Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai: A Century-Old Mumbai Mithai Legacy
Nestled in the bustling streets of Mumbai, Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai stands as a testament to resilience, tradition, and culinary excellence. This iconic 110-year-old mithai shop has not only delighted generations with its sweets but also captured cinematic imagination, most notably in Irrfan Khan's 2020 film Angrezi Medium.
From Karachi Roots to Mumbai Icon
The brand's remarkable journey began in 1916 in Karachi, where founder Ghasitaramdas Bajaj established a modest eatery serving parathas, chole bhature, halwa, and lassi alongside a selection of traditional mithais. By 1947, the business had grown to two thriving eatery-mithai shops in Bombay Bazaar, Karachi's bustling commercial neighborhood.
Then came the Partition of 1947, which forced the family to abandon everything within 24 hours. "My great-grandfather had to leave everything behind," recounts Kunal V Bajaj, the fourth-generation custodian. "Women and children were allowed to leave first, so he sent his wife and children to relatives in Amritsar. He hid in a haystack in a truck to cross over, exactly like they showed in Gadar."
Rebuilding in Mumbai
In the aftermath of Partition, Ghasitaramdas's son, Goverdhandas Bajaj, then in his early twenties, joined other young traders migrating to Bombay in search of opportunity. Arriving at Kalbadevi, then the city's trade hub, Goverdhandas pooled resources and began selling simple Punjabi food from a handcart.
In 1949, he rented his first shop and established an eatery and mithai outlet, naming it after his father: Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai. The timing proved fortuitous, as there was growing demand for ghee-laden sweets in post-independence Mumbai. Karachi halwa, with its distinctive jelly-like texture, became particularly popular alongside son halwa, gujiya, and kada halwa.
Cinematic Connections and Expansion
The brand's connection to Bollywood runs deep. "He was friends with B R Chopra and even appeared as a halwai in some of his films," recalls Vippal G Bajaj, 75, the fourth of Goverdhandas's five sons. One memorable scene features Johnny Walker as Gulam Rasool in Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969), sampling every mithai with exaggerated gusto while teasing the shopkeeper.
"The Kapoor family loved our food!" Vippal adds. "Raj Kapoor would visit our Chembur shop to buy samosas, rasmalai, and phirni."
This cinematic legacy continued with Angrezi Medium, where Irrfan Khan's character Champak Bansal runs a sweet shop inspired by Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai. "Dinesh Vijan is a friend who has been coming to our factory since he was very young," explains Kunal. "When he was making Angrezi Medium, he thought of immortalizing that feeling, and we were happy to come on board."
Growth and Innovation
From its humble beginnings, the business expanded steadily across Mumbai:
- Additional shops in Kalbadevi
- Outlets on Mohammad Ali Road and Grant Road
- Expansion to Andheri and Chembur
By the early 1990s, the brand operated nearly 40 outlets across Mumbai, offering not just sweets but also North Indian food, Chinese dishes, juices, and live malpua and jalebi counters.
Goverdhandas introduced several innovations, most notably the sticky, dense doda barfi after an inspiring trip to Amritsar in his fifties. This creation remains their bestseller in Mumbai to this day.
Modernization and Challenges
Vippal Bajaj, an engineer from the University of Leeds, played a crucial role in modernizing operations. "When I joined, we were still making mithais on bhattis," he recalls. "I introduced steam boilers and automation."
After Goverdhandas passed away in 1993, his five sons continued the business together until differences in working styles led them to part ways in 2000. Kunal, along with his father Vippal and brother Rahul, continued with the mithai business.
By early 2020, just before the pandemic, they were operating approximately 24 retail stores alongside a robust B2B and export business, manufacturing nearly 500 products ranging from Bengali sweets and halwas to sugar-free mithais and namkeens.
Pandemic Pivot and Recovery
The timing of Angrezi Medium's release proved particularly challenging. "The film released on March 13, 2020, and just a few days later, the country went into lockdown," Kunal remembers. "Everything shut down overnight. We had to send nearly 200 workers home safely. Some rented stores were lost along with deposits worth lakhs."
The crisis forced a strategic rethink. "We realized sweets were becoming more festival-centric, so we shifted focus to exports and B2B," explains Kunal. "The aim was to stay cash-positive every day."
This pivot proved successful. Today, retail contributes only about 15 percent of the business, while B2B accounts for 60 percent and exports 25 percent. Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai now exports to 10 countries and supplies sweets to leading restaurants, hotels, railways, and airlines.
Looking to the Future
Five years after the pandemic's devastating impact, the family has regained its footing. Kunal is now cautiously planning expansion, with ambitions to open around 10 retail stores in 2026, starting with Andheri, Juhu, Vashi, and Thane.
"Once we re-establish ourselves in Bombay, we'll look at Delhi-NCR," he reveals, signaling the next chapter for this century-old brand that has survived Partition, economic challenges, and a global pandemic while maintaining its commitment to quality and tradition.
From its Karachi origins to its Mumbai prominence, from Bollywood connections to global exports, Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai represents more than just a sweet shop—it embodies the resilience, adaptation, and enduring appeal of India's rich culinary heritage.
