Candy stones to wafer balls, a little store near Murud Janjira Fort stocks treats that were a ‘90s hit
File pic
For kids growing up in the 1990s, or even early 2000s, sugar-happy childhoods were part of their routine. And the good ol’ kirana store in the neighbourhood would be the desi version of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. Grocery stores, then, were fronted by rows of mason jars, filled with lozenges that dazzled in the sunlight. Wafer balls, gems and striped mint balls occupied another row. Cadbury chocolates, a luxury, would be perched in see-through mini-fridges, only to be bought on good report card days and birthdays. Today, fancier, high-end chocolates flood supermarkets, and the corner stores have pushed back, or worse, gotten rid of mason jars of lozenges, to keep up with the times.
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Sweet, sweet nostalgia of the of the ’90s came rushing back when this writer was on a recent trip to Murud. Perched in a lane that directs visitors of the Murud Janjira Fort back to the main road on the way from the boats, a little store offers chips, water, caps, among other knick-knacks. But what truly won our heart is the nifty collection of lozenges — gold-foil covered chocolate coins, chocolate cigars, paan chocolates, hardened candy balls, fruit gummies and more — all neatly stored in big, labelled jars. The arrangement and the diversity of candies turned back time for us. We stopped for a bottle of water, but stayed back for the sugar rush. Amused at our amusement, the shopkeeper — in true Gen Z style — reminded us: “Madam, YouTube pe follow karna.”
At ZN Cool Point, Murud.
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