With hard work, Aqeel bhai builds his ‘Takdir’

Nagpur: It was the absence of water, and opportunity, that forced

Kayyum Motiwala

to move out of perennially parched Saurashtra at the age of 16. And it is with water — well, its frozen form — that he made his destiny, his

Takdir

, here in Nagpur. To use today’s Internet parlance, what he has done to adversity can be described in one word: ‘Trolled!’ Having started off running a humble ‘

baraf gola

’ cart, Motiwala is today the owner of

Takdir Ice World

, that is popular across the city for its elaborate ice-based sweet dishes. (Takdir’s creations are to ice golas what a Bullet is to a regular bike.) Located in Quetta Colony, just off Telephone Exchange Square on Central Avenue, the well-furnished shop sells close to 100 varieties of the frozen desserts. The flavours range from quintessentially desi — kulfi, rabdi, kala khatta -- to decidedly western — butter scotch, chocolate brownie and even MilkMaid. They look like mini mountains of grated ice, topped with garish liquids and syrups, and garnished with chopped nuts and fruits. The place also sells the regular ice golas, shakes, faloodas and shooters. And, for the health conscious, even sugar-free icegolas! No wonder then, that during summer, those looking for a respite from the city’s killer heat, and those looking for just an excuse to indulge, throng Takdir Ice World for dig into the chilled treats. Even local foodie groups on social media are abuzz with the name every now and then. Motiwala, better known as

Aqeel bhai

, sources all his material from Gujarat. “People there are really fond of eating and exploring new tastes. We want

Nagpurians

to enjoy the same taste. That’s why, in terms of variety, we are virtually unmatched,” he says. This is the experience of 25 years in the business talking. Motiwala came to Nagpur in 1990 because this is where his maternal grandfather stayed. “But no one came with me from Saurashtra. I was all alone. Those were difficult days,” he remembers, hinting at financial hardships. However, Motiwala was enterprising. Close to the same place where his shop stands today, Motiwala would run his ice gola cart the whole year round. “Slowly, we became popular and managed to set up this shop,” he says, adding that maintaining quality and letting the product sell itself has been key. “I’m no Shah Rukh Khan and people won’t come from far and wide just to see me. I have to give them quality stuff,” he says. Does he have any secret recipes which sets Takdir apart from others? “The only secret,” Motiwala says, “is hard work.” (This occasional column looks at some unique and quirky eateries in the city, when they started and how they have evolved. Do you know of any? E-mail this reporter with exact locations and a little description. We will try featuring it if it fits the theme)