My Cheat Days

 

Occasional Jottings

 

My Cheat Days

Dr. C. V. Ananda Bose

 

“Sir, the weather is brilliant today.  I am sure you had a nice walk in the garden…” my good doctor said, sounding a bit apprehensive.  Usually he is cheerful.  Something must be making him anxious.

“Uhmmm…sigh…” I could muster, followed by slurping, as I dug into another delicious roshomalai, but not before a couple of spoonful of the flavoured cream it was sitting in cosily.

“Hmm.” I said with my mouth full with the second roshomalai.

The fresh supply of roshomalais were tantalizing my tastebuds since the past half an hour since they found their way into the household.  I had to do something with those.  “For they had eyes and chose me!”

After relishing the roshomalai around my tastebuds and consigning it to its designated area of my body, I looked up at the doctor wiping my lips with a tissue paper, contented.

“You were asking something?”  I enquired, as I got up from my breakfast table and started walking towards my office.

“The walk Sir.  You enjoyed your walk today?”  the doctor said uneasily.

What on earth does he mean by that.   Of course I enjoyed my yoga followed by 20 minutes walk in the garden.   I do that regularly.   I have a fantastic yoga instructor.  He makes yoga seem fun and pleasure.   He is often the first visitor of the day and stays back for some time.

“Sure, doctor.  I did my yoga and then walked a bit.”    I said waving to my yoga teacher who took his leave.  

“Why do you ask?”  I enquired, still unable to comprehend his question or reason for his sounding anxious over such a routine event, even as I took my seat in the office and pulled towards me a sheaf of papers.  I waved at the doctor to take a seat.  He sat opposite me.   Why do most doctors sit on the opposite side, I wonder.  They look like ‘opponents’ at a debate.

“The roshomalai was tasty, Sir…”  The doctor said.

I couldn’t figure out if it was a statement or a question.

God.   What happened to the good doctor today?  He is not making any sense at all.

“Yes doctor.  It was indeed.”  Still relishing its sweetening effect in my mouth.

Now I looked up at him.   He thrust a sheet of paper at me that contained what seemed to be a tabular statement of something.  I could only make out some figures neatly written in each cell of the statement. 

“Sir, your yoga and walks have kept your sugar reading in perfect condition.  This is the statement of my readings over the last 15 days.”  He filled me up with the information hurriedly.

“And…” I said trying my best to be ignorant of his machinations!

“Sir, thanks to your strict physical routines, your sugar is under sustained check.”  the doctor sounded appealing.  “But the roshomalais…”

So, this is what it was all about.  The good doctor has found an adversary – the roshomalais with a divine taste.

Why can’t people communicate in a direct manner?  Why do you have to go around walking in the garden, doing yoga, so-called devastating health consequences…just to say that you need to cut on your sweets intake?  It is like instead of calling a spade a spade you narrate the evolution of agriculture and farming and gardening to prove that a spade is called a spade!

Trying my best to sound innocent, I said in a matter-of-fact manner, “Look Doctor, the sugar is your problem.  Not mine.  Moreover, I have been going through the physical regime diligently…doing yoga and walks, apart from moving the body as best as I can…”

We Indians have been eating sweets since ancient times. It is documented that in India, consumption of sugary foods was a practice from around 500 BCE. Rig Veda has a mention of Apupa that was the precursor of Malpua.  The Manasollasa, the 12^th Century encyclopaedia, mentions several sweets, including "pysam."  Sweet modaks are the favourite of Lord Ganesha and Lord Buddha. Since aeons we have accorded a very special place to mithatis as an inseparable part of any cultural and religious celebrations and make those memorable.  If our ancestors were not concerned about their sugar readings, why should I be?

Moreover, didn’t that motivational video of film star Akshay Kumar – inspiring a plump fellow to move the body more, take the stairs, walk whenever possible, and follow a strict diet on six days of the week – also talk about a ‘cheat day’ in a week ?  The cheat day was when you go back to your old self – eat whatever you like, loiter around, slump in the sofa all day long watching TV or playing video games…and so on…

Today is Poila Baisakh, for God sakes!  When the entire State is celebrating with choicest sweets I can’t stay aloof, sticking to my usually bland diet, can I?  Should I? 

“Today is my cheat day.” I declared in a tone that brooks no retort.

It is a different matter that my ‘cheat day’ often does not appear after six days of intensively strict health regime...I thought slyly!

“I understand Sir.”  Said the doctor before taking his leave.

You can’t be serious.  You can’t be living in the epicentre of the famous ‘Bengali sweets’ by resisting its sweet influence on you.   It will be like fighting with the crocodile and still living in the pond. Bengal is not only the culture capital of India, it is often regarded as the capital of the country’s gastronomical mosaic.   And the king of the Bengali dessert is undoubtedly the iconic rosogolla – easily the symbol of Bengal’s culinary perfection and pride.  People swear by this soft, spongy ball soaked in sugar syrup, and protect its identity feverishly.  It has the GI tag.

Close behind Rosogolla comes Sandesh and my roshomalai, pantua, langcha, mihidana…come to think of it…every variety of sweets. 

