West government is taking steps for formally staking claim to Rasogolla as the state's invention through the GI route at a time when the famous sweetmeat finds itself at the centre of a debate as to where it originated.
The Science and Technology department of the state government has started the process to approach its central counterpart for GI authentication of Rasogolla so that it is identified with Bengal.
Jagannath Ghosh, spokesman of 'Paschim Bango Mistanno Byabsayee Samity' and owner of a famous North Kolkata sweet shop, said it was conveyed to their delegation by Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Sashi Panja on Monday.
Asked about it, the minister said, "Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked us to do the needful for ensuring that Bengal gets its rightful place as inventor of Rasogolla. Since Nabin Chandra Das had introduced the sweet in 1868, it is high time we don't allow others to hijack our heritage."
Director of K C Das Private Ltd, Sanjoy Das, the fifth generation descendant of Navin Chandra Das family, said it was historically known that the Das family had been the pioneer of Rasogolla, made from cottage cheese dipped in sugary syrup.
"With Rasogolla getting the legal seal of having originated from the city, the sweet can be showcased globally and there can be more R&D initiatives," Sanjoy Das said.
"On our part we had introduced automated machines at our Baghbazar plant from the day of hand-operated coal-guzzling boiler in 1868 introduced by Navin Chandra Das and in use for years. We brought new techniques of packaging tinned rosogollas which is taken abroad by Indian expatriates.
"But if there is a formal recognition of Rosogolla having originated from Bengal, we can go for patents also in future," he said on the sidelines of the launch of the book 'Rasogolla banglar jagat matano abiskar' (Rasogolla, the conqueror of world from Bengal) by a well known academician.
