Rourkela: Among all delicacies available in the city, Sadheikala Ladoo, a special sweet prepared by Muralidhar Mishra who had migrated from Sareikela of erstwhile Bihar to Rourkela in 1989, has a special place not only in the hearts of customers of western Orissa but across the eastern part of the country.
One can find customers queuing up before his shop at Ispat Market in Sector-19 throughout the day. The takers of his delicacy include customers from Bihar, Jharkhand and Kolkata. Besides, the locals who live in cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore or in US and Saudi Arab for their job requirements never forget to take a pack of five to six kg of the item with them when they visit the city.
Murali, who sells between 70 and 80 kgs of ladoo a day at `140-160 a kg, says, “I put more emphasis on quality than price. During festivities it is difficult to meet the orders of the customers.”
The item has given him a special identity in western Orissa and the neighbouring states. This is not a small achievement for a person who started his business from a small tea shop. Murali has now eight staff including four ‘karigars’ to meet the demand of the customers. According to Murali, a man named Kedar Madak near Telephone Bhawan in Sector-6, had first introduced Sadheikala Ladoo in the city and started selling it door to door. But the item didn’t become popular as the quality was not up to mark.
In 1989, Murali came to Steel City to eke out a living and started with a tea shop. After selling tea for a while, he kept a plate of ladoos in his shop to add to the varieties. However, he could sell the item worth `10 on the first day. But in a bid to offer quality product to customers, Murali went back to his native place and brought 50 kg of ladoo to sell in his shop. Surprisingly, the total consignment was sold in two days. Since then, he never looked back.
He closed his tea shop and started selling only Sadheikala ladoos since 1993 in Ispat Market, says Murali.
At that time, the item was sold at `32 per kilogram. Initially, Murali himself used to prepare the item but gradually he increased the number of his helping hands as the demand grew steadily. Speaking about the quality of the product, Murali said the ladoos remain fresh for eight days in rainy season and at least for a fortnight during winter and summer.
A customer never forgets Muralibhai once he tastes the product, his support staff Ramakant, Nishikant and Guruba said. PNN
