Sunsari, July 5: Until three years ago, Mahesh Sah earned his living as a three-wheeler driver along the Dharan-Chatara-Rampur road section in Sunsari. He spent some years in this profession as a foreign migrant returnee. In had spent 11 years for jobs in Malaysia.
A resident of Chataraghat of Barahachhetra Municipality-1, Sah was inspired by the sweet shops operating along his transport route. Encouraged by their business, he eventually decided to try his hand at producing and supplying traditional sweets, ‘peda’.
“In the early days of my business, I used to prepare different varieties of confectioneries. Now, I specialize only in peda, a traditional milk-based sweet. The business is faring well,” he said.
Until a few decades ago, Chataraghat was widely known for the trade of Dhike Nun, crystal salt, and Shah’s ancestors were also in this business at the locality.
Over time, the nature of trade changed, with Chataraghat gradually emerging as a hub for the production and supply of peda. Over a dozen of peda shops are operated at Chataraghat now.
The opening of the Koshi Bridge at Chatara in 2072 BS established the Chatara-Ghaighat-Sindhuli route as an alternative route connecting eastern Nepal to Kathmandu.
Since then, vehicular movement along the corridor has increased significantly, giving a boost to local trade and business activities.
With increasing flow of passengers, the demand for peda is on a steady rise. Besides, he takes on-line order as well and ensures the delivery system. Shah uses more than 120 litres of milk each day to produce peda. He collects the milk from Rampur of Udaypur and Sri-Lanka Tappu.
He earