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Summers are special because of many reasons one of which is coloured and flavourful barf ka gola also known as chuski found at every nook and corner of an Indian street. This is the cheapest and most common way to beat the heat in India. Perfectly crushed ice put together around a stick just like a lollipop and dipped into flavoured syrups. And believe me, it is very hard to stay away from this chilled treat especially during the sweltering hot days.
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The excitement of seeing ‘chuski’ wale bhaiya coming outside our house was next level. It is not just children who love eating barf ka gola but the people of all age groups are fond of this desi popsicle. And the cart serving barf ka gola is also one of its kind. With colourful elongated bottles with different flavours, the vendor used to work hard while crushing the ice which was then stuffed inside a glass with the stick inserted with deftness. After it had settled down well, the gola was pulled out and served with the flavours as per the choice of the customer. Coming in different flavours like kala khatta, rose, mango, pineapple, orange etc., the gola is slurped with utmost joy, happiness and satisfaction. But have you ever wondered how was chuski or barf ka gola created?
If some legends are to be believed, the shaved and crushed ice was invented by the Japanese somewhere around the first century AD. It was the Japanese who brought this style of ice to Hawaii, and this is why, shave ice is popularly served and consumed there. It gained even more popularity when the vehicles carrying big blocks of ice roamed across the US and gave those ice shaves to the children during the Industrial Revolution. Gola, which is the much Indianized version, is enjoyed in many parts of the world too. Known by different names like snow cone or snowball in North America, shave ice with ice cream scoop in Hawai, raspa in Mexico and Texas and Ais kacang in Malaysia and Singapore, all these varieties are same but different. You didn’t know this, did you?
Barf ka gola is the easiest way to remind us of childhood and some simple joys of life. And no, there is no sophisticated way of eating it. The slurping rings in the ear while you eat this chuski and no one will mind this. So, the next time you see a ‘chuski wala bhaiya’ making this chilled happiness, go grab it and enjoy!
