‘Golgappa,’ ‘pani puri,’ ‘gupchup,’ ‘fuchka,’… It’s quite likely you haven’t had it in the last couple of months, and you’re salivating at the thought of such mouth-watering snacks already. It’s one of those necessary evils that one generally makes peace with as a street food item.
Despite its so-called unhygienic character,’ Pani puri’ carts still attract crowds (maybe not so often in the COVID era). It is, however, in the COVID era, a rather serious no-no, as former villains like E. Coli and Salmonella take a back seat and they take care of the more fatal Coronavirus. A big increase in queries for ‘Pani puri’ recipes was reportedly seen by Google India as the nation went on lockdown in March.
Brands such as Paper Boat, however, try to get customers to cook their own ‘pani puris’ at home. Paper Boat has just introduced ready-to-cook ‘pani puri’ pellets, together with the two’ pani’ drinks that go with the ‘puri’-spicy and sweet’n’ sour Whereas the pellets are the price of rs 200 for 400 grammes, the beverages come in sipper packs from the Paper Boat (Rs 30 for 200 ml).
Brands have tried to coordinate it in the past with their own DIY ‘pani puris’ versions, an incredibly unorganised type of food. There are various formats of readymade ‘pani puri’ boxes. Brands like Haldiram’s and Frylo, combined with cut-pour-stir powder mixes, pack their ready-to-serve fried ‘puris’. Another Jalani brand, like Paper Boat, provides its ‘puris’ in a format that is ready to cook.
Paper Boat has also forayed into non-beverage categories such as ‘chikki’, banana chips and ‘aam papad’ over the last few years, with conventional and (Indian) household beverages at its heart. The ‘pani puri’ of Paper Boat is also, in a sense, the first move of the company in the ready-to-cook category. The brand has often focused high on ‘nostalgia’ and ‘memories’ throughout the launch, and this shows in its social media creatives.
Neeraj Kakkar, CEO and co-Founder of Hector Beverages (the company which owns Paper Boat), states, “This one thing we loved so dearly has vanished absolutely from our lives today because of COVID-19.” But it doesn’t have our passion and desire for delicacy. As the harbinger of native tastes from across the world, Paper Boat takes pride itself. Years ago, we introduced our ‘Golgappa Pani.’ A lot of love for this drink was shared by customers, as it was both hygienic and delicious.
