Sankranti Slump: Note ban austerity hits festive spends

RANCHI: The sale of local delicacy tilkut has taken a hit due to the demonetisation. Unlike other years, when the sale of Tilkut rises during Makar Sankranti, the sale has not been very promising.
Bantu Kumar Vishwakarma, owner of Gaya sweet bhandar in Doranda, said, "By this time last year, we had sold around 3 quintals of tilkut but this year, we have only managed to sell two quintals.I have spoken to others and the story is same everywhere."
The biggest markets of tilkut are in Upper Bazaar and Ratu Road and the smaller ones are at Birsa Chowk and Doranda. The sweet shops in these markets make the tilkut and then package it for distribution in shops across the city.
The primary ingredient of the sweet is a specially prepared dough of either jaggery or sugar, which is then dipped in sesame seeds and then mixed well.
"I buy at least 6 kg of tilkut every year. Not only do I eat it, but also gift it to my friends on occasions. Today, I am here with my grandson to eat some hot, freshly prepared items," said Kundan Bakshi, an old customer.
Tilkut originated in Gaya and confectioners from Gaya and other districts around Gaya travel to Ranchi and set up shops here at the start of winter. "Me and my team have been travelling from Gaya to Ranchi for the last 25 years. Some people have changed but most of us have stuck together. These days everyone claims they are from Gaya so we have stopped writing anything on our boxes," said Rakesh Kumar, a shop-owner in Upper Bazaar.
Apart from those sweet sellers who use the traditional tag of being from Gaya because of the brand equity, there are others who use modern-day sugar-free sweets to allure customers.
However, not every old sweet seller can prepare the delicacies for health conscious customers. "After hearing about sugar-free tilkut we tried making it but it is not possible. One kg of the cheapest artificial sweetener sells for Rs 3,000 which makes the rate at which sugar-free tilkut is sold very expensive. Also, no special sugar-free til is available in the market," said Rajesh Verma, owner of Kallu Tilkut in Upper bazaar.
The price of white sesame tilkut varies between Rs 180 and Rs 220 per kg, whereas, the price of black sesame tilkut varies between Rs 220 and Rs 280 per kg. One can also find til ladoos, lakartodhs and rabdi at these shops.