KUNDA - SWEET

SWEET MEMOIRS - MHOW N BELGAUM

Mhow and Belgaum are Cantonments tucked in to the cosy folds of the hillocks and enjoyed once a "status" of a "non fan station". Fans were later added by putting metal hooks and brackets on the ceiling which were high with long stems in the first place.

Another thing common between both the Cantonments is that they have the two major infantry training nodes. Those of us who trained there, are very familiar with the Kulfi wallah and the Kunda of these places respectively.

Kulfi wallah in Mhow, would come around in a rickety scooter with a bell beat and would do many rounds. 

Major rounds were in the afternoon hours when students returned post lunch. However, I suspect with reasonable surety that the forenoon rounds, which sought the ladies attention were more popular.The taste and flavour was good and the prices cheap.The afternoon warm weather always were decisively in favour of a buy and the kulfi wallah thrived in the captive market.

Stories were woven around the Kulfi wallah by the residents(ladies used to work as social media disseminators those days) and garnished with details. That he was very rich and had a three storey building in the city.His daughter was, so the stories grew, married of with Three hundred "tolas " of gold.The kulfi wallah enjoyed great financial reputation which pushed down the officer students to ignominious poverty lines and were " hand to mouth" forever.I was not very fond of Kulfi initially, however grew addicted, courtesy Ragi's and Arjuns persuasive insistence.

However my investigative spirits were to the fore after reading " Last post at Mhow" and co-led to a detailed interaction with the Kulfi wallah. He revealed that the lore built around his " financial affluence " were untrue. He could just about run his kitchen and that was that. His ingenuity in controlling the sweetness and size of the Kulfi to short of satiation and dousing the appetite left the customers craving for another one. The worst case scenario was a postponement of the buy to next day.He added salt in diminutive quantity to sustain the crave in the taste buds.

He thrived amidst the era of sparse eateries and the relative reclusive of the Cantonment.

Those who did Commando courses in Belgaum would fondly remember Kunda. Kunda shop owned by one Purohit would remain open in the wee hours of the cold nights to satiate the hunger pangs of the commandos. 

History of Kunda a sweet mainly consisting of milk and khowa is peculiar to Belgaum. These sweets are mainly prepared by Rajasthani families who migrated to Belgaum or "Belagavi" over six decades ago and are normally called Purohits.

Kunda also has an interesting history that can be traced back to the times of Gajanan Mithaiwala in Vitthal Dev Galli, Shahpur who set up his sweet shop six decades ago in Shahpur. Referred to as Jakku Marwadi Mithaiwala, he came from Rajasthan and set up a sweet shop at Shahpur area. (The shop is still there and running and serving great Kunda) 

Kunda is prepared purely from milk and khowa. A correct quantity of khowa and sugar has to be mixed in milk before boiling it. Once the mixture starts boiling, it has to be continuously stirred until it takes a solid form.

The story goes that the discovery of this sweet was quite accidental. Once, Jakku Marwadi was boiling milk in his kitchen. In a hurry, he forgot to switch the stove off and the milk continued boiling for a long time. Gradually, the milk had taken a solid form by the time Jakku Marwadi came back to switch the stove off.

When he tasted the solid form of milk, it tasted sweet. Then, he mixed some khowa into the milk and started boiling it for long hours. This time the taste was even better. A happy Marwadi gave the sweet a name — calling it Kunda.

After Jakku Marwadi discovered it was followed up by the Purohits and the one camp became famous for its cleanliness and good quality. With time the packing of the Kunda has changed over time. over 50 shops have flourished over the times.

I wonder if the commandos still eat it in the wee hours of midnight after the weary forced marches.

I am told that During the Karnataka assembly sessions held, more than 6000 kgs of Kunda was sold in 10 days. Seems the secret as to why politicians last more than Commandos..

-courtesy various sources ; Col Bhaskaran  and research by Shree Bhavesh Patel..

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