In Bengal, people’s love of sweets is now a way of ‘counting’ the votes. Kolkata’s most famous sweet shops are starting to sell treats that are flavored and colored to support the parties, and orders are already coming in from party members. There are saffron colored ‘Modishree’, and green ‘Joy Bangla’.
Colours you can taste
Instead of the usual fish and jhalmuri (a spicy snack), people are now enjoying sweets in party colors. ‘Lal Salam’, a red sweet that tastes of rose, is for supporters of the Left. Trinamool Congress supporters want ‘Joy Bangla’ in green, and it’s flavored with gondhoraj (a type of lime). And BJP supporters are going for ‘Modishree’, saffron and flavored with saffron.
At well-known places like K C Das and Nobin Chandra Das, the cooks are quickly coloring their rosogollas and rajbhogs with the parties’ campaign colors. There’s a lot of activity, and it’s about both the taste and the presentation. The trays of sweets are like banners showing which side is doing well.
Inside Kolkata’s kitchens
Dhiman Das, who is in charge of both of those brands, explained that the saffron sandesh (a type of cheese sweet) flavored with saffron is called ‘Modishree’ because Prime Minister Modi tasted it when he was in Kolkata last time for election campaigning. The green one, with gondhoraj flavoring, is called ‘Joy Bangla’, which is a common slogan.
Das says his staff are planning how much to make for the large number of people who will want them. “We will just make rosogollas. We are starting with about 500 each of green, orange and red velvet rosogollas. We will change how much we make depending on what people want and how the counting is going on the day.”
What customers want now
Shop owners all over the city say people from the local parties have been asking about the sweets. They think many more orders will be made when the early results start coming in. This will turn each sweet counter into a way of seeing the current state of the election.
Ready for any verdict
Being able to change quickly is important. Many sweet makers are keeping a supply of plain white rosogollas so they can color them with whichever color is winning. The owner of Benapani Sweets in south Kolkata said, “We will have white rosogollas and color them as the results show.”
Big chains are even prepared to make whatever people specifically ask for. Sudip Mullick of a popular confectionary chain said, “We do this to celebrate democracy. Sweets are a very important part of Bengal and our way of life. We make special sweets for all events, so why not for elections?”
The day ahead
The counting will happen at 77 places in Bengal, and the results for 293 of the 294 seats in the Assembly will be announced. Security is very strong, people are excited, and the sweet makers in the city are treating the day as a festival that will happen in stages and with lots of color.
In Bardhaman, on B C Road (which is famous for sweets), the situation seems more equal. Shops there are selling both saffron and green rosogollas and sandesh, and the shop keepers say people are equally likely to support either side, but that could change by the afternoon.
Here is what to expect in sweet shops on counting day:
– Early batches matching initial trends
– White rosogollas dipped to order
– Rapid restocking as demand swings
– Customised sandesh with party symbols
The most important thing for the people behind the glass counter is simple and sweet. Each color shows which way things are going, each bite is a moment in time, and by the evening, the sweets all over Bengal will tell the story of the day using sugar, saffron, lime and rose. No matter who wins, the final result will taste like a victory.
