Toil behind sweet success of ‘Atreyapuram Putharekulu’ from A.P.

The saccharine aroma of accepted ‘nethi putharekulu’ (paper sweet) wafts done the aerial successful Atreyapuram mandal of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district. Women making melt-in-your-mouth sweets successful tiny sheds and huts beside their homes, welcoming visitors with boards titled ‘nethi putharekulu ammabadunu’ (meaning ‘ghee putharekulu are sold here’), are a communal show successful villages similar Atreyapuram, Ryali, Vasantawada, Bobbarlanka, Lolla, Velcheru, and others.

“There is nary festival oregon solemnisation without our putharekulu connected the plate. ‘Kotha pellikoduku’ (bridegroom) besides has to sensation ‘nethi putharekulu’ during his archetypal sojourn to the bride’s house,” the women, who were engaged making ‘Atreyapuram Putharekulu’—which earned the GI (Geographical Indication) tag 2 years ago—expressed their pridefulness successful preserving the tradition.

Also read: How is Atreyapuram Pootharekulu saccharine prepared

Nearly 1 lakh families are indirectly connected to the business. It includes women who hole the delicacy, farmers providing indispensable ingredients similar rice, ghee, oil, sugar, jaggery, and adust fruits specified arsenic almonds, cashews, and different nuts. The web besides spans cocoa pulverization vendors, manufacturers of saccharine boxes and packaging materials, sticker printers, and intermediaries who facilitate the trade.

A fewer years ago, women prepared putharekulu astatine location and sold them successful tiny packets. Today, the trade has grown into a thriving industry, providing a livelihood for implicit 1 lakh families, said Chennam Suryavathi, entrepreneur, of Atreyapuram.

“Sitting astatine home, we gain astir ₹1,000 per time making these bladed wafer sweets. “Putharekula tayari” (putharekulu making) is the main concern here, and the men assistance women successful preparing the sweets. Some thousands of families are babelike connected this occupation, the bequest of which dates backmost centuries,” said Kadali Durga Prasanna, saccharine maker.

This culinary creation has been providing a livelihood to the families of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna and different districts successful the State, the makers noted.

“We hole putharekulu by applying ghee to bladed atom papers and past adhd sweetener oregon jaggery, chopped almonds, pista and cashew and past wrapper it successful different atom paper. The sensation depends connected the prime of ghee, nuts and different ingredients,” said Veeramallu Lakshmi, putharekulu maker.

My household has been successful this concern for implicit 7 decades, said Ms. Suryavathi, adding, “As a child, I utilized to assistance my parent marque these insubstantial sweets astatine home. Now, I person acceptable up a stall and person been making putharekulu for the past 35 years.” Her store employs astir 15 workers.

Festive demand

The request for putharekulu is precocious during the festive season, particularly astir Deepavali, Christmas, New Year and Sankranthi. “We person received implicit 1 lakh orders for Deepavali,” said Chennam Suresh of Sri Sai Surya Putharekulu, a store that has been selling the saccharine for the past 75 years connected Bobbarlanka Road successful Atreyapuram.

“We merchantability putharekulu made of ghee with sugar, jaggery, almonds, pista, cashew and elaichi. Special sugar-free sweets are besides disposable for diabetic patients. We person precocious started making the accepted delicacy successful diamond, prima and different shapes,” helium said. Besides, we besides marque putharekulu with cocoa jelly and powder, horlicks, boost, carrot, beetroot, crystal cream–especially for children. People from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and different States sojourn Atreyapuram to acquisition these sweets, Mr. Suresh, who is besides the caput of Atreyapuram Putharekula Vartaka Sangham, added.

Mr. Suresh further added that they besides export putharekulu to Singapore, Canada, U.S., U.K., Australia and Arab countries, too tapping into the planetary markets done Amazon and Flipkart.

Highlighting that the mandal witnesses dense enactment during the festival season, Kolli Venkata Lakshmi, a sweet-maker, said that galore radical sojourn Pulidindi, Peravaram, Tadipudi, Lolla, Bobbarlanka, Vasanthawada, Velicheru, Merlapalem, and different villages to bargain putharekulu. The celebrated insubstantial saccharine is besides sold astatine Razole, Ambajipeta, Amalapuram, Palakol, Mummidivaram, Pendyala, Kamsalipuram, and different places successful the neighbouring districts.

Explaining the process, Karanki Jyothi said that an earthen cookware (specially made for making putharekulu), peculiar assortment of rice, edible lipid and dried coconut leaflets are required for making bladed atom papers. Then, ghee is applied and sweetener and adust fruits are added.

Mani Kumari, who trained astir 25 women successful the colony to marque putharekulu, described the method, “We statesman by soaking atom successful h2o for 2 hours, past grind it to get a milky, sticky atom flour. Using a good cloth, we mildly overgarment a blistery cookware with this mixture, and wrong seconds, delicate, wafer-thin sheets form.”

Pricing

The accepted delicacy sells for ₹10 to ₹80 per portion depending connected the size and ingredients. “With request soaring, we are present producing putharekulu successful a assortment of shapes, sizes, colours, and flavours to suit lawsuit preferences. Makers are paid betwixt ₹2 and ₹10 per saccharine for rolling them,” said store owners. According to the store owners who employment them, each pistillate crafts astir 500 sweets daily.

“The outgo of atom insubstantial utilized to rolling putharekulu is ₹2 and supra during festivals and highest season. Each pistillate earns much than ₹15,000 per period by selling atom papers and are enrolling their children successful backstage and firm schools for education,” K. Prasad, autodriver, of Vasanthawada said.

“I marque much than 300 putharekulu per time and gain astir ₹700. My begetter is an agriculture labourer and I hole each varieties of the wafer sweets,” said Pammi Mounika of Pulidindi village.

Realtors, traders, acquisition institutions, aqua companies, and different businessmen bid peculiar packs with their institution oregon marque names connected the packets for Deepavali, said Ch. Durga. While Ch. Nagababu, proprietor of Veerabhadra Putarekulu stall said that they received 5,000 acquisition battalion orders from antithetic places for the festival.

Hardships

Despite the immense demand, the women engaged successful making the mouth-watering delicacy are facing fiscal difficulties. They urged the authorities to instrumentality measures to trim the outgo of earthy materials and to connection loans that would alteration them to conception houses.

“We bargain atom astatine ₹42 per kg, lipid ₹110 per litre and dried coconut leaflets for ₹20 per a bundle. We petition the authorities to instrumentality steps to trim the concern cost,” M. Ganga Bhavani requested.

Besides fiscal hardships, the women besides endure from ailments specified arsenic respiratory and bosom issues, mediocre vision, backaches, and different problems caused by sitting for agelong hours successful beforehand of the blistery pot. “A bulk of the women successful Atreyapuram, Ryali, Pulidindi, Rajavaram, Lolla, Narkedimelli, Ankampalem, and different villages are experiencing spinal and associated pain, blurred vision, and different wellness issues. We petition the authorities to put regular aesculapian camps with specializer doctors,” appealed insubstantial saccharine shaper K. Nagamma.

Happy customers

The prime of the sweets astatine Atreyapuram and the neighbouring villages successful Konaseema, East Godavari and different districts is precise good. The workers present travel accepted methods and guarantee that the sensation is accepted and unique, said lawsuit Gollapalli Raja Shekar of Ravulapalem town.

“The store owners and the unit person the customers with truthful overmuch respect and connection samples and past instrumentality the orders. The prices of putharekulu successful Atreyapuram are tenable erstwhile compared to different towns and cities,” said different lawsuit Anil of Kothapeta.