Zakir Azad, Cumilla

Rasmalai is a satisfying dessert. Cumilla is the home of this traditional item.

In the early 19th century, the Ghosh community of Tripura state i.e. Cumilla made kheer by heating milk and soaking small dry 'bhog' or rasagolla in it, making the dessert known as kheer bhog. Gradually this dairy food came to be known as Rasmalai. In 1930, the traditional and famous rasmalai was sold in a shop called Matribhandar in Manoharpur, Cumilla city. Two brothers named Khanindra Sen and Manindra Sen started making and selling Rasmalai. Within a very short time the fame of Rasmalai spread far and wide. Became a part of Cumillas heritage. Currently Shankar Sen manages this mother bank.

Day by day the fame of this Rasmalai spread in the country and abroad. Rasmalai becomes a favorite name for any ritualistic and sweet-loving people. Anupam Das, the former manager of Matr Bhandar, said that around 1998, in addition to showing other traditions of Cumilla , Rasmalai of Matr Bhandar was also shown on Bangladesh Television. After that the popularity of Rasmalai increased all over the country. The heads of state of various countries are entertained with this rasmalai at the SAARC summit. And it is rare that any tourist or guest who comes to Cumilla does not taste Rasmalai.

Just hearing the name of Rasmalai, the mother treasure of Cumilla , makes the tongue water. The journey of this delicious and traditional dessert started from Cumilla . So to get the taste of real rasmalai, you can't go anywhere, you have to come to Cumilla to get the real taste.

In that traditional mother treasure of Cumilla . Apart from the original matri bhandar, the rasmalai of Cumilla can be found in a few sweet shops including Bhagwati Pera Bhandar, Shital Bhandar, Porabari, Jalayoga.

The name of Rasmalai comes along with the Khadi fabric along with the fame of Cumilla . If you come to Cumilla , you don't want to return without taking rasmalai.
But if you want to taste the real rasmalai, you have to get the real thing. Because countless shops of fake rasmalai are built around the city of Cumilla , not many people can taste the real rasmalai. Real satisfaction can only be felt if you buy the real thing from the right place with China. To get this famous rasmalai of Cumilla you have to go to an establishment called Comilla Matribhandar in Manoharpur of Cumilla city. Amrita Rasmalai Yatra starts from here.

In 1930, two brothers named Khanindra Sen and Monindra Sen from Khariyala in Brakshanbaria came to Cumilla and started selling kshirbhog or rasmalai with a shop called Matribhandar in Manoharpur area of the city. As it is tasty, the sales continue to increase. At one time it became popular.

Khanindra Sen has one son and two daughters. Eldest son Shankar Sen. The elder of the two daughters died. Little girl's name is Smriti Sen. Monindra Sen never married. When Khanindra Sen died in 1940, Shankar Sen, the only son, took over the matriarchy..

Before his death, Shankar Sen said that his father left the job of Wapdar and gave the sweet shop to his mother. It was originally established around the Rajarajeshwari Kalimandir in Manoharpur. Baba's rasmalai became very popular since Pakistan period. My father Khanindra Sen was the first to start selling rasmalai.

Anupam Das, former manager of Matribhandar, said that after establishing this sweet shop called Matribhandar, they did not have to look back. He said that currently two experienced artisans named Uttam De and Kshitish Modak are making this rasmala in their shop. New generations of artisans are learning Rasmalai making from them.

The process of making the traditional Rasmalai of Cumillas Matri Bhandar is very simple. If one milk is heated in a pot or pan for two hours, it thickens and produces 13/14 kg of milk. Small balls or rasgolla are made by fermenting some flour with the chickpeas obtained from its milk. These balls can be made with one teaspoon of flour in one kg of chickpeas.
Uttam Dey, a traditional matri bhandar craftsman of Cumilla , said that by burning one maund of milk to make a thick paste, 14 kg of rasmalai can be made with small lumps or dried rasagolla. If more than one maund of milk is made, the original taste of rasmalai is lost.

He said, what is meant by milk is not available now. That's why the quantity is more or less. If the milk is real, the milk will thicken and the taste will remain intact.
On the other hand, some artisans said that 1 kg of Indian 'Shakti', 'Madhu' milk powder can be used to make 10 kg of milk. For this reason, many unscrupulous traders do not use real cow's milk. Apart from this, in the chickpeas from which Rasmalai is made, a spoonful of flour is mixed in place of one teaspoon of flour per kg of chickpeas. Instead of 3 kg, 4 kg of flour is obtained. But there is no reason for it to have the true taste of rasmalai.

