The huge Rollick Ice Cream Sandwich had just arrived at the table, strictly for photography purposes. I picked up the spoon, a reflex action at the sight of food (Team t2 will identify with that feeling) and kept it down almost immediately. I stole a glance at Anisha Aggarwal, the director of Rollick Ice Cream, who was chatting with me about the first flagship Rollick parlour at India’s Hobby Centre on Park Street (open noon-midnight on weekdays and noon-1am on weekends). Had she noticed? Well, she was talking about an aeromodelling club and a toyshop next door. Phew! “But you can dig in!” she smiled. I managed a guilty smile.

The same smile that would drive my friends hopping mad when I cleared out shared bowls of Tutti Frutti... 15 summers ago. Yes, on our trips to the ice cream parlour in India’s Hobby Centre — at the Park Street-Russell Street crossing — on our way back home from St. Xavier’s College.  

For most, the Hobby Centre ice cream parlour was about childhood nostalgia. For me, it was my way into adulthood. For 14 years of my life, I had studied in a neighbourhood school and hang-outs meant the tuition teacher’s living room. College and that too on Park Street, every day, was a BIG deal. And I took it in with childlike glee. Oh the thrill of discussing that cute boy, who also smiled back over a delicious sundae in a quaint ice cream parlour, taking in Park Street as the neon lights came on. Fresh pocket money meant that the rollicking share would be spent at the parlour, where late afternoons rolled into evenings.... 

“This place has always served Rollick ice cream, but now we are managing the place. The old place wasn’t attracting new people. You had people coming in and saying, ‘Oh, we had come here for our first anniversary or we’ve grown up here’, but the youngsters were not coming. We thought it was a great place for us to relaunch our brand too,” Anisha woke me up from my reverie.

“Rollick is a very mass brand and we want to connect with people. We are still very strong in the districts… so your parar dokan or your biyebari and melas will still have a Rollick pushcart. May be in Calcutta proper with the more premium brands coming in.... This is a move into Calcutta. The children of today don’t know Rollick. We want to connect with today’s children,” she added.

Back from the UK six months ago with an MSc degree in marketing, Anisha homed in on India’s Hobby Centre as the starting point for a Rollick chain of 10 parlours. “Park Street being the hub of food and India’s Hobby Centre being iconic, Rollick being here will be a bit of a story,” said Anisha, who was born into the Rollick family three decades ago and whose memories of India’s Hobby Centre date back to “packed Christmas Eves” when her mom would be behind the counter. “We were known to the owners and we would come in and help out. Our first parlour was actually in Salt Lake, which was run by my mom. I feel very nice to carry this forward,” she smiled. 

I had finally pushed aside my guilt and started nibbling on the Sandwich and even offered Anisha a bite! “I am not into ice creams. I taste my own products and I taste what competitors are doing, but that’s just a bite! I cannot finish a whole sundae. My all-time favourite is Chocolate, I am also liking our Daab Malai now,” she smiled, politely. I looked down at my plate. Half of it was gone. I smiled.

A group of five — Ajitesh, Tanya, Samantha, Bianca and Dravid — had just walked in. “Good voices for your story?” Anisha pointed out. I let go of that spoon and picked up my pen.

What memories do you have of the ice cream parlour at India’s Hobby Centre? Tell t2@abp.in