Sweet memories – The Hindu

Over the years, the bustling market of Chandni Chowk has experienced everything from the rampage of 1857 to Liberalisation of 1990. It has resiliently risen from ruins and so has Ghantewala, the famous sweet shop in Old Delhi.

Launched in 1790 by Lala Sukh Lal Jain, today it is run by the seventh generation of founders. The transformation has been profound, from receiving patronage of Kings and watching the grand palanquins glide by on empty streets, to paying taxes and taking in the everyday cacophony as cycle rickshaws ferry passengers and vehicles of all sizes jostle for space.

The story of Ghantewala started with Lala Sukh Lal Jain who would sell his sweets, carrying them in a basket on his head. The basket had a bell that gave him the name “Ghantewala”.

The shop over the years became a permanent fixture in the lives of many local residents. Historian Sohail Hashmi, who has conducted food walks in Chandni Chowk recalls, “I got addicted to Ghantewala’s Sohan halwa in my college days. It was a routine for me to stop over at my friend’s place in Ballimaran. We would walk from the campus, have lunch and invariably go to Ghantewala for the dessert.”

The delectable Sohan halwa
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Atam Aggarwal, an old resident of Navgraha Havelis in the Paranthe Wali Gali, reminisces saving money to buy sweets from the Ghantewala shop during his childhood days.

“The shop and its signature dish Sohan Halwa was so popular that when another shop with a similar name, Shahi Ghantewala, entered the market, it simply failed to build the connection with customers,” says Sohail.

Post-liberalisation, several new players emerged as competitors with fusion sweets priced at a lesser rate. “We also tried to tap into the fusion sweets category, but it didn’t resonate with our customers who valued our originality and authenticity,” says Ritesh Gupta, head of operations at Ghantewala Confectioners.

The outlet suffered a financial setback in 2015 and had to shut down. Customers called it the death of an icon and expressed their despair through emails and calls. It was the love and support, wrapped in nostalgia that rekindled courage in the family and led them to start the business again. In its second stint, the shop embraced changes to stay put by adding more variety of sweets. The director of Ghantewala, Aryan Jain, brought in his insights on food technology, raw material procurement and unit management.

The crowd outside 225-year-old Ghantewala sweet shop in Chandni Chowk
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Manushree Swami

Rasik Kumar Patel, who has lived in Old Delhi since 1957, vouches for the Ghatewala Sohan Halwa. “The sweet would be brought home for every occasion. I still crave it but today’s generation does not value the taste; they would rather have some junk food, he says.

The “Ghanta” (bell) rings no more, but the customers find their way back for the taste wrapped in the warmth of memory. Festivals are the peak time for any sweet shop as it is for Ghantewala confectioners.

Once famous only for Sohan halwa, it today offers a lot more. “Gulab jamun and jeera kachori fly off our shelves, and so does pheni during Ramzan and Teej,” says Ritesh. Now with Raksha Bandhan round the corner, Ghantewala sweets will continue to bring families together in celebration.