'Sweet Victory' for Bengal as it wins sticky rosogolla battle with Odisha, gets to retain GI tag
West Bengal was given the GI tag for 'Banglar Rasogolla', the state's variant of the sweet, in November 2017.
Published: 31st October 2019 10:31 PM | Last Updated: 31st October 2019 11:09 PM | A+A A-
For representational purposes
After a prolonged battle over the origin of the delicious rosogolla, the Geographical Indications Registry announced on Thursday that Bengal gets to retain the Geographical Indications (GI) tag accorded to 'Banglar Rosgolla'.
West Bengal was given the tag for 'Banglar Rosogolla', the state's varient of the sweet in November 17.
In Februrary 2018, Ramesh Chandra Sahoo, chairman of regional development trust in Odisha, filed a petition demanding the cancellation of Bengal's GI registration of the dessert.
ALSO READ: GI tag to Banglar Rasogolla - Hearing shifted to Oct 21
The registry however, dismissed the petition on October 31 due to delay by Odisha to present evidence in support of its claim, within the stipulated timeline.
Advocate Manosij Mukherjee told News18 that Odisha did file the evidence, however it was past the deadline and that West Bengal challenged the claim on technical grounds.
ALSO READ: Use GI tag to put Odisha on culinary map of India
After both parties concluded their arguments, the GI registry's verdict on October 31 went in favour of West Bengal as it upheld its interlocutory petition and dismissed that of Odisha's.
Whose rosogolla is it anyway?
The tussle over where the sweet originated from began in 2015 when Odisha established July 20 as 'Rasagola Dibasha' to commemorate its origin.
According to the Odia rhetoric, the rosogolla was invented in Odisha as far back as the 12th century when dumplings made out of ‘channa’ were offered to Lord Jagannath in Puri temples.
After Odisha started staking its claim, Bengal government too set up a committee to challenge its neighbour's stand, legally.
According to Bengalis, rosogollas was created by Nabin Chandra Das, a famous sweet-maker at his Baghbazar residence in Kolkata in the 19th century.
In November 2017, Bengal was accorded the GI status for ‘Banglar Rosogolla', which is different in texture and taste from Odisha’s version.
As of now, both states have GI status for their own versions of the dessert. However, its origin story remains uncertain.
