Meerut's Gajak gets global recognition, gets GI tag
Jagran correspondent, Meerut. The taste and aroma of Meerut's Gajak is spread not only in the country but also abroad. Another achievement was added to its chain of fame on Wednesday. This 121 year old product of Meerut has got the Geographic Identification Tag. Meerut Rewari Gajak Traders Welfare Association had applied for this in the Chennai based organization. Gajak makers of Meerut are excited after getting GI tag. President Varun Gupta said that the livelihood of more than 10 thousand people is directly linked to this.
Dr. Rajnikanth, famously known as GI Man, has also been instrumental in achieving this achievement. General Secretary of the organization, Sameer Thapar, director of Bengal Sweet House, said that after getting the GI tag, if anyone in the world types Gajak Revdi on Google, the name of Meerut will come up.
With this, Meerut Gajak Rewari manufacturers will have access to the entire world. There will be increase in business. This business, which runs for about four to five months in Meerut, is worth Rs 50 to 60 crore. There are 35 firms manufacturing Rewari Gajak in Meerut. The tradition is 121 years old. It is the year 1904 when white sesame seeds were kept in a vessel to prepare Til Bugga in Lala Ramchandra's shop located in Gudri Bazaar. Meanwhile, the artisans were heating jaggery in the pan to make chikki. While pouring hot jaggery from the pan into another vessel, it accidentally fell into the vessel in which sesame seeds were kept.
When Lala ji saw, he became very angry. To avoid wasting so much money, he asked the artisan to make something from jaggery mixed with sesame seeds. After two-three hours of hard work, the item was ready like a Revdi. People liked it. After this, he kept improving it continuously and by 1915, Rewari of Meerut, which looked very much like the present one, had come into existence. British officers were also admirers of its taste. Today you will find people making Rewari Gajak in the name of Ramchandra at many places.
This cold season sweet is also good for health and for the revedi people, instead of being a sweet, it is a good option to eat in the form of sesame and jaggery from health point of view in winter. Cloves, cardamom, mace and nutmeg are added due to which it is beneficial for health in winter. Its sale starts from Navratri till the beginning of February.
For a long time, rewari made of jaggery and gajak made with cashew nuts with laddus continued to be made. Later Patti Gajak and Spring Roll Gajak were added. Chocolate Rael Gajak and Dry Fruit Samosa Gajak have arrived in the market. Varun Aggarwal told that his Gajak and Revdi are sold in 18 countries. This is GI Tag. GI Tag is a mark or name that is given to products (such as crops, handicrafts or industrial products) coming from a particular geographical area, which reflects the specific quality, reputation or characteristics of that place and helps in preventing counterfeit products as well as in getting better prices and global recognition to the farmers and producers.