In an age when most sweet shops in Kolkata have moved to sleek counters, gourmet sweets and premium pricing, Nalin Chandra Das and Sons in Rabindra Sarani continues a tradition that is almost unbelievable today.
This nearly 200-year-old institution, started by Johuree Lal Das in 1841, still sells handmade sweets priced between Re 1 and Rs 5. These tiny delights, from mawa laddoos to chocolate sandesh, sit proudly beside their more popular malai rolls and monoharas, drawing customers who come for nostalgia as much as taste.
The flagship store, tucked inside Nutan Bazar, looks much like it must have generations ago. More than 20 varieties of sweets are arranged on a big brass plate near the counter. A few metres away, a group of moiras rhythmically roll, cut and mould sweets with a pace that suggests they have been doing this for years.
In one corner, a cook stands over a kadhai, frying cottage cheese balls before dipping them first in rose water and then in syrup. What emerges is a fresh batch of gulab jamun, a distinctly Bengali version that Nalin’s regulars swear by.
Monohar Das, the current owner, who manages the Nutan Bazar branch, sits by the counter watching over the legacy his family built.
“We are going to turn 200 very soon. While we have expanded in the city with several branches in Hedua, Rashbehari, New Town and Salt Lake, we have held on to the legacy of our forefathers,” he said.
For many, that legacy begins with the humble sweets that cost less than a cup of tea. The Re 1, Rs 2 and Rs 3 sweets are tiny mawa laddoos. For Rs 5, there is a chocolate sandesh that the shop takes pride in.
“We were the first ones to add chocolate to the sandesh. We still have sweets worth Re 1, Rs 2, 3 and 5. We make our sweets right here. It is purely handmade. The chhena is made from fresh milk and every sweet is handcrafted. That is still our speciality in the age of machine-made sweets,” Das said.
