By: Snigdha Agrawal

The little girl…
now grown up
somewhere in her forties
still remembers Dadi
crushing her favourite candy
with a mortar and pestle,
because her dentures,
refused to stay fixed
like party switchers
eager to please.

Nothing could tempt her
towards “Fairaro”
or those silver-foiled,
foreign-returned drops
of “HisnHers”,
Her son picked up in kilos
when returning home
at airport terminals
Duty-free pride, in his trolley
vying for space with the single malts.

“No taste,” Dadi would declare,
with the authority of someone
who survived Partition, inflation,
and three rebellious sons
Nothing compared to the ‘desi’ ones.

And the thing that once
gathered dust on shop shelves,
moving at snail’s pace
like those reluctant relatives
hanging on for that one last drink,
is now trending, crossing oceans,
winning immigrant hearts
and influencers alike.
Believed now to be
undergoing a facelift.

Soon it shall return,
wearing minimalist packaging,
priced seven times higher,
marketed with the tagline:
“Myladli”
The Bonding Toffee.”
mithaas cravings satified
with just one bite.”
Probably gluten-free.
Possibly vegan.
A variant stevia sweetened
For the overly health-conscious

Seems Dadi’s business acumen,
was sharper than her eyesight
She knew, someday
“Myladli” toffee would
win hearts universally
And become the nation’s pride
in the global toffee industry

###

Snigdha Agrawal is a passionate septuagenarian writer with five published books, including Fragments of Time, her deeply personal memoir. A lifelong lover of storytelling, she seamlessly blends fact and fiction, guided by a keen eye for detail and emotion. Her works span diverse genres, reflecting her rich experiences and insightful observations. Writing and travelling remain her lifelong passions.