balaram Mullick in her hometown Bhowanipore. “Balaram Mullick is legendary and their shop in Bhowanipore remains the only go-to place for fresh, delicious Bengali sweets, so naturally it is our only choice for Diwali sweets. When we go Diwali sweet shopping, baked rossogolla rarely leaves the outlet without one gobbling one for the road!
Balaram Mullick
Similarly, chhena pora, baked mihidana, korapak jolbhora, are difficult to simply pack and take home. My favourite Diwali memory as a child is pretending to be sick in order to drag papa out of office. One time, we were in the car I said I need medicine... from Balaram Kaku! I was a smart child,” the activist chuckles.
Sudip Mullick
Sudip Mullick, owner of the 138-year-old Balaram Mullick, tells us that Bhowanipore outlet is the oldest one of all the outlets in Kolkata. “We realised early on that the people loved us and we had to respect that. Hence, we never compromised on the quality of our products, right from the raw material onwards.
Pranadhika DevBurman
Ingredients like the milk and dry fruits we use are subjected to strict pre-audit checks. Besides, we have a centralised kitchen in Kolkata, where the hygiene standards are maintained on par with five-star hotels to ensure top quality and service,” he adds.
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