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  1. Namaskar. Subhodip, please allow me to respectfully contest your opinions on Sharkara, Chini, etgc. It is sad and ironic that a child of Gauda-Banga can be so ingorant of his own cultgure and antecedents. I have studied the Sugar Date Industry in Bangabhumi, all my life. I am a plant physiologist, with an initial training in the political economy of peasant wars in Asia, which is very germane to the present discussion.

    Have you read Robinson’s work on the date sugar industry, re-published by the WB Govt. as well as Harold Annett’s monograph on the subject, published in a Gazette. I shall happily discuss with you your uninformed ASSERTIONS regarding REFINED SUGAR. DO you know the history and technology behind refined sugar in India?

    As a bangali, you know what bir khandi, kodmA, elachdana, arfe do you not? As well as what mishri is? Do you consider them refined sugar or not? Khanda is the origin of the English CANDY!

    There is a vast amount of work done about the sugar date economy of Bangabhumi. You are correct that the nagri gur, condensed fro date sap, was first treated with pond weed, to extract the brownish sugar called Sharkara. As well, molasses or chita gur, drained out the bottom oif whatever container was beibng used. Aspects of this technology were even adopted by the Europeans, who created sugar cones, from which molasses was removed by centrifugar force.

    But the sharkara, ritually pure since no animal bone charcola was used, was further refined by dissolving in water, and recrystallizing as pure white sugar, albeit in lumps, hence, birkhandi, kodma, and the like. There is a economic calculus, as to why flowing, crystal sugar was not hugely popular.

    I shall take you through each step, including the prices of Java sugar created by slave labor, and European beet sugar, by the year 1869, at Calcutta Port. There are so many complexities to this story that facile conclusions, drawn from the etymology of CHINI, are painful. Do you know you are born in the culture that CREATED SUGAR nad REFINED SUGAR, at that? Is it not the typical bangali atttiude to name anything superior as being derived from a foreign source?

    Examples: the very bangali mangom called bombai and bhuto bombai. Patnai this that and the other. Bojrai golap, i.e. Bashra rose. Biliti aamra, Spondias mombin, that has never been seen in Bilet, that heaven for all bangalis like you. Patnai chaal, patnai this or that. Batapi lebu may or may not be correct, depending on what lebu is being described and at what stage of its domestication and use; it can both be batapi, Batavia, as well as complex hybrids of Citrus jambhiri, with an array fof different parents. Read the Israeli literature on the origins of the true citron.

    But enough. More details of the date sugar industry if you wish. Why not go to some of the places where this refiend sugar originated, and understand the nitty gritty? Ah Chee, and Ahcheepur are fine, but like Devdutt Pattnaik, please do not get your head screwed worng.

  2. One thing that keeps people from visiting Achipur is that they do not know how to reach there. The blog post gives you direction so that you can reach Achipur.

    The writer has done good research on Achipur before writing. The pictures are excellent.

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