CREAM ROLL

 

In school we had a “wet canteen”. As a kindergarten kid, we were forbidden to eat any eatables from there as items were impure and adulterated, that’s what the parents told us. Why? I still do not know, when the whole school with about 750 hostelers used to eat anything and everything sold there. I was not allowed to visit that tuck shop.

 

We would pass by the shop and workers would sit outside making the tastiest ‘besan di barfi’. We could spend hours watching the process. The ‘bhunoing of besan’, adding ghee, laying it in trays, slicing them and displaying them. Let me confess, we didn’t know the difference between desi ghee and dalda. The smell of the mixture used to enchant me. But alas, if someone reported to Dad or Mom that their son was seen there, it would invite a thrashing.

 

The child within me never could resist. Hostlers had pocket money to flaunt with, your's truly never got any. Plus, those guys could take items on credit. I dare not open an account in Inderjeet’s ‘Kaapi’ (notebook),

 

Stealing money was out of question. Those days, mom used to keep the ‘rezgari or change’ in a tin box. The temptation was always there but integrity bhi koi cheeze hoti hai.

 

Sometimes one would ask mom for 10p, which a piece of besan barfi cost. If she would be in a good mood, she could give you a four anna coin and tell you to get the balance back. Hurray!!!!!!! Feet used to move straight to the tuck shop. “Inderjeet, ek piece besan di barfi de”.  That taste was ultimate.

 

One had a choice, to take another piece of besan ki barfi or have a piece of another sweet. Before one returned, I would sample both and feel ecstatic. Then wait for the opportune moment to borrow from Mom again.

 

An aunty living next door used to keep a green chili, some flowers, rice, vermillion and some coins on the road once a week. It used to be Tuesday or Saturday, I can’t recall. While going to school this spot was checked thoroughly. There would be coins ranging from 1p, 2p/3p and even a 5p coin. If one was lucky, a 10p coin could be there.

 

No one used to touch those coins. Probably, they were part of the pooja and considered inauspicious to pick. But a coin lying on the road with no one to claim could never go to waste. In the afternoon, when parents used to enjoy their afternoon siesta, little Noel would sneak out of the house, pick those coins up and hide them in the garden.

 

When all used to be clear, dig them out and make a beeline for the wet canteen for that besan ki barfi. Sometimes seniors offered a samosa or a bread pakora which was politely declined. The aim was very clear, which was besan di barfi. It was eaten with the front teeth by nibbling on it and making it last.

 

One day, Inderjeet introduced some bakery items in which there was a six-inch cylindrical pastry full of cream. A ‘cream roll’ to be precise. It used to cost 25np. It was beyond my budget. The choice was between two pieces of besan barfi or a cream roll.

 

With one rupee as pocket money later, either you could eat or buy a kite and some twine which used to be one paise ‘gaz’ equivalent to the length of your arm stretched and the other shoulder. It was an either-or situation. Cream roll too was irresistible.

 

The crunch when it got crushed under the teeth was just tempting. They used to be stacked up like sausages on a tray. Then one day I had a taste of the cream roll. It was twisted, crunchy, crispy, flaky, creamy, sweet and a novelty. Everyone just loved it. If you were late, they used to get sold out.

 

Sixty years down the line, we went to a shop called Fresh & Green recently. As you entered, there was a variety of bakery items on display. The first thing I spotted was a cream roll and it had to be eaten with my evening cup of tea.

 

Cream oozed out from both ends, The roll was covered in an airtight plastic case. The details of manufacture, calories and all other details which are mandatory these days were printed on the top cover. Times had changed. Now things are more sophisticated. I didn’t ask for its price as I just wanted to enjoy it, remembering my childhood days.

 

My classmates in “Saikap” used to call it with an unmentionable nickname called “Choori wala …….”. When did you guys last have a cream roll? I wonder!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS