The post is about sumptuous juicy delicacy, impossible to ignore by all those with even a tiny sweet tooth - our very own Jalebi!!! No, the sweet has no translation in English or might be any other language, which makes it all the more interesting or tasty for that matter. However, the mighty sweet has traveled all around the globe with fans ready to kill for it at drop of a hat. What makes the history of the sweet interesting is the fact that Jalebi is included not just in the menu, but also in phrases, songs, commercials, connotations and what nots.
Remember a commercial of a cooking oil, where a young lad of around 10 years is seen on the railway station in the first scene. Sitting on a bench there, with all his luggage, he looked pretty annoyed with all those going on his life. Among a host of unknown faces, he recognizes a known one and shouts, "Ramu Kaka"!! Ah, you remember the ad! Read the further conversation. Ramu Kaka spots the child, "Arrey, tum yahan?" The boy, "Me ghar chod ke jaa raha hun (I am leaving the home)" Ramu Kaka tempts the child, "Par mummy ne toh ghar pe garama garam jalebi banayi hai (But your mom has prepared steaming hot jalebis). Yes, the child returns home. Aha, the boy fell into the trap.
Then there's another advertisement by an olive oil brand. It addresses all those who think olive oil cannot be used for frying. The ad's targeted Indian homes who are slowly and gradually joining the small strata of olive oil users. What the ad says, "Yes, I am Italian. But I can make a mean Jalebi". Oh, so Jalebis are mean, eh? May be, they are... going by the way they seduce the sweet lovers, cleanly hiding the calorie content!
What's special about this delicacy is that it does not belong to any cast or nation, nor does an age-group. People from any and every age group fall for this sweet delicacy. It's equally favourite with Hindus, as it is with other castes. I suggest the independent candidates opting to stand in coming elections, should chose Jalebi as their symbol to garner maximum caste-less votes.
Jalebi is not spared even by literature. Do you know that there's a phrase in Hindi which makes good use of the shape of the sweet. It goes like this, "Jalebi ki tarah seedha hona" For those ignorant of the sweet, let me introduce you to its shape - spiral. The phrase translates to, "a person who is as straight as a jalebi" The phrase is a taunt to person who claim to be innocent and are actually not, are referred as "jalebi" Interesting, isn't it?
Cut to the present times. Recently the humble sweet was featured in a Bollywood item number. The living equivalent of Jalebi, Mallika Sherawat, gyrated to the tunes of a song, proclaiming herself to be 'Jalebi Bai'. The humble Jalebi lost all her innocence. Post the shoot, the siren was seen promoting the featured song along with the movie, posing with the jalebi. (No, she ain't relished the sweet going by the calorie counts). Our jalebi sure made headlines (in a Bollywood gossip column, though) and many a Indian baraatis danced on the tunes of this song, making it a huge hit.
Never had I thought that a jalebi will highlight so much of space of my blog. But, it sure has. Don't forget to grab the jalebis from the nearby store (don't forget to ask the connoisseurs where you will get the best one or the entire charm of the sweet will be lost). Some like it dipped in steaming or chilled rabri and others like me have it whatever way it's presented. Jalebi :)
Remember a commercial of a cooking oil, where a young lad of around 10 years is seen on the railway station in the first scene. Sitting on a bench there, with all his luggage, he looked pretty annoyed with all those going on his life. Among a host of unknown faces, he recognizes a known one and shouts, "Ramu Kaka"!! Ah, you remember the ad! Read the further conversation. Ramu Kaka spots the child, "Arrey, tum yahan?" The boy, "Me ghar chod ke jaa raha hun (I am leaving the home)" Ramu Kaka tempts the child, "Par mummy ne toh ghar pe garama garam jalebi banayi hai (But your mom has prepared steaming hot jalebis). Yes, the child returns home. Aha, the boy fell into the trap.
Then there's another advertisement by an olive oil brand. It addresses all those who think olive oil cannot be used for frying. The ad's targeted Indian homes who are slowly and gradually joining the small strata of olive oil users. What the ad says, "Yes, I am Italian. But I can make a mean Jalebi". Oh, so Jalebis are mean, eh? May be, they are... going by the way they seduce the sweet lovers, cleanly hiding the calorie content!
What's special about this delicacy is that it does not belong to any cast or nation, nor does an age-group. People from any and every age group fall for this sweet delicacy. It's equally favourite with Hindus, as it is with other castes. I suggest the independent candidates opting to stand in coming elections, should chose Jalebi as their symbol to garner maximum caste-less votes.
Jalebi is not spared even by literature. Do you know that there's a phrase in Hindi which makes good use of the shape of the sweet. It goes like this, "Jalebi ki tarah seedha hona" For those ignorant of the sweet, let me introduce you to its shape - spiral. The phrase translates to, "a person who is as straight as a jalebi" The phrase is a taunt to person who claim to be innocent and are actually not, are referred as "jalebi" Interesting, isn't it?
Cut to the present times. Recently the humble sweet was featured in a Bollywood item number. The living equivalent of Jalebi, Mallika Sherawat, gyrated to the tunes of a song, proclaiming herself to be 'Jalebi Bai'. The humble Jalebi lost all her innocence. Post the shoot, the siren was seen promoting the featured song along with the movie, posing with the jalebi. (No, she ain't relished the sweet going by the calorie counts). Our jalebi sure made headlines (in a Bollywood gossip column, though) and many a Indian baraatis danced on the tunes of this song, making it a huge hit.
Never had I thought that a jalebi will highlight so much of space of my blog. But, it sure has. Don't forget to grab the jalebis from the nearby store (don't forget to ask the connoisseurs where you will get the best one or the entire charm of the sweet will be lost). Some like it dipped in steaming or chilled rabri and others like me have it whatever way it's presented. Jalebi :)
