Chaupatiyan

Manish Kumar Gupta relates with pride that this famous establishment was set up by his great-grandfather Gokul Prasad in 1929. Gokul Prasad came to Lucknow from a village in Sitapur district. He took up premises on rent and started with traditional sweets. His son Ganga Ram and grandson Suresh Kumar continued the tradition. Suresh Kumar recalls that when he was small, there used to be a high platform in front of the shop. “So high that small children could not get on to it even if they jumped. Sweets used to be arranged in shelves, and paraphernalia—coals, saucers, earthenware kullhars—were stored under a large wooden divan. Sweets were prepared on a clay hearth, which is still used. Long laths of wood fenced the shop. There were fields right in front of the shop. Jackals used to roam around as evening fell. I would be scared of coming to the shop at that time. We used to open shop early in the morning, and serve khasta kachauri and jalebi. Other sweets would be available in the evenings. We often get customers who tell us that sweets were supplied by us on the occasion of their wedding or engagement; and they want us to cater for their children’s wedding as well. Suresh’s father used to prepare their speciality, the imarti earlier, and Suresh himself does so now. Kaju dalmoth and Sohan Halwa remain perennial favourites. “Our Sohan Halwa is good for testing the strength of your teeth,” says Suresh with a smile.