The bitter Sweet Story ofsugar

The Bittersweet Story of Sugar…. From nectar to nemesis…….🍪🍩🍧🍫🍦

Wishing you a Sweeter Diwali—With Less Sugar and More Heart❤️🪔

The journey of sugar is as fascinating as it is flavourful. Sugarcane—known in India as ganna or ikshu—was discovered on our soil thousands of years ago. From here, it travelled westward through Arab traders, reaching Central Asia and then North Africa, where it was cultivated along the Nile. There, people stumbled upon an intriguing discovery: when a supersaturated sugar solution was left in a clay pot with a thread inside, the evaporating water would leave behind glittering crystals clinging to the thread. This crystalline sugar eventually made its way back to India from Egypt, earning the name misri—or naabad, as it is fondly called in Kashmir—offered at weddings and auspicious ceremonies.

Meanwhile, the Chinese too had mastered the art of crystallizing sugar. When their technique reached India, the product came to be known as cheeni. All derivatives of sugarcane in India came under the umbrella of khandsari, ( khand in Sanskrit meaning part of)from which emerged a fascinating family of words—gulkand, shakar kand,jimmikand, shrikand—and when the term travelled westward, kand evolved into “candy.”  And the word sugar also comes from shakkar..

But sugar in India has always been more than mere taste—it has been a metaphor for purity, devotion, and sweetness of spirit. In Hindu rituals, sugar signifies sanctity and is offered as prasadam. On Sharad Purnima, kheer sweetened with sugar is left under the moonlight, believed to turn into divine nectar. The revered temple of Ragnya Mata at Tulmula in Kashmir—known as Kheer Bhawani—derives its name from this very offering of kheer to the goddess.

In mythology too, sugar finds poetic mention. Kāmadeva, the god of love, wields a bow of sugarcane strung with buzzing bees, his floral arrows symbolising affection and attraction. And in daily life, sugar continues to represent joy and auspiciousness—captured in our endearing blessings, “muh meetha karo” and “muh mein ghee-shakkar”, wishing prosperity and good fortune.

Yet, times have changed. The very sugar once synonymous with purity and celebration has turned into a silent saboteur of health. Too much added sugar is now one of the greatest threats to our cardiovascular system. It has a bittersweet reputation when it comes to heart health—linked to high blood pressure, fatty liver, chronic inflammation,Diabetes and that stubborn weight gain so hard to shed. Extra calories from sugary foods and drinks contribute to obesity, deranged lipids, and heart disease. In modern parlance, sugar has earned an infamous new title—the new smoking.

And still, how easily we succumb to its charms! Mindlessly downing a whole glass of soft drink, shovelling a generous slice of kaju katli or pudding into our mouths, or surrendering to a pre-Diwali bash loaded with carb-rich delights—all in the name of celebration. The beguiling sweetness of it all is hard to resist. One soulful tête-à-tête with friends can end in a tableful of sugary indulgences, a hearty feast pigged out in the pretext of festivities.

Come Diwali, the season of lights and delights, it becomes almost impossible to hold back. But let overindulgence not be the essence of the festival this year. Let us instead celebrate the glory of Goddess Lakshmi with sweet words, generous hearts, and compassionate deeds. Nothing is sweeter than a heart brimming with empathy, kindness, and love.

Sugar holds such an endearing place in our lives that we even use it as a metaphor for affection—calling our loved ones “honey,” “sweetie,” or “sweet pie.” Perhaps it’s time to let that sweetness reflect more in our behaviour than in our bloodstream.

So, as we pray for prosperity this festive season, let’s pledge to offer the gods devotion. Let the traditional mithai boxes make way for healthier gifts—dry fruits, fresh fruits, and heartfelt smiles. The only forms of sugar still truly worth indulging in are sweet words, gentle hearts, and warm sentiments—and, of course, those ever-popular sugar daddies, who, it seems, remain quite in vogue😏😄👴