Diwali 2010 is being celebrated as a festival with a difference with “medicinal sweets” and “political crackers” that are dominating the market.
Environmental concerns, scare of adulteration and awareness of health issues have made the consumers search for suitable alternative and the market seems to have responded with equal fervour. More and more people in the “city of nawabs” are turning health conscious and are avoiding regular sweets that are available during the festive season. Responding to health concerns, the sweet shops in Lucknow are laden with medicinal sweets.
There is the Ayurvedic ladoo that is made with 16 medicinal herbs and helps in treating common colds and chest congestion. It comes at `10 per piece and what is more — it tastes delicious too. The papaya barfi is designed to set right stomach disorders and also helps in lower cholesterol levels — just what the doctor ordered for weight-watchers. The Aloe Vera halwa, on the other hand, is a total sell out. Aloe Vera is known for its innumerable medicinal properties and the halwa tastes just as good. The price, of course, is on the higher range — `850 per kg.
The “bahurani ladoo”, priced at Rs 700 per kg, is made of honey, herbs and dry fruits and is said to have high nutritive value, especially for young mothers.
Majority of the sweets in this category use mishri, jaggery and honey as sweeteners instead of the regular sugar. “This is particularly good for diabetics since it does not raise the blood sugar levels as much as plain sugar does,” says Suman Bihari, a sweet shop owner.
For the first time, the cracker market in Lucknow has more crackers named after politicians than film stars. You have the Rahul Gandhi rockets that burst into a shimmer with minimal sound and the Varun Gandhi anar that is priced at `500 each. Then there are bombs wrapped in blue with elephants printed on them but the manufacturers have refrained from giving them any name though the allusion to the Bahujan Samaj Party is very obvious.
The filmstars, meanwhile, have their own share of glory in the cracker market with phuljhadis named after Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor.
However, when it comes to bombs, it is Dabang that dominates the market. Dabang bombs that burst with an ear splitting sound are priced in a range of `400 to `1,000.