In an era where digital communication has taken center stage, the sentimental value of greeting cards has faded into obscurity.
There was a time when these tangible tokens of affection held immense significance, fostering connections across distances.
Research reveals that receiving a physical card can elevate recipients’ mental well-being, fostering a sense of connection and alleviating feelings of isolation.
The process of meticulously selecting and sending a card communicates thoughtfulness and care, reinforcing the recipient’s sense of self-worth. Contrasting the fleeting nature of digital messages, a greeting card evokes profound emotional responses.
The limbic system, governing behavior, emotions, and emotional memory, plays a pivotal role in triggering these reactions. Research underscores that the emotional impact of a physical card surpasses that of its digital counterparts.
Amidst this evolving landscape, Sharief Ayesha, an entrepreneur from Bengaluru, has embarked on a passionate mission to rekindle the importance of greeting cards.
Through her entrepreneural set up called Yaay Cards, she says she attempts to preserve a cherished tradition by revitalizing the act of conveying emotions through physical cards.
For Sharief Ayesha, sending greeting cards embodies a vessel of emotions, a bridge of connection, and a repository of memories.
She says, “The rewards of sending cards stretch beyond mere nostalgia. It will remain a time-honored practice”.
Sharief Ayesha has made cards for actors like Salman Khan, Nikhil Chinappa, singer Edward Maya. Sonu Sood and Bhaskar Rao (police-turnedpolitian) etc.
source: http://www.newstrail.com / Newstrail / Home / by Afra Afzal Sait / September 01st, 2023
Ace entrepreneur Haji Bukhsh Ellahie launched India’s first brand of local cigarettes which became a huge success.
Making History: (Left) Promotion board; (Right Portrait of Haji Bukhsh Ellahie Photo: Bukhsh Ellahie Archive
In 1906, Jellicoe and Page, representing British American Tobacco, were unsuccessful in finding an agent in Mumbai to sell their W.D & H.O Wills cigarette brands. In Calcutta, they had no choice other than to tie up with Indian entrepreneur Haji Bukhsh Ellahie. He had made a fortune with his indigenous cigarette brand named after Gauhar Jaan, an upcoming Hindustani music singer who would go on to become the first to be recorded for the gramophone.
Bukhsh Ellahie had moved to Calcutta from Delhi in 1878 in the hope of making his fortune in the then capital of India. His brother, Karam Ellahie, stayed back to mind the family business. Enrolling himself as an intern with a business house, Bukhsh Ellahie soon learnt the tricks of the trade and was all set to take off on his own.
In the Crimean War (1853-1856), French and English officers acquired the habit of cigarette smoking from their Turkish allies. This addiction soon spread all over Europe. There was a great demand from the armies of the Western world for cigarettes. Bukhsh Ellahie saw the potential and realised it would replace pipes and the Indian hookah. When he came across a new and fast model of a cigarette-rolling machine, an innovative business idea germinated.
In 1887, he registered a company under the style of Bukhsh Ellahie & Co., Calcutta. Borrowing capital from his brother to import tobacco, he launched India’s first cigarette branded ‘Gauhar de Baha’, named after the legendary Gauhar Jaan. Bukhsh Ellahie did not just have the vision for business but also an uncanny knack for marketing. What he created then are now standard principles in marketing and promotion. He named his product after a popular singer to cash in on her popularity. He launched a campaign in which the visual showed her relaxing on a couch, listening to the gramophone almost in supine listlessness, holding a cigarette with smoke gently curling from it. The outrageous visual broke all traditions and advertising stereotypes. The campaign grabbed the attention of the audience. Bukhsh Ellahie then launched her face on matchboxes. These were printed in Austria. This was another first in India’s marketing scene.
To promote the product, he also sent free boxes of cigarettes to the Indian Army thereby building a demand which could be best termed as creating ‘brand addiction’. The shift to cigarettes was rapid, as Bukhsh Ellahie had envisioned, and he became one of the richest men in Calcutta by the 1900s. The trend of sending free cigarettes continued for two decades as letters sent to the Army prove. Joined by his son, Abdur Raheem, Bukhsh Ellahie grew the business and soon their portfolio included various types of goods and they took up imports, partnering with several international firms. When Jellicoe and Page came to India, they appointed Bukhsh Ellahie & Co as the first agent of Wills. This was, in a way, the birth of ITC, the multi-business conglomerate of today.
