Shaikh Brothers Bakery, established in 1885 on the bustling MG Road in Panbazar, is one of Assam's oldest surviving commercial establishments, inseparable from the cultural and culinary story of the city.
Where Tradition Met Modern Taste
The Shaikh Brothers opened shop at a time when fine European-style baked goods were difficult to find, and their little family business quickly developed into an institution of modernity and sophistication.
The Heart of Guwahati’s Social Life
The bakery's loaves, turtle tarts, and cream rolls were among the first of their kind in Assam — a fusion of British-era influence and local sensibility. It soon became a popular meeting place for students, civil servants, and travelling merchants who were happy to stop for a hot loaf of bread or a cup of tea.
Throughout the colonial and post-colonial periods, even up to modern times, Shaikh Brothers has remained within its wooden counters, its old-fashioned ovens, and its tiled floors, the look and feel of only a hundred years old.
Several prominent figures, including governors of Assam, patronized the bakery, sometimes called upon by British officials from the government house.
A Fragrant Legacy That Lives On
Visitors would say they time-travelled "to when British rule became hope, hope became freedom, and freedom became the new nation." Yet today, walking into Shaikh Brothers is still to enter another place in time, for the legacy about Assam's past still lingers warm and fragrant.
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