Tug of war for Rosogulla
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The fight over sweet Rosogulla between the two neighbouring states seems to be going more sour. On one hand Bengal is claiming its ownership and parenthood over Rosogulla, so is Odisha on the other hand.
Recently the committee formed by Odisha government to settle the issue of Rosogulla’s origin confirms that the sweet had its roots in Odisha according to the state government. The state government had formed the committee to get the geographical indication (GI) tag for the sweet after Bengal staked its claim over the origin of the delicacy.
A Geographical Indication (GI) status identifies a product as originating from a certain location, apart from assuring its quality and distinctiveness. What is means is that if Odisha does get the approval from the Geographical Indication Registry of the Indian government, no confectioner -this also includes Kolkata based KC Dases and Balarams -apart from those in Odisha would be able to call their product the (Pahala) Rosogulla.
The committee has submitted its report to the state government’s department of science and technology. In its 100-page report to the state government, the committee has cited several references to stake claim to the origin of the sweet and prove the Bengal government’s stand “wrong”.
The committee, which is headed by eminent Jagannath cult scholar Asit Mohanty, had submitted its interim report in September last year.In support of Odisha’s claim, the committee has pointed to the sweet’s reference in Dandi Ramayana, a version of the epic adapted by Balaram Das in the 16th century. Tracing the origin of the sweet, the report also claimed that the sweet was being offered to gods in mutts and temples in Odisha for over 600 years.
The committee has refuted Bengal’s claim that Rosogulla had reached Odisha under the influence of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The neighbouring state had also claimed that chhena (cottage cheese), from which Rosogulla is made, was invented in Bengal.
The Mohanty committee in its report has also mentioned that selections from Odia literature published by Calcutta University in 1924 had references to the sweet’s origin in Odisha. “After detailed research, we have gathered evidence that the sweet had a strong presence in the state. Now we will move forward and take the necessary steps to get the GI tag for the sweet” said Science and Technology Minister of Odisha – Pradip Kumar Panigrahi.
If Rosogulla were first originated in Odisha it also contradicts other findings such as since Bengal was part of Kalinga dynasty and later on Odisha was part of Bengal Presidency during British rule, during this period lot of cultural exchanges took place. May be Rosogulla too have exchanged borders during the time.
So, it’s back to the same question. Who gave birth to the Rosogulla -Odisha or Bengal? The truth, it seems, lies somewhere between the two borders. Food historians broadly agree that the precursor to the Rosogulla was probably the kheer mohana, which was invented in Odisha and was offered to the deities at the Jagannath Temple in Puri. This may have later evolved independently into the Pahala Rosogulla.
Now within a few weeks of legal tussle the issue has snowballed into a major debate that has drawn in foodies, chefs, historians and now threatens to become a bone of contention between two communities that are naturally proud of their culinary -and consequently, cultural -heritage.
Quite simply the question is who invented the Rosogulla? Bengalis would have believed that the sugary sphere of pure joy was the culmination of many experiments in the state. In Odisha, they claim equally vehemently that the Rosogulla was invented there and has been offered to Lord Jagannath for centuries. So how could it possibly belong to Bengal?
In Kolkata, Dhiman Das, the great great-grandson of the legendary Nabin Chandra Das, claims that the Rosogulla was invented by his ancestor. “Nabin Chandra Das first established a sweet shop in Jorasanko in 1858. But he went out of business soon and after two years, he opened another establishment in Bagbazar.This is where he invented the Rosogulla”.
Dhiman Das, the executive director of KC Das Pvt Ltd while talking to this Journalistalso counters “If they are so confident about Rosogulla then why aren’t they apply for Geographical Indication status yet, after we have applied they are now claiming. We have applied last year in the month of September and representative from Central government will soon visit us to verify the claims”.
The name Rosogulla itself is a Bengali name, Dhiman questions “if the sweet is a invention of Odisha then why Bengali name. Asit Mohanty who is leading the committee doesn’t even know how the Rosogulla is made, according to him it is made of Kheer” says Dhiman.
The other popular tale is that the famous Haradhan Moira, sweet-maker of the Pal Chowdhurys of Ranaghat, inventing the Rosogulla by accidentally dropping some chhana balls into bubbling syrup. In the late 19th and early 20th century, two confectioneries -the Mullicks of Bhowanipore (this later became Balaram) and Chittaranjan Mistana Bhandar of Sovabazar -further fine tuned the delicious sweet. In 1930, the Rosogulla was canned and exported to different countries by KC Das and gained popularity across the globe.
Though the basic recipe remains the same, each establishment today has its own distinct style of preparing the Rosogulla, which is guarded like a trade secret. For Nabin, the special enzyme did the trick by binding the chhana balls. For others, it is either the temperature or the quality of milk. Netai Ghosh, one of the directors of Chittaranjan Mistanna Bhandar Pvt Ltd, says their entire process could be viewed on the company’s website.
Lawyers say that securing GI is not a simple process. Before the status is finally granted, the concerned party seeking GI has to publicize it in the public domain, when others may bring forward objections using the legal route.
The jury is still out on who owns the sweet, but the fight over its parenthood continues but sweet Rosogulla still spreads its sweetness in spite of all sour experiences among the people and the region.
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