The father and son also contributed to the Army War Fund and towards building hospitals and relief work for natural disasters. Abdur Raheem held several positions including that of Commissioner of Calcutta Corporation from 1913-1923. They also built a traveller’s lodge, founded an orphanage and formed an association for the burial of indigent Muslims. Bukhsh Ellahie was bestowed the title of Khan Bahadur and later, the Companion of the Indian Empire (CIE) was awarded to Abdur Raheem.
The business is tracked till the 1930s and it is assumed that organised cigarette manufacture, including competition from new cigarette companies such as Vazir Sultan Tobacco Company and imports by others dented it. Abdur Raheem had no sons but his daughters were married off into eminent families in Delhi. The next generation took up legal practice. Bukhsh Ellahie’s great grandson was the managing director of Kalinga Airways and his sons went into trade and started their now flourishing tea and export business that spans continents.
(Views expressed are personal)
Rajiv Soni is a brand engineer and mentor
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Profile / by Rajiv Soni / September 03rd, 2023
Meher Sheikh wins the ‘Emerging Female Influencer in Media Industry’ Award
New Delhi :
The 12th Edition of Entrepreneur Awards, an initiative by Entrepreneur India Magazine took place on September 20, 2022.
The platform recognizes the most influential, path-breaking entrepreneurs who do something out of the box and break stereotypes.
Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor graced the occasion and spoke about her debut as an entrepreneur.At the 12th edition of Entrepreneur Awards, a new category was introduced to commemorate emerging media companies. And this year, Meher Sheikh won the award in the category ‘Emerging Female Influencer in Media Industry’. Narain Kartikeyan, India’s 1st Formula One Driver who’s now the Founder and CEO of DriveX, presented the award to the uber-talented Meher Sheikh.
Meher Sheikh is a media entrepreneur and digital creator, she was a Sports Anchor with News 24 and she started her career as a fashion merchandiser. Meher is the Founder and CEO of Nikology a Youtube Channel with a subscriber base of 02 Million.
Nikology is an initiative of Papr Network that runs its operations from Noida Filmcity in Uttar Pradesh.
Meher is successfully hosting 2 shows on Nikology ‘Totally Unapologetic With Meher Sheikh’ and The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Show’. Both the series received a great response from the viewers and preps for a bigger and better season 02 is underway.”I am very happy to be recognized as an influential media entrepreneur. It’s just the beginning of a new era for content creators because the content industry is continuously facing disruption, with the emergence of OTT, mobile and digital penetration across Bharat, India has seen a shift in the way content is consumed today. Every big network is shifting its focus on the digital front by launching their own OTT platforms, podcasts and having a presence on Youtube etc”.
“I have huge plans for my viewers and aspiring entrepreneurs, we at Papr Network aim to be game changers for digital creators and new entrepreneurs”.
Some of the other winners of this prestigious award were Navya Naveli Nanda, Founder, Project Naveli and Co-founder, Aara Health, Aditya Ghosh Co-Founder, Akasa Air, Aman Gupta of Boat, Vineeta Singh of Sugar Cosmetics, Sandeep Nailwal Co-Founder, Polygon.
This story has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/PNN)
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Content> Press Release ANI/ PNN / September 21st, 2022
‘Nine women in the Darjeeling Express kitchen made for a powerful visual’, the Kolkata-born British chef and restaurateur tells My Kolkata.
Simone Ashley and Asma Khan at the Darjeeling Express kitchen. (Right) the thali the actress was served @asmakhanlondon/Instagram
Nine women in the Darjeeling Express kitchen made for a powerful visual when actress Simone Ashley visited the London restaurant, owned by Asma Khan, on August 31.
Ashley, known for her portrayal of Kate Sharma in Netflix’s women-centric hit series Bridgerton, expressed her desire to connect with the all-female kitchen team.
Asma Khan, Kolkata-born British chef and restaurateur, shared her experience with My Kolkata from London, saying, “Simone met the girls with so much affection. They were thrilled to meet her. She’s very sweet, very humble. She also left a generous tip. Recognising and appreciating the women who nourish us holds significance for those of Southeast Asian heritage. Regardless of one’s origins, it’s an integral part of our culture.”
Asma’s mission is to embrace diversity in the hospitality industry
Asma has gained recognition for her unwavering commitment to empowering immigrant women, who form the heart of her kitchen brigade at Darjeeling Express. She articulated her mission to embrace diversity in the hospitality industry in a recent piece for British Vogue , where she wrote: “I have made it my mission to hire individuals from all walks of life, and of varying ages and abilities.”
