Shillong, October 10: The West Bengal Circle of the Indian Postal Department is introducing a special courier service that will allow residents of West Bengal to send their favorite sweetmeat, ‘rasgulla,’ to their relatives and friends abroad at a highly affordable rate during the festive occasion of Durga Puja.
Sources within the postal department told IANS mentioned that the only condition to avail of this special service for sending ‘packaged rasgullas’ is that the sender will be responsible for the proper packaging of the consignments.
While some private courier service companies already offer the option to send packaged sweetmeats abroad, the rates they charge tend to be considerably high. In contrast, the West Bengal Circle of the Indian Postal Department aims to provide a much more cost-effective option, according to a senior official from the department.
The official also pointed out that while the project is being promoted with a focus on ‘rasgullas’ due to their global acclaim as a favorite Bengali sweetmeat, individuals can use this service to send other popular sweets from the state to their loved ones abroad.
The official clarified that even homemade sweetmeats, which are commonly prepared during the festive season, can be sent abroad through this special service. The sender will need to ensure professional packaging for the food items being sent.
This isn’t the first time the Indian Postal Department has associated itself with the popularity of rasgulla. In January 2018, the department honored Nabin Chandra Das, a renowned sweetmeat maker from West Bengal credited with inventing rasgulla in 1868, with a stamp and special cover. This recognition came after rasgulla was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) status in the same year.