The sweet sensation

Tiny Indian sweet shop draws a huge crowd

Whenever late Bollywood superstar Raj Kapoor came to Delhi he made it a point to visit the old and famous Jalebi Wala at Dariban Kalam in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi.

Today his son Randhir Kapoor does the same. Former prime minister Indira Gandhi was in the habit of asking her personal assistant to order jalebis (a syrupy sweetmeat) from this Jalebi shop.

Her son Rajiv Gandhi continued the tradition and ordered hot jalebis from the Jalebi Wala on his birthdays. Through the sweeping generations is the success story of this small jalebi shop in Chandni Chowk.

The shop, simply called the Old and Famous Jalebi Wala, has been in the business of making delicious jalebis since over a 100 years.

Its popularity can be gauged from the fascinating array of celebrities of today and of the bygone era who have patronised this shop. From powerful Indian politicians to the famous Bollywood stars, the jalebis have been an universal gastronomic delight.

Only two months ago the proprietor Kailash Jain had prepared jalebis for Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee's guests at his residence.

The shop is located at the centre of one of the most crowded lanes of Chandni Chowk but it does not deter jalebi lovers from coming here in hordes. The shop is so small that there is just enough place for Jain at the counter and for the man making the jalebis in the big utensil full of simmering pure ghee (purified butter).