The syrupy Rosogolla, much like the grainy Sandesh, has long been a flag bearer of Bengali culture. However, in a surprising move on 23 August 1965, these celebrated sweets became the target of a government ban in Calcutta under the-then Congress Chief Minister Prafulla Chandra Sen.
What brought on the ban?
The Bengal Channa Sweets Control Order was said to be a result of the dire state of dairy production in the state. CM Sen‘s goal was straightforward: to ensure there was enough milk supply for everyone by stopping it from being used in sweet production.
Cultural and economic aftermath
This seemingly pragmatic decision to prioritize milk supply had a deep impact on not just the sentiments of the masses and the cultural fabric of the state but on the Bengal economy as well.
Thousands in the sweet industry faced ruin and unemployment, businesses were closed down, and consumers were driven to an expensive black market of sweets.
For iconic establishments like KC Das, which claims to have invented the Rosogolla way back in 1868, this period marked a ‘broken backbone’, forcing them to sell family heirlooms and take loans just to survive.
Not without my Rosogolla!
The ban was challenged in court and eventually annulled on November 16, 1965. However, the government still wanted to control the milk industry. Within two days, on November 18, 1965, a successor to the same order, the West Bengal Milk Products Control Order, was issued. This order, enacted under the Defence of India Rules, aimed to regulate milk product manufacturing to boost fluid milk availability in Calcutta and Chandernagore.
The order imposed restrictions on the movement of Chhana sweets. Despite having been manufactured outside the controlled area, they could not be brought within the controlled area for trading. Power was reserved to make the Control Order applicable to other regions by notification.
While this order also aimed to increase the supply of regular milk, it made a point of not including some very popular sweets like Rasogolla, Pantua (Ladykene), Cham Cham, Khirmohan and Langcha.
By 1968, Sen was no longer Chief Minister.
The situation in West Bengal had deteriorated, with the Communists building on the discontent among the common people to foment strikes.
The Congress grappled to regain ground under Siddhartha Shankar Ray, but their collapse could not be stopped. In 1977, the Left Front took power and stayed in office for the next 34 years.
Interestingly, the ban also pushed Bengali sweet makers to think bigger. Since they couldn't always rely on the local milk supply, they started looking for new markets outside West Bengal. KC Das, for example, opened their first shop in Bangalore in the early 1970s. Even after the government changed and PC Sen was no longer the CM, the fear of similar bans remained, pushing the industry to expand and become more resilient in new places.
(*This article has been curated by Hook. All claims and opinions expressed belong to the original author. Hook does not verify or endorse the information presented and is not responsible for its accuracy.*)
