When you look at a map of Asia, at the bottom in the middle you
will see a country in a shape of an upside down pyramid. It is called India. In
the northern part of the country, there is a very old city called Delhi known
for one of the largest and most popular markets in India. It attracts merchants
from around the country and one of them came from a small town bringing with
him his town’s delicacy.
A merchant named Subra grew up in a tiny town north of Delhi. The
town interestingly was called Boring. It was interesting, because the location
of the town wasn’t boring. It was quite opposite. It was located by the most
amazing lake called Dal. The lake was surrounded by rugged mountains blanketed
with snow during the winter and decorated with floating flower boats during the
summer. It was rather spectacular than boring.
The people of the town were very gloomy; their lips went down
instead of up; even their backs seemed to be hunched forward with the heavy
hands weighing them forward, almost a dark light surrounded them. Everybody
acted very seriously, not a bit friendly. This was very unusual.
The word of the town’s situation reached Subra’s grandma, who
lived on the other side of the lake. She on the other hand was a very cheerful
person. Her lower eyelids were creased from smiling and laughing all the time.
A bright red scarf covered her head most of the time added warmth to her
already jolly face. So she couldn’t understand how you could go through a day
without a smile. “That is so strange to say the least,” she commented and
concluded, “Somebody has to do something about this.” She packed her bags and
without any delay hurried to visit her grandson.
Upon arrival in town, she noticed people being unhappy. Her eyes
confirmed what her ears have heard before coming to the town.
She got the house before Subra came from school and wanting to
surprise him, she kept a watch through the window. As her grandson approached
the house, she waived to him hollering, “Hello Subra,” and sending him a kiss.
The boy seriously nodded as answering the greeting and entered the house. Grandma’s
warm big hugs still have not squeezed out a smile on the boy’s face. So she
asked her grandson, “Tell me what treat would put a big smile on your face?”
The boy with big eyes looked seriously at the grandma and answered
politely, “Anything made by you grandma would make me very happy.”
The grandma studied the boy, his serious manner, not a crack of
smile and thought to herself; I have to
come up with something rather extra ordinary to have a slightest chance to put
a smile on this kid’s face.
She tried to remember all the sweet treats that she made for her
kids and all the sweets that her mom made for her and then she recalled a sweet
dense confection, but soft on the tooth melting smoothly in the mouth. It was
halva.
Not wasting any time she pulled out the pans and the ingredients
and busied herself in the kitchen. The sweet smell reached Subra’s nose and
evoked his interest bringing him to the kitchen inquiring, “Grandma, what are
you doing?”
“Hmm, that’s a good sign that you’re asking. Does it smell good?”
the grandma asked. The boy tilted his head down in agreement. “Wait till you
try it.” The boy looked at his grandma with curious eyes. The smell wouldn’t
let him leave the kitchen, so his snooping eyes followed his grandma’s every
move. Once she tried the treat, her body became motionless. The boy’s interest
won over his patience.
“Grandma, let me try it,” with almost a begging voice Subra added,
“Please.”
“Hmm, that’s even a better sign,” the grandma said. “Alright, I’ll
let you try it, too,” she teased him. She handed him a piece of halva on a
small dessert plate and watched eagerly the boy’s reaction. Subra put the whole
piece in his mouth and slowly let it melt. With each second the boy’s lips were
stretching closer and closer to his ears.
“Wonderful,” the grandma exclaimed.
But now another plan was hatching in her mind. I have to let the other kids try it. “Subra,
why don’t you invite your friends tomorrow after school?” The boy was about to
say something. It looked like he wanted to protest, but the grandma was very
quick in her thinking and added, “Just tell them it’s a sweet treat for a good
work they do at school.” The boy analyzed the grandma’s argument and agreed.
The next day, when the children arrived at the house, the sweet
smell already greeted them in the doorway. Their noses went up following the
aroma, which brought them to the kitchen. “Oh here you are,” exclaimed the
grandma acting as she was still busy preparing the treat. “Did you receive good
grades today?” she asked.
There were side looks before the first child spoke, “Yes.” Then
the others followed in agreement.
“Are you ready for your reward?” her scheme continued.
Now everybody answered in unison, “Yes!”
She swiftly served equal portions to each child and with look of a
hawk studied them quietly eating. When the first child finished eating his
portion her heart almost skip a beat since there was no reaction on his face.
But a moment later after the boy’s tongue reached every corner of his mouth; a
big smile appeared on his face. A joyful, “Oh,” escaped grandma’s lips. Her
scheme was working. Every child’s face was appearing to have a big smile. Now,
it was time to send them home and let their smile infect the others.
Before the night fell on the town, murmurs started to spread out
with everybody questioning, “What’s gotten into them?” Meaning what was wrong
with the children who were constantly smiling. Of course, there was nothing
wrong with them.
By morning time, everybody wanted to know what made the kids
smile. So the word got out of grandma’s halva. The sweet treat became very
popular and changed the mood of the whole town, which went from boring to very
merry.
Many years later, the grandkid grew to be a merchant, who moved to
Delhi to open his own shop.
When he entered the market for the first time, he stopped not
knowing, which street to take. There were so many of them, going one way and
the other, crossing each other, making a spider web. His eyes jumped from one
stand to another in such rush, making him almost dizzy.
Passing by
him people were like waves of ocean, which almost swiped him off of his feet,
since he was not moving.
The colors of the products radiated with life. At one stand, there
were baskets of grains and nuts, ranging from petite morsels to ample seeds,
set in small and big bowls with colors of different shades of yellow, green,
brown, and purple creating an amazing palette. “Beans! Almonds!” one seller yelled
to attract the passing by people.
Subra walked slowly absorbing all the colors and varieties of
products. It was quite overwhelming. At another stand, from wooden boxes
pyramids were sticking out. He walked closer and realized whispering, “These are
spices.” They were made of tiny bits and more visible particles, vibrating with
hues of white, brown, and black. He startled, when the seller yelled right over
his ear, “Ginger! Curry! Sweet paprika!”
The alleyways were dotted with tea stands. “Tea to refresh you,”
offered a seller, pushing a sample of freshly steeped tea into Subra’s hand.
Thirsty Subra eagerly tried the aromatic tea, which woke up his tired senses.
He pushed farther towards the walls of carpets hanging on strong
ropes. “Everything is so lively,” he whispered seeing a rainbow out of rugs.
The spectacle of colors seemed to never end. The rolls of thin and
thick threads vibrated in every possible color there was. Then Subra reached
for the rolls of materials. He moved his hand as feeling the fabric and the
patterns engraved in the material. “These are the most exquisite silk materials,”
he marveled at them a bit longer.
After an exhausting day, Subra found a place to sell his sweet
treat made by his grandma that decorated so many faces with big smiles.
With time, the window display of his shop filled with variety of halva
in different shapes and shades. At the very front, tiny halva took the front
stage, looking like mud pies, like the ones made in the sand, exactly in the
color of sand. In the middle, looking like big round cake stood a darker brown
halva. Glossy squared halva in the shades of beige was displayed on the sides
completing the window space.
Inside the store, the eye couldn’t stop wondering there was so
much of halva, standing in rectangular and round blocks. The ones in the front
of the counter were displayed in one layer. The ones in the back were stock on
each other to save the space.
There were small samples displayed on the silver plate. “Would you
care for a sample of chocolate or vanilla halva,” Subra always eagerly
encouraged a customer. Once he had a customer try it, it was a constant
sensation and a guarantee of a returning client.
The word quickly spread out and the merchant became famous for
selling halva. It farther travelled to the other corners of India making it a
popular delicacy throughout the country.
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