Simone, who is of Tamil descent, arrived at the restaurant with the film crew of her latest project, including the producer and director. Asma said, “My connection with Simone came through our mutual friend, Charithra Chandran, who plays her half-sister in Bridgerton. We had discussed the possibility of Simone visiting the restaurant before. However, this time, the reservation was arranged by Christine, the wife of David Gelb, the director of Chef’s Table and a personal friend. She inquired about the availability and made the booking.”
‘Bridgerton’ star Simone Ashley is of Tamil descent @simoneashley/Instagram
“She had our thali at Darjeeling Express and was particularly thrilled about the puri (luchi), because we prepare them fresh for the thali. She watched our girls making it, and I’ve heard she’s a very good cook herself,” added Asma, who was a guest judge on a recent season of Padma Lakshmi’s Top Chef. In fact, the episode helped “demystify the thali” and is one of the reasons why the Sunday thali at the London restaurant is “doing so well” , according to Asma.
In recent times, Darjeeling Express has welcomed several notable personalities, including Malala Yousafzai , whom Asma describes as someone “who embodies the invincible spirit of women from South Asia”, Michael Buble , Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek, and Paul Rudd as well as Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy, among others.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Food> Star Chefs / by Karo Christine Kumar / September 02nd, 2023
Roti Kapda aur Makkan; (Bread, Cloth, and house) are considered the basic needs of human beings. Just as many people in the world today do not have enough food, many do not have proper clothing to protect them during extreme winter.
This reality triggered the idea of a cloth bank that is run by the Society for Bright Future. The project executive of the campaign Mohammad Marghub says they are working in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi.
He however says the need for proper clothing is everywhere and for this reason, his NGO is planning to open Cloth banks all over the country.
“We appeal to people to donate new and used clothes or money. We do not accept torn and unusable clothes, says Mohammad Marghoub.
Society for Bright Future organised Cloth Bank
Only clothes that are in wearable condition are accepted. “We wash, iron, and pack these clothes well and distribute them at the camps set up for the purpose.”
He says each cloth has a token price. “We don’t give away these clothes for free, the prices are nominal says – Rs 5 to 10.”
Marghoub says it is done to give people dignity and make them feel these are not donated or bought by them with their money. Accepting free stuff has a psychological effect. One tends to misuse and mistreat a thing that has come free but takes care of it when it is purchased.”
The NGO thus also recovers a small cost that goes into waching, ironing, and packing the donated clothes.
He said the poor people feel the loss of prestige while accepting free stuff. They are also embarrassed to know that others know about accepting or wearing donated clothes.
The NGO thus takes extreme care not to expose the people who are benefitted from this campaign. The activists are careful in clicking pictures for their documentation purposes, etc,
“This is the reason why even while taking photos of the users, we take care not to highlight their features. Marghoub says that we also try to make the beneficiaries realize that today they are the needy ones but tomorrow when they are fine, they must donate to others.
Mohammad Marghob says that just a few months ago, we conducted a cloth bank campaign at Milli Model School in Abul Fazl Enclave, New Delhi, from which thousands of people benefited. He said that hundreds of people donated clothes for this campaign and many people gave money so that we could buy clothes and deliver them to the needy. Now we are looking for a place where we can set up a permanent Cloth Bank.
According to Mohammad Marghob, setups have been readied for the launch of Cloth Banks in Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar, and Assam.
Clothes being gifted by Volunteers of Society for Bright Future
We try to get different beneficiaries each time we set up a camp,” he says. Don’t distribute things in the same place every time. There are needy people everywhere. Our job is simply to bridge the gap between givers and takers.”
How do they find the area with the most in need of clothes? To this, Marghoub explained that the NGO first holds a survey on the ground, and a camp is set up after sifting through the facts and reports of the survey.
The first cloth bank was started two years ago. Last year they set up three cloth banks at different locations.
So far this campaign has been launched in five states. The NGO has hundreds of trained volunteers in 16 states of India and Marghoub feels the cloth banks can be easily established in each state.
He says, the NGO is planning to raise a force of 5,000 volunteers by 2026 and then spread its work all over India.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ghaus Siwani, New Delhi / posted by Aasha Khosa / April 03rd, 2023
Nadia Aslam, a resident of Panjim, Goa has always had a love for baking cakes. She used to bake delicious cakes for get-togethers and her close friends, but that changed when she went to college to study textile designing. She started a boutique business for a few years after college before having her first child. Nadia returned to making cakes as a career in 2016 after a gap of two years to devote more time to caring for her newborn.
