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Nabin Chandra Das was not a confectioner. His progenitors
were associated with the production of sugar. However, Nabin
Chandra lost his father at a pre-natal stage and hence could
not pursue the family trade. Financial stringency compelled
him to abandon studies at a tender age and start a business
to fill his maws. Success was very hard-earned for him.
After the initial hiccups in business, he set up a sweetmeat
shop as his last resort in Bagbazar. Very soon, he came
to realize that he had at last chosen the right metier.
In a short while, Nabin, the undisputed supremo in the kingdom
of sweets, discovered that 'Sandesh', though very tasty,
was getting stuck in the throats of many owing to its dryness.
So, the grea t
improviser started thinking of some new sweetmeat sans the
dryness but more palatable and juicy. Initially, he found
it impossible to pressure the shape of casein soaked
in sugar-syrup with its taste intact. His experiments went
on unabated but every time, this ball of sweetmeat started to
dissipate and could not be kept as a tight round mass as
intended.
Now this dispersed sweetmeat with a little touch of 'class'
became popular as 'Baikuntha Bhog' and won the hearts of
the sweet-lovers. However, Bengali cuisine had taken some
giant steps ahead during these experiments and trials and
at long last, the much-desired round ball of casein, soaked
in syrup, came into being. Nabin Chandra Das named it 'Rosogolla'
(Rasa-syrup; Golla-round object). The Bagbazar of Roop Chand
and Mohan Chand was shot into limelight for this sweet of
incomparable delicacy. This prize sweet is pure milk – casein
processed and preserved in sugar-syrup. It is highly nutritious
and can be digested easily. It should not be eaten at one
go but in slices and the excess of syrup should be squeezed
out before eating.
Initially, Rosogolla did not evoke much response. The ordinary
man did not like the sweetmeat of casein as they were granulated.
One day Bhagwandas Bagla, an opulent businessman, stopped at
Nabin Chandra's shop while driving by. His child was
thirsty. Bagla asked the helper-boy of Nabin's shop to fetch a glass
of water. As was the custom of the day, the boy offered sweetmeat
along with water. It was the special 'Rosogolla' of Nabin
Chandra's shop served on a dish. Bagla's child was delighted
to taste this unique sweet. Seeing this, Bhagwandas
Bagla himself tasted 'Rosogolla' and was fascinated. Soon,
the fame of this special sweet spread like wildfire and
within a short span of 6/7 years, Rosogolla won the hearts
of millions in and outside Bengal. Ironically, the orthodox
society did not accept 'Rosogolla' for a long time. They
opined that a sweetmeat which was prepared by boiling, was
not fit to be served to God for worship. Gradually, these
negative thinkings and prejudices were eradicated and ‘Rosogolla’
became a universal favourite.
Another ecstatic creation of Nabin Chandra was the ungranulated
'Sandesh', which was prepared with meticulous care after
boiling for long. Some confectioners prepare such 'Sandesh'
without boiling much. Consequently, the sweets contain more
proportion of liquid than desired, and the customers get
deceived. But Nabin Chandra's 'Sandesh' was ungranulated
and properly boiled. So it is devoid of the excess fluid,
dry and very palatable. Some more of his outstanding creations
are 'Ratabi Sandesh', 'Abar Khabo' (named by queen Swarnamoyee)
etc.
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