Actually this was my own secret, devised to skirt round the so-called threat of clinical sugar from sweets often narrated by the doctor, the yoga teacher and others (I figured out that sweets read Rosogolla in Bengal, primarily).  Hence I take to roshomalais, rabris and pantuas, which may not sound an alarm immediately among those ganging up against me and my food preferences even on ‘cheat days’ as a threat to my health, giving me enough time to erase all traces of my sweet rendezvous with these delicacies.

Kolkata, and Bengal, are easily the most decorated and celebrated for its dessert-making art.   The sheer variety of sweets that the artisans cull out is mindboggling.  They ferociously protect their trade secrets, they improvise and reinvent, are excellent marketing strategists, incorporate seasonal fruits and their taste in the sweets to give it a freshness – both of thought and the product and enrich customer experience.  Like everything else, the mishit has also evolved and has embraced the health-conscious GenZ.  Now dainty, gourmet sweets also cater to modern market imperatives. 

When visitors from different parts of the State call on me they do bring the local sweet that the region is famous for.  For instance, people from Bardhaman always bring langcha (fresh from Saktigarh), sitabhog and mihidana.   I liked the mihidana which I was told, was made from cottage cheese, sugar, and semolina, often flavored with cardamom or saffron.  It is soft and melts in your mouth and of course has a delightful taste.  The sheer size of the langcha is intimidating, but it tastes equally delicious.

Joynagarer moa, coming from South 24 Parganas, is seasonal and is prepared with nolen gur, kanakchur khoi, gawa ghee, elach and posto.   Recognised with a GI tag the ‘secret ingredients’ that go into preparing this delight is protected from unauthorised uses and piracy.

The visitor who brought a pack of Joynagarer moa soon after I came to Raj Bhavan in November 2022, informed me with elan that in the early 20^th century two friends Purna Chandra Ghosh and Nityagopal Sarkar started selling the Moa in local weekly markets and it came to be known as Buchki's Moa, which later came to be known as Joynagarer Moa.

Durga Puja comes and Rajbhog somehow comes to the fore.  A variation of Rosogolla, it is larger in size and is often filled with dry fruits, nuts, or other sweet ingredients. Its distinctive features include soft and spongy texture and rich fillings such as khoya or nuts.

Inquisitive by nature and appreciative of innovative minds, I did try to gather information about the famous shops that bring out such appetizing variety of products.  For over 250 years the renowned moiras of Bengal – the culinary alchemists, who specialise in transforming ingredients into exquisite and delicious sweets – set up shops creating what is still today regarded as the symphonies of sweetness and tradition.  And each establishment has emerged as an institution unto itself and each always does have a story to tell – a story of culture, tradition, flavour and love, celebrating the life’s sweetness.

Bhim Chandra Nag in Bow Bazar, Putiram in College Street, Adi Haridas Modak in Shyambazar crossing standing there for around 250 years, Chittaranjan Mishtanna Bhandar that specialises in the GI tagged Rosogolla and in the sweets business for over a century, K. C. Das, just across the street from Raj Bhavan, and comes to mind whenever there is a mention of rosogolla and of course Nobin Chandra Das near Shobhabazar.  Then there is Ganguram, Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick with its over 130 years heritage, Girish Chandra Dey and Nakur Chandra Nandy – one of the oldest and most famous sweet shops in Kolkata speicalising in Sandesh, monohara and jolbhora, in operation since 1844, the over a 100 year old Sen Mahasay, Nalin Chandra Das And Sons founded in 1841, to name a few, all uphold the great Bengali sweets heritage and tradition.

The origin and progress of the GI tagged Rosogolla is interesting.  It is said that in 1868, during the Bengal Renaissance, confectioner Nobin Chandra Das also called ‘Columbus of Rosogolla’ was credited with having invented the rosogolla.  His son, Krishna Chandra Das, promoted rosogolla as a national sweet from the beginning of the 20^th century.  In 1935, Krishna Chandra’s son Sarada Charan Das set up the chain’s first modern outlet at Esplanade.  In 2017, Bengal was granted the GI tag for ‘Banglar Rasagolla’.  The GI tag for Odisha variety was given in 2019.  There had been a tug of war between the two States, staking a claim to the origin of rosogolla.  Notwithstanding the tug of war, Rosogolla’s command over the palate and culinary delight remains undiminished.

KC Das brings out varieties of rosogollas with distinct flavours including strawberry, rose and black current, among others.

Younger sweet chain like Hindustan Sweets (1949) brought out ‘football rosogolla’ once.  Banccharam, has been serving to the tastebuds of connoisseurs since the last 46 years and showcasing the sweet treasures of Bengal.

Such heritage sweets outlets are dotted across the length and breadth of West Bengal. 

The State Government has also set up Mishti Hubs to promote Bengali sweets and to aid the manufacturers.

 

* * *

 

I try not to overload my senses with the caveats of the doctors.  I take my cheat day seriously.

The other day as I entered my residence upstairs for lunch, I saw the Lady Governor and some Household officials discussing about the type of sweets to procure for guests and for presentation as gifts.  They were talking about tasting some samples.

Sensing what was happening, and slightly irritated about the general embargo on my sweets intake, I announced decisively–

‘The buck always stops with me.  I should approve the sweets to be selected.’

Stunned silence ensued in the room.

Silence sounded good.  I chuckled secretly as I made my way to the lunch table, pleased with my presence of mind and quick thinking at such a crucial time.

* * *

What happened that evening after office, as I came back to my residence, is a different story altogether!