“I shifted from designing clothes to designing cakes,” the 40-year-old cake artist explained to Two Circles.
Nadia has baked over 2000 cakes and pastry products, including cupcakes, for weddings, birthdays, and corporate events in the last seven years.
Nadia’s designer cakes
Challenges Faced in the Baking Business
Nadia faced several hurdles at the start of her professional career as a pastry artist. “I began very small. Because I used to earn little money, I would reinvest it in buying more stuff to meet the requirements,” she explained.
Nadia and her family used to live in a modest residential society that didn’t have a lift or enough space in the flat where she could set up her baking business in the early years. “For the business and classes, I needed space and a lift for efficient transportation because the bakery products are very fragile,” she explained.
Nadia moved to a larger flat for the sake of her business endeavour. Then after four years of baking at home, she rented a small property solely for cake production and hired an employee.
One of the major issues Nadia still encounters is a power outage while baking cakes, as well as bad roads, which leads to the fraying of the cake.
According to Nadia, it takes 17 hours to prepare, make, bake, and decorate a single cake. It became difficult when she began receiving orders for great corporate events and large parties. She said her customers want her to focus more on the decoration and general presentation of the sweet delicacies, which takes a lot of time and work.
Nadia’s creations
Earlier Nadia was preoccupied with household chores, raising children, and running the cake shop. “It messed up my sleep schedule, and I was frequently sleep-deprived,” she explained.
‘Men Should Encourage Their Wives’: Nadia Receives Support From Her Family
Nadia faced challenges, but she also received tremendous emotional support for her business from her family. Her husband, Rehan Shaikh, was always encouraging and helpful, from getting baking supplies to delivering cake orders.
“Men should encourage their wives,” said Rehan, beaming with pride at her success. Shaikh is in charge of handling the accounting of the cake business.
Nadia is assisted by her three children, aged 17, 14, and 12, in addition to her husband and two employees. “My kids help me after school and during the holidays,” she explained.
Nadia with her family
Teaching Women How to Bake
Nadia shared her experiences as a Muslim Hijabi pastry artist. “We Muslim women can financially support our families while practicing Islam and following its guidelines,” she said.
Nadia stated that her mother, a former beautician, is her greatest inspiration.
Aside from baking cakes, Nadia offers paid baking workshops that last two to three months and has taught hundreds of women how to bake and decorate cakes. Nadia hopes to build an academy where women bakers learn from chefs from all over the world.
The ‘Moist choco truffle’ is the most popular item in her diverse menu of cakes. “It’s my customers’ all-time favourite item, and they often come back to request more,” she explained.
Nadia teaching her students to bake
Receives Order From Across India
Nadia does not currently own a shop, but she receives a large number of orders through her Instagram and Facebook pages.
“We not only get orders from Goa, but also from Mumbai, Maharashtra, Belgaum, Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, and other places,” she explained. Nadia uses roadways to deliver cakes within 100 kilometers of Goa, and railways to deliver cakes to Mumbai, Belgaum, and other distant locations.
Nadia received multiple awards for her cake-making abilities, including the “Star of the Month” award from Gowomania Goa, an organisation of Gaon women, in 2017.
Sobiya Inamdar is an independent reporter based in India
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> TCN Positive> Women / by Sobiya Inamdar, TwoCirlces.net / August 29th, 2023
The 23-hour-and-40-minute countdown for the Sun mission has begun. Aditya-L1 satellite will lift off from Sriharikota on Saturday at 11.50 a.m
Inside: Project director of the ambitious Aditya-L1 Nigar Shaji
Tenkasi :
The contribution of Tamils to India’s Space Odyssey seems to be enduring as a woman scientist from the state’s southern district of Tenkasi will have her tryst with destiny when Aditya-L1 satellite soars into the sky on Saturday.
Nigar Shaji (59), a native of Shengottai, is the project director of the ambitious Aditya-L1, which is the first space-based mission deployed by India to study the Sun.
Speaking to TNIE on Friday, Shaji’s brother S Sheik Saleem said Shaji completed her schooling in English medium at the Shengottai government higher secondary school.
“She did her graduation in engineering from the Tirunelveli government engineering college and joined ISRO in 1987. She resides in Bengaluru and visits Shengottai whenever there are family functions. Shaji’s husband, an engineer, is working in a Gulf country, and her son is also working as a scientist in the Netherlands. Her daughter and our mother are staying with Shaji in Bengaluru. We lost our father 30 years ago,” Saleem said. Incidentally, Chandrayaan 3 project director P Veeramuthuvel is also from Tamil Nadu.
