‘Gajak’ to help Chambal change its image

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh’s Chambal region, known for terror of dreaded bandits who ruled its ravines till late 1980s, is poised to shed its badland image, thanks to a native dessert, called “Morena Gajak”.

Madhya Pradesh government is soon going to claim Geographical Indian (GI) tag for the ‘winter’ sweet, originating from Morena district under Chambal, to market the dessert at a national and international level, consequently helping the region get over its bad-land image.

The Gajak manufacturers association of Morena under Chambal is all set to apply for GI for the crispy sweet, the quintessential snack of Central as well as North-West India.

Gajak is prepared from a confection of sesame seeds, jaggery and water from Chambal river. “Morena Gajak manufacturers association is going to apply for GI tag for the dessert in a couple of days. We have been preparing a case for GI tag to the dessert, covering the aspects like its uniqueness, nutritional aspects, and method of preparation, among others,” Morena district collector Priyanka Das told this newspaper on Monday.

The district administration has recently sponsored a two-day Gajak festival in district headquarters of Morena, a first of its kind, to spread awareness among people outside the region about the dessert.

“The Geographical Indian tag for Gajak would give a new identity, not only to Morena but to whole region of Chambal,” local social activist Giriraj Rajoria said.

“Around 100 quintals of Gajak are being sold every day in Morena alone, particularly during winter. The tag will help boost the sweet making industry and generating huge employment in the region”, Suraj Shivhare, a leading manufacturer of Gajak, told this newspaper.

Shivhare who claimed that his father late Sitaram had first discovered the sweet 75 years ago, saw a potential to generate massive employment in the Gajak making industry in Morena, if it got GI tag.