Sweet exchanges

However,in this day and age,when people barely have time for themselves,leave alone others,the phenomenon of home-made sweets is becoming rarer and rarer. Thus,many sweet shops across the city have started to offer home-made sweets,so that,on this auspicious day,people are reminded once again of the golden ages on this auspicious day.

“We usually start making our sweets 10 days before Diwali,” says Rajesh Shah,of the Poona Merchant Chambers. “We usually make only chiwra and boondi ke laddoo,but in my experience,these two sweets sell the most!” The organisation also gets a special chef for the occasion. “Ever since we started selling sweets,22 years ago,we have had a person coming in from Rajasthan,Babu Maharaj,” affirms Shah. “Our motto is to make the best possible sweets and sell it at a cheap price,so that everybody can afford it!”

And the popularity of these sweets is pretty apparent. “We make home-made chiwra,chakli,shankarpali and karanji,but only around Diwali,” said one of the attendants at Desai Bandhu Sweet Shop. And having said that,he was promptly swarmed by a horde of eager shoppers.

“Before making the sweets,we take orders. Most people book for their sweets in advance. Then we start making the sweets,which are usually karanji,laddoos and chiwra. This year,we plan to start distributing them by October 31,and it will go on till November 4. This way,people can start visiting their loved ones with the sweets in tow,” says Suryakanth Pathak,of Grahak Peth.

Nobody really knows why these particular sweets – chakli,chiwra and karanji – are gain particular popularity around Diwali,but everyone has their own opinion. Offering her views,Jaya Adhwani of Karachi Sweet Mart says,“In the olden days,people used to make sweets at home. These sweets are easy to make,and thus every household,no matter how good or bad a cook,was able to prepare them at home. These sweets are also dry,and thus stay fresh for much longer. At least that’s what I feel.”

Archana Bhargave,of Ratan Shopee at Anandnagar,however,feels that the tradition of exchanging sweets is dying. While she admits that they do sell items chiwada,laddoos,shankarpali,anarsa,karanji,and so on,slightly spicy items are slowly becoming a trend. “Diwali marks the beginning of winter ,and body needs more heat to maintain balance. Thus,Diwali food contains ingredients which are a source of heat,” she says. She also adds that no matter how popular sweets are,spicy items becoming more popular.

Whatever the case,one thing is for sure. After gorging through boxes and boxes of sweets,Diwali wouldn’t seem like a ‘light’ festival anymore!