On the other hand, according to the artisans of traditional rasmalai shops in Cumilla , the process of making adulterated rasmalai is known. They said that 14 kg of rasmalai can be made by boiling one maund of milk. But the adulterers make 30 to 35 kg of rasmalai from one maund of milk. One kg of powdered milk and half a kg of flour are mixed with real milk.

As a result, the milk thickens after burning for a while. 30 to 35 kg of rasmalai is available instead of 14 kg.
Apart from the Matri Bhandar of Cumilla , the famous rasmalai is also sold at Bhagwati Pera Bhandar in Manoharpur, Jlayoga in Kandirpar and Porabari Sweet Shop on Zilaskul Road. However, these sweet shops sell other sweets besides Rasmalai.

There are three sweet shops in Manoharpur, Cumilla , centered around the Rajarajeshwari Kalimandir. Among them Matr Bhandar, Bhagwati Pera Bhandar and Shital Bhandar are famous for Rasmalai. Advocate Kiranmoy Dutt Jhunu's Bhagwati Pera Bhandar's rasmalai is as delicious as Matribhandar's rasmalai. The location of Bhagwati Pera Bhandar is right after Matr Bhandar. Apart from Rasmalai, other sweets are sold here.

Although famous for sponges, Kandirpar Jal Yoga in Cumilla was once famous for Luchi, Singara. Established at least 95 years ago, this shop was once known as Muhuri Babu Shop. It was founded by Jai Chandra Roy. After his death on February 6, 1972, his four sons took over the reins of Jlayoga. Among them, the 3rd son Dulal Roy started selling sweets and rasmalai as well as sponges at Jlayoga. All four brothers take turns managing the shop. They are still in joint family. The other three brothers are Tapan Roy, Ratan Roy and Swapan Roy. Their father's original home is in Mohammadpur, Daudkandir, Cumilla . Now they live in Jhautla of Cumilla city.

Jay Chandra Roy's son Swapan Roy said that Jlayoga is now famous and appreciated for the sponge. But our rasmalai is very much loved by dessert lovers.

Pramod Pal, the master craftsman of Jlayoga, has been working for almost 50 years. There are 4 more artisans with him. Artisans are learning to make rasmalais and sponges on a rotating basis. A kg of rasmalai is sold for Tk 220 and sponge is sold for Tk 200.

Awami League leader Alhaj Md Omar Farooq established a sweet shop called Porabari in Cumilla after the name of Porabari in Tangail, famous for chamcham. He is now the administrator of Cumilla Zilla Parishad. Along with Rasmalai, Porabari curd is very popular among the luxury people. Porabari is also known for more yogurt. But the rasmala of its shop is very tasty. The shop is managed by manager Mohsin Uddin Ahmed Shekhar. Porabari has several artisans. Pramod Ghosh, Krishna Ghosh, Dilip Ghosh, Dinesh Ghosh are among them. Yogurt, rasmalai and other sweets are sold in Porabari.

Capitalizing on the tradition and reputation of Rasmalai, some unscrupulous traders have started selling Rasmalai. From Paduar Bazar in Cumilla to Alekharchar along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, numerous sweet shops can be seen using names like 'Comilla', 'Comillar', 'Adi', 'Khanti', 'Ma', 'New' etc. Everyone claims that the original Rasmala of Cumilla is available in their shop. There are at least 20 such sweet shops along the highway. Some of the shops' signboards read 'People's Republic of Bangladesh Government Approved', some read 'This is our only branch', some read 'Our second branch'. The truth is that these unscrupulous traders are cheating common people by making and selling adulterated rasmalai using the name of Matr Bhandar. Also they are ruining the reputation of Cumillas original and incomparable taste of Rasmalai.

The taste, quality and tradition that made Rasmalai world famous, Rasmalai is losing its luster due to adulteration and fakes. Unscrupulous traders are destroying the tradition of rasmalai besides duping the rasamalai by making fake or counterfeit rasmalai by copying the name of the traditional rasmalai manufacturer or by using other words in front and behind the name and selling it.

The situation is such that it is difficult to recognize the original rasmalai in the crowd of fake and adulterated rasmalais.