Pendawala Shyamsunder Harilal

Down in Raopura, there are a lot of shops, but Pendawala Shyamsunder Harilal is where we make our sweets. We have been doing this for a long time. The smell of milk and sugar is always in the air around the shop. My grandfather started with the same recipes we use today. We don’t use any of those big machines; a lot of it is still done by hand in the back. Raopura is a crowded area, so there is always a lot of noise and people walking by. Our penda is what most people come for, especially during the festival season when everyone is in a hurry. The counters are old wood and the trays are always being refilled. It gets very hot near the big cooking pots, but you get used to it after a few years. We don't have a fancy website or a big marketing plan. We just make the sweets and put them in the boxes. Sometimes the edges of the penda aren't perfectly round, but that’s because a person made it, not a factory. We open early in the morning to start the milk boiling. It takes hours to get it just right. If you walk past, you’ll probably see us stacking the boxes high near the entrance. It is a busy life, but seeing someone eat a sweet and smile makes the long hours in the heat worth it. We keep our tradition going every single day.