Sweet takes

Besides traditional offerings like motichur laddoos, karanjis, shankar palis and anarsas priced between Rs 160 and Rs 240 per kg, a varied range of typically nomenclatured ones have also found a good number of takers. 8220;American butter rolls made of milkmaid and butter with lots of cashews, pistas and almonds, dry fruit kalakand, Gulkand sandwiches, Rajasthani dry fruit rolls and our badam katlis are some of the new arrivals that are high on demand,8221; informs Shreyans Parekh of Bhavnagari sweets, Rasta Peth. While a kg of badam katli and dry fruit kalakand will cost Rs 500 and Rs 240 respectively, the butter rolls, dry fruit rolls and gulkand sandwiches range between Rs 360 and Rs 400. The sweet shops in the city are witnessing a heavy rush of customers. 8220;Sale of sweets is very good. Specially there is a heavy rush for laddoos and pedhas8221; says Yuvraj Gadve of Kaka Halwai.

This year the sweet shops have also guaranteed a smile on the faces of diet freaks and diabetic patients who are forced to ignore their yearning for mouthwatering sweets. Sugar free sweets made in anjeer and khajur dates or with artificial sweeteners have created a special place for themselves in the sweet trays. Apart from selling its exclusive Cranberry sweets priced at 560 per kg and the regular kaju katlis and kaju rolls among others, Karachi sweet mart, one of the prominent sweet shops in the city, is also offering sugar free kaaju pista barfi at Rs 600 a kg and sugar free milkcake at Rs 360 a kg. Similarly Bhavnagari sweets is also offering malai barfis at 300 a kg which can be even stored for a month. 8221; As usual the pure ghee motichur laddoos are selling like hot cakes, but at the same time there is also a good demand for sugar free sweets priced at Rs 500 a kg and khajur masti, with less sugar content , commanding a price of 420 a kg,8221; says Virendre Singh of Purohit sweets.

Pooja Sharma, a housewife opines, 8221; during festivals when as it is calorie intake is high, diet sweets prove to be a boon.8221;

An intrinsic part of Diwali giftings, multifarious varieties of sweets are adorning the sweet boxes as part of Diwali extravaganza. 8220;When it comes to gifting purposes, kaaju mithais and mewa mithais are a hot pick with the customers,8221; informs Shrikrishna Chitale of Chitale Bandhu.

8220;We are selling a box of mixed sweets which is apt for gifting purposes. Each pack contains around nine to 12 varieties of sweets.8221; Says Tarun Athwani of Karachi sweet mart, as he juggles between his customers yet not forgetting to wish a happy Diwali to all of them.