(Chouparan) Hazaribagh, Jan. 15: From Mahatma Gandhi to Vinoba Bhave and Lalu Prasad to Jaya Prada, this shop has not disappointed any of its visitors.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, too, left with a sweet taste in his mouth when he recently visited Kheermohan, a sweetmeat shop on Grand Trunk (GT) road at Chouparan in Hazaribagh.
Chouparan is a remote block under Barhi subdivision and often draws attention for Naxalite activities. But residents of this small hamlet take pride in the fact that Kheermohan has become Chouparan’s claim to fame among many visitors. The place is situated about 55km from the district headquarters.
The renovation of GT road under the Prime Minister’s Golden Quadrilateral project made the owner hand over this plot to the construction company. Now a makeshift shop has opened at the same point to cater to customers from the same spot.
The popularity of the shop even among residents is clear from the large number of four-wheelers parked outside the shop at any given time of the day. Owner of the shop Ramdev Yadav said that a confectioner named Maharaj of Rajasthan came to Chouparan and decided to stay here during the 1940s.
Maharaj opened a small shop at this point, Ramdev said, and his father Vishnu Yadav joined as a helper. Soon the shop became popular among residents of nearby areas as well as those crossing this stretch.
“Many call this shop Vishu Kheermohan also. My father was 10 years old, when he started working with Maharaj. After the death of Maharaj, my father decided to continue running this shop,” Ramdev said.
Recalling the last general elections, Ramdev said that when actress Jaya Prada came here for campaigning, she was told about the sweetmeat shop. “The actress enjoyed our sweets so much that she ordered packets for her relatives,” he recalled.
Hard work has led to their success, said Ramdev. Along with his brother Pyare Lal, Ramdev works day and night to meet the demands of customers. They wake up early in the morning to prepare more than 100kg of kheer mohan every day.
“It’s a matter of pride for me and my family that people of other districts and states recognise a sweetmeat shop of a remote area,” he said.
