SWEET CONUNDRUMS

Coupons, Candy or Cold Hard Cash?

Which would you prefer?

Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh

Published in

Brammarly

4 min readSep 17, 2024

This is a ₹500 sweets coupon from Shaligram Sweets in Jamshedpur, valid from September 17, 2024, to December 17, 2024. It can be redeemed at branches in 9 places across the city. The coupon features a QR code for verification and includes a holographic sticker for authenticity. The issuing authority is Shaligram Sweets, and the coupon bears a stamp and a signature, ensuring it’s an official document. The sweet shop is visible in the background. — Photo of a sweet shop coupon. Author’s image.

At the sweet shop yesterday, I saw boxes of sweets piled from floor to ceiling. It took me a second to remember why a deluge of sweets blocked all the standing room in the store.

The image shows the interior of a sweets shop filled with stacked boxes and packages. On the left, shelves of sweets and colorful boxes are organized, with large stacks of orange, blue, and white boxes piled against the wall. The floor is cluttered with cardboard boxes tied with strings, indicating a large shipment or preparation for a busy season. A glass display case on the right side showcases various sweets, while the ceiling is lined with lights and fans. — Author’s photo.

Ah! Today we pay obeisances to the engineer god, Lord Vishwakarma. Every factory and home has some machine or the other, so everyone will do a small puja (prayer) followed by peyt puja (stomach prayer).

A many-handed sculpture of a Hindu God seated on an elephant. A marigold necklace adorns his neck. He has a crown on His head amd the background shows a decorated silk cloth area with a decorated ceiling festooned with silver and gold. — Statue of Lord Viswakarma. Photo shared by author’s neighbor and is used with permission.

It’s an open secret — you buy sweets ostensibly to offer to the Lord, and you eat them later.

A shop counter with an arrangement of Indian sweets in large rectangular containers. Some are orange balls swimming in syrup, while others look like cups of yogurt with aluminum foil covers. Cardboard boxes for packing the sweets line the shelves behind the counter. A shop assistant looks at the photographer. Large brown cardboard boxes are behind the assistant. A cooling vent is visible through the glass covering the sweet containers. — Author’s photo.

There are plenty of choices at the shop. Do I eat a soft gulab jamun glistening in syrup, or a kalakand that crumbles perfectly with every bite? Or should I bite upon a peda that will melt in my mouth?

SWEET CONUNDRUMS

Coupons, Candy or Cold Hard Cash?

Which would you prefer?

Written by Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh