Making soan papdi — the crispy, flaky sweet made of flour — has not been bringing in the moolah like it used to some years ago, but Basheer Ahmed and his family members do not want to close down their business.
They say the joy is in seeing children get excited when the s oan papdi wallah comes to the neighbourhood.
For the family, work begins at 6 a.m. every day, when one of the sons lights the fire. “We start making soan papdi as soon as we finish the morning namaaz. At about 9 a.m., when the sweet is ready, we quickly transfer it into tall glass jars,” says Khalid, Basheer’s son.
It takes several hours to make a batch of soan papdi and, Khalid says, it is physically taxing too. Ghee or dalda is melted over fire, and maida is roasted in it till it smells all biscuity and nice. In a smaller pan, sugar and water are boiled together into a thick syrup, and this is then added to the maida. “You have to keep stirring the mixture. This is the tricky and difficult part. If it falls on you when it’s white hot, it can peel the skin off. Moreover, we don’t use any machinery. After working on the mixture briskly, for over an hour, the maida separates into thin needles and becomes fluffy,” says Khalid.
When stored in an airtight container, it won’t turn hard or sticky, and will keep for days, says the 65-year-old Basheer.
Two of his salesmen roll out their pushcarts to sell the soan papdi around noon, and return by 9 p.m. “It is a popular sweet, and sales are very good during school holidays or Deepavali,” says Mujahid, another of Basheer’s sons.
The entire family has been in this trade for more than 40 years, ever since Basheer moved out of his tiny village — Udhgir in Latur district of Maharashtra.
He recalls the days when paper twists of soan papdi sold for 50 paise and one rupee. “I would get very happy when somebody bought soan papdi worth Rs. five,” he says, smiling.
“Now, we pack the sweet in polythene covers and sell a packet (approx. 50 g) for Rs. 10,” he says.