Countdown starts
The 23-hour-and-40-minute countdown for the Sun mission has begun. Aditya-L1 satellite will lift off from Sriharikota on Saturday at 11.50 a.m.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Thinakaran Rajamani, Express News Service / September 02nd, 2023
The farm has different breeds, including Holstein Friesian, Gir, Australian and jersey. Her aim is to own 101 cows as dreamt by her father.
Maimoona and daughter Marzeena with the cows in their farm at Harekala. Credit: DH photo
Maimoona, with her three daughters, re-started her venture of dairy farming with just one cow at Harekala, situated on the outskirts of Mangaluru, about two years ago.
She now sells 320 litres of milk daily and owns 40 cows. The shed has a total of 67 cattle, including calves. The striking point is that she sets aside a portion of her earning for helping the needy.
“When my husband Abdul Majeed died in the year 2020, we were shattered. He loved cows and had started Majeed Farm and owned around 25 cows. His dream was to own a farm with 101 cows. After his death, we sold all the cows. However, we did not spend money earned from selling cows. Later, it was my second daughter Marzeena, who is an engineering graduate, persuaded me to purchase a cow and re-start the venture,’’ Maimoona told DH.
Initially, she purchased one cow and later added more into the fleet of cows.
Maimoona said, “I re-established the farm with the support of my daughters Ramzeena, Marzeena and Azwena. Initially, we only managed all the work. As the farm grew, we hired labourers to help us. The cattle are milked using two machines. In spite of using a machine, we have to milk manually at the end. Along with labourers, my daughter Marzeena and I take care of the cattle.”
The farm has different breeds, including Holstein Friesian, Gir, Australian and jersey. Her aim is to own 101 cows as dreamt by her father.
“We are happy with the initiative and it is the only source of our livelihood. Our driver Prashanth is helping us in reaching out the milk to the dairy at Ellyarpadavu and Konaje in time. Maintaining a dairy farm is challenging as we need to constantly work hard,” Maimoona said.
The family also sells cow dung.
I am planning to grow grass required for the cows in my own farm. Now, we procure the required dry hay from Hassan, she said.
The family owns about two acres of land in which they have cultivated arecanut and coconut. In addition, the house is surrounded by a variety of fruits, like apple, grapes, chikoo, fig and musambi.
‘’We also have started goat farm and have a poultry farm on small scale. At present, there are 23 goats. When my father was alive, we had 150 goats,” Marzeena said.
“My husband was keen that we lend a helping hand to those in needy. Accordingly, I keep aside a portion of my earning from the farm to charity,” Maimoona added.
Lauding the success, Harekala Gram Panchayat president Badruddin said people need to learn from the success of Maimoona. With hard work and dedication, she has proved that anything is possible.
‘’She lends a helping hand to the needy and has donated AC, cooler, and an aquarium to the newly built Harekala GP building and has also donated money to distribute financial assistance to the differently abled,” he said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> India> Karnataka / by Naina J A, DHNS / January 24th, 2023
Deralakatte Renjali (Ullal Taluk),Mangaluru, KARNATAKA / Saudi Arabia/ UAE:
Dr Abdul Shakeel has been selected for the coveted Asia Achievers award given by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre Colombo and High Commission of India Colombo for his social service including providing rice to more than 10000 eligible families cutting across religion and caste during Covid pandemic, adopting students who are financially poor and encouragement to outstanding students.
The award will be presented by Vidura Vikramanayake, minister for religious and cultural affairs, government of Sri Lanka and higher education minister of Sri Lanka Surena Raghavan at the 40th International cultural convention that is organized on August 25 at the auditorium of University of Visual and Performing Arts in Sri Lanka.
Dr Abdul Shakeel is the son of Abdul Khader Harekala and Maimuna couple, residents of Deralakatte Renjadi under Ullal taluk.
He is NRI entrepreneur having business interest in gulf countries. Dr Shakeel is the managing director of MMA Advertisement and interiors Saudi Arabia, Dubai, managing director of Grey Line Interior and Advertisement (UAE) and director of Readymix Concrete, India.
Dr Shakeel reserves 50% of profits of his business for social work through Dr Abdul Shakeel Charitable trust. During Corona pandemic he felicitated doctors, medical profession helpers and social workers who worked risking their own lives. Dr Shakeel supports youth, who are financially poor, to compete in national and international level sports and other activities. He has encouraged hundreds of children to get educated. He has also adopted several children. Dr Shakeel paid the educational expenses of students of backward community who have scored high marks in examinations and also took complete responsibility of their education. He has built houses for homeless people. Dr Shakeel also rendered financial help to those who get stuck in overseas countries. In addition, he has provided employment to hundreds of people in gulf countries.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS) / August 25th, 2023
The Telegraph goes to a Calcutta anachronism — a sweetshop that has very little Bengali about it.
Candy crush: Haji Nizamuddin (in white kurta) believes their sweets are turning out better than the Arabian originals. / Moumita Chaudhuri
Haji Allauddin, the sweet shop on Phears Lane in central Calcutta, is more than a hundred years old. Haji Nizamuddin, who is the owner now, is Allauddin’s great-grandson. He says, “My grandfather had started this shop and it is named after him. We have heard that in the early days there was no shop, just some wares on a bench in north Calcutta’s Colootola .”
Haji Allauddin had come from Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur with his family.
Nizamuddin does not know what drove them all the way. “Maybe our ancestors were farmers, maybe my ancestor was of rebellious nature and left Sitapur in search of better opportunities,” says Hamd Sultan, who is Nizamuddin’s son.
“The earliest registration papers in our possession go back to 1904 but I have heard from my elders that the shop was operational even a decade before that,” adds Sultan, who is now getting involved in the affairs of his ancestral business.Sultan and his cousins are planning to expand.
Haji Allauddin, a sweet shop on Phears Lane, north Calcutta./ Moumita Chaudhuri
There are three branches of the shop already, one on Beck Bagan Row, another on Ripon Street and the other on Dent Mission Road in Kidderpore. The shop owners want to open branches in the Middle East next.
Allauddin had started his sweet journey by making batashas. He would go door to door and sell them. Batashas were not only used in every religious ritual in Bengal, but was also part of the daily diet of certain sections.
Some years later, he opened the shop in Colootola.
In the initial days, Allauddin would stock gond ka halwa, a kind of mashed sweet dish made from the extracts of the babul tree with a sprinkling of dry fruits. It is also called battisa after the 32 ingredients in it and is considered good for pregnant women as well as the infirm. He also sold mawa laddu and gulab jamun fried in desi ghee.
From whom or where Allauddin learnt to make these sweets remains a mystery. Says Sultan, “He chose to use ghee made in Samastipur in Bihar only as its flavour and texture were best suited to our kind of sweets.” In deference to his wisdom, his progeny continues to source all the ghee they need from Samastipur. “It has now become our USP,” adds Sultan.
After Allauddin, his son Nasiruddin and, thereafter, his son Nizamuddin introduced many more sweets — Bournvita sweets, patisa, milky soft bar, coconut-based products, milk halwa, walnut halwa. Nizamuddin also introduced gajar ka halwa, dudhiya halwa and halwa sohan. The shop sells Kanpuriya laddu, mansuri and Karachi halwa too.
Claims Sultan, “These sweets are not found in any sweet shop in Bengal. Even the kalakand in our shop is flavoured.” Their outlets sell carrot and mango-flavoured kalakand.
A year-and-a-half ago, Nizamuddin had made a trip to Dubai. He says, “I went to several shops to taste the sweets they sell. The Middle East does not have a good source of milk. Camel milk is available but is not abundant, cow or buffalo milk is hard to find. So the sweets have very little or at times no milk in them. For example, we make patisa from pure milk, they make it with besan and just a dash of milk.”
Since his return, Nizamuddin has introduced in his shops what has since been branded Arabian Sweets. In the kitchen of Haji Allauddin in south Calcutta’s Picnic Garden, cooks are busy making Arabian sweets.
“It is made of six types of dried fruits and honey. No sugar is added to it,” he says. There are five other sweets that have been influenced by the sweets of Dubai — khajur dry fruit barfi, anjeer roll with poppy seeds sprinkled all over, kaju diamond, dry fruit crunch and chocolate dry fruit ball.
“In making these sweets we have moved away from our legacy — there is no ghee or mawa in them,” says Sultan. The owners are now trying their hands at two more Middle-Eastern sweets — baklava and kunafa.
Nizamuddin says, “Nobody has shared any recipes with us. We are learning to make them by trial and error and I believe our sweets are turning out better than the originals.”
The proof of their pudding will, of course, be in the eating. Go, find out.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture> Food / by Moumita Chaudhuri / August 27th, 2023
