Sunday Special: Ghari woos Gen Z, nankhatai goes bespoke in Gujarat

This Diwali, many Surtis are taking matters into their own hands, quite literally. They are bringing their own ghee, flour, dry fruits and mawa to local cooks and bakeries to get traditional favourites such as ghari and nankhatai made to their taste. The practice is also drawing attention amid concerns over food safety following statewide raids on units suspected of selling adulterated ghee and mawa.

For many, it is a way of having control over what goes into the delicacies while continuing a long-standing tradition.

Ankit Changawala, a professor at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU), said, “We buy ingredients such as dry fruits, mawa and ghee from our preferred shops and take them to cooks who specialise in making ghari. This way, we can choose what goes into it and have it prepared just the way we like it.”At the 120-year-old Surat Bakery, around 500 customers arrive every day in the fortnight leading up to Diwali, many bringing their own flour and ghee to have nankhatai baked for their families.

According to bakery owner Amish Biscuitwala, the practice goes back generations, with customers traditionally waiting at the shop while their biscuits were baked.