The people both in rural and urban areas still hunt the sweetmeats made from pure milk. Rajbhogue, a traditional sweetmeat prepared by eminent sweetmeat producer Ranindra Nath Kundu alias Rabi Kundu of Langalbandh Bazer in the bordering market between the territory of Shailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah and Sripur upazila in Magura is a lucrative sweetmeat to people. Huge amount of people rush at the sweetmeat shop named Setu Mistanya Bader every day.
Haradhan Kundu, a businessman of langalbandh Bazer and some of his friends enjoying the Rajbhogue at Setu Mistanya Bader said Rajbhogue means the food items specially prepared for raja (king), emperor, jaminder (land lord) and this sort of richest people as the size was huge and also the price. Usually poor and disadvantaged people could not afford the same as the lifestyle of the commoners was so poor then.
Although the reign of king or jaminder is no more, the sweetmeat Rajbhogue still prepared at Rabi Kundu’s factory. A pure curd-based Rajbhogue contains heart touching smell with taste. The customers and clients from a part of Sripur of Magura, Shailkupa of Jhenaidah, Pangsha of Rajbari and Khoksha and Kumarkahli upazilas of Kushtia districts rush at Setu Mistanya Bader. Rabi Kundu’s Rajbhogue enriches the events in birth day, marriage ceremony and some other social and religious festivals, they said.
When contacted, Rabi Kundu said he has been running the business centre established by the grandfather of his father about 150 years back. The ancestral sweetmeat shop bears the dignity of his past generations and he feels proud of running the same. Alongside the Rajbhogue Rabi produces Kalojam and Pantua which is known and Lensa.
Expressing the recent price hike of sugar, milk, flour, soyabean oil, fuel-woods, gas and other necessary materials as well as the labourer charge, the production cost
went higher.
But he could not increase the sweetmeat price accordingly considering the name and fame of his four fathers’.
Dhalaharachandra union parishad (UP) chairman, also a leader of Langalbandh Bazer management committee Matiar Rahman when contacted said Rabi Kundu’s Rajbhogue and Pantua is a well-known item in the locality. Sometimes Rabi feels embarrassing when huge clients rush at time. The items have been bringing honour for the people of the locality, Matiar Rahman added.
