In the temple town of Kumbakonam, the sticky, syrupy monopoly of the gulab jamun is quietly being challenged by the success of dry jamuns . Its creator, Kumbakonam Murari Sweet, a family-run business, sells 250-300 kilograms of dry jamuns a day.
“How we make the dry jamuns is a trade secret, but it is rare among sweetmeats in the South,” says D Arun Kumar, the proprietor of Kumbakonam Murari Sweet. The dry jamun , looking like a sugar-dusted brown pearl, is smaller than its original namesake, but its crisp exterior gives way to a squishy centre that has the same delicious taste of the gulab jamun .
Just the basics
Arun Kumar gives us a rough idea of the process. “We use maida , sugar and milk solids in the jamuns and then soak them in a caramelised syrup. It has a shelf life of a week without refrigeration,” he says.
The small office, on the premises of the Murari Sweet eatery on Sastra College Road, is redolent with the aroma that only lip-smacking food can generate. Whether it is batches of samosas being fried or sweetmeats arriving fresh from the centralised production unit, there is a palpable excitement in the way the food is displayed and served here. “Customers still come to us and reminisce about our founder Murari Lal Sait, who used to personally pack sachets of Ashoka halwa in leaves at our earliest shop,” says Arun Kumar, as he recollects his family’s journey to Kumbakonam over a hundred years ago.
A traditional confectionery and sweet maker ( halwai ) from the town of Khurja in Uttar Pradesh, Murari Lal Sait travelled to Kumbakonam with his brother (Arun Kumar’s grandfather RB Anantharaman Sait) and a few friends in 1914, in search of livelihood.
While the friends returned after a few months, the Sait brothers stuck it out, determined to make a mark in Kumbakonam.
“In those days, our grandfather sold sweets from a handcart that he pushed around the town. He was hard-working and made the sweets himself. His ideas and success are what have helped us retain our position in the market today,” says Arun Kumar.
As he did not have children of his own, Murari formally adopted Anantharaman’s son Devidas (Arun Kumar’s father) to ensure his culinary legacy for posterity. “I was 12 when my grandfather passed away. The first store was a small place. We too have had our struggles,” says Arun Kumar.
While the founder made his name as a seller of traditional South Indian staples like Mysore pak , badusha , kaara boondi and pakoda , which were packed in leaves or cane baskets, Devidas diversified the menu by introducing North Indian and Bengali specialities.
Arun Kumar, who started assisting his father at the age of eight, says, “We would try and create something unique in our shop. Ajmeer cake, made with date pulp, dried fruits and milk solids, was created like that,” he says. It is a lighter version of the wheat-based habshi halwa .
Going solo
After working with his father for 40 years, Arun Kumar branched out on his own in 2012. He is assisted by his wife and sons and has opened branches in Sarangapani Kovil Keela Veethi in Kumbakonam, and in the nearby towns of Mayiladuthurai and Tiruvarur.
Constant experimentation has helped Arun Kumar create a sizeable catalogue of best-selling goodies, that combine the best of North and South vegetarian cuisine, plus the usual foray into global fast food like pizzas.
Today, besides dry jamuns and ajmeer cake, the brand is known for milk peda and soan papdi in sweets, and inji (ginger) pakoda in savouries — a founder’s recipe that combines ginger, mint and gram flour.
From improved packaging and corporate gift ideas to an online retail portal and computerised delivery systems, the family has upped its merchandising game considerably.
Currently, the family employs a staff of 200. Cooks start work at 4 am and wind up by 11 am.
Sweet mix
Arun Kumar is a product of both the South and the North. “I grew up in Kumbakonam,” he says, in fluent Tamil. “But at home, we keep in touch with our Khurja roots. We speak in Hindi and also love phulka,aloo subzi and the gajar halwa that my wife makes,” he says.
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