Ganguly gives Kolkata a sweet deal for first pink-ball Test
Amitava Dey, proprietor of one of Bengal's oldest confectionery, Felu Modak, came up with a pink-ball shaped sweet on the request of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
Published : Nov 24, 2019 10:12 IST
The city of joy, Kolkata, harbours a deep-seated love of sugar —as evidenced by the array of sweets laid out during special occasions.
Be it sinking your teeth into a roshogolla or a sandesh , the city's penchant for sweets was arguably best summed up by renowned Czech food historian Michael Krondl, who wrote, "In Kolkata, it is hard to find a native, who doesn't have an opinion about the best sweetshop, the creamiest Sandesh , and the current state of the art."
So even as the city geared up to host the country's first-ever day-night Test at the Eden Gardens, starting November 22, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly called up Amitava Dey, proprietor of one of Bengal's oldest confectionery,
"Dada asked 'Can't we have a sweet resembling the pink ball?'. I said 'why not?'," says Dey.
Thus came the idea of the pink ball sweet, a picture of which Ganguly put up on his Twitter handle, congratulating Felu .
"The sweet is one to die for. You have a molten strawberry-flavoured chocolate coating on the outside and inside the mishti (sweet) you have crushed almonds."
Dey claims the sweet, priced between ₹30 to ₹300, depending on the size, is being loved by all. He said, "The sales are mad. People of all ages want to have a bite. Within a few hours of day one, we had sold 70-80 pieces. For now, this is limited edition and we plan to run it for the five days of the Test match."
Dey, a major sports fan, says he has been an acquaintance of Ganguly since long. "He is a regular. I know him for ages. On his birthdays, I courier him a cake as well."
When asked whether he sent him a cake this year as well, considering Ganguly was in England for the World Cup on July 8, Dey says, "Absolutely. He sent a video too thanking us."