Rasvanti Sweets
CK 21/24 Sugga Gali, Thatheri
Bazar, Govindpura,
Varanasi
October 31, 2018
The Indians love their sweets, and this tucked away shop is as authentic as it gets.
Deep into the alleyways of Varanasi, winding past motorcycles, then bikes and cows, and then to alleys too narrow for any but a person on foot, one finally finds themselves in this old world Varanasi sweet maker.
You can tell by the pictures, that it is nothing fancy, but the purity of heart of the makers and the hours of preparation with original ingredients makes it worth the maze of alleyways.
Just one type of many offered by this small shop, that is silver on the top.
The owner kindly handed us free samples, so many we were sick to our stomachs like children, and then stood quietly as we ruminated upon our decisions. All while deftly handling the locals dropping in to purchase their packages, most destined for gifts at Dewali which is in just 8 days.
This is the beginning of a batch. This pot will be stirred for over 8 hours to make one of the delectable treats.
This is the area where the main pot sits for candy making. Notice the ground nuts in the left-hand corner
Heat coming off of the pot, the building was truly very warm, the shopkeeper was kind enough to turn on a small fan where I was standing after he saw beads of sweat come down my face.
Big pots and nuts just waiting for magic to happen
The family laundry hung in one of the work areas, along with the motorcycle.
The boxes of candy that I will give to my monks
India is full of small businesses like this. While there are malls and markets galore, it is exploring and finding the very out of the way family business, run in a dingy dark place like this that is still, really the heart of India.
In the 1990s, 85% of the Indian population was self-employed. Maybe they were just selling twenty rupees worth of vegetables a day, but the number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) in India is awe inspiring.
Number of SMEs in India: estimated to be at 42.50 million, registered & unregistered together. A staggering 95% of the total industrial units in the country.
SME & Employment opportunity: Employs about 106 million, 40% of India’s workforce. Next only to the agricultural sector.
Products: produces more than 6000 products.
GDP Contribution: Currently around 6.11% of the manufacturing GDP and 24.63% of Service sector GDP.
SME Output: 45% of the total Indian manufacturing output.
SME Exports: 40% of the total exports.
Bank Lending: Accounts for 16% of bank lending.
Fixed Assets: Current fixed assets at INR (Indian Rupee) 1,471,912.94 crore. (a crore is 10 million)
SME Growth Rate: Has maintained an average growth rate of over 10%.
As you see the photographs, you can imagine that there must be far more of these hidden little shops than are counted by the government and business world.
Small Businesses I have photographed in India throughout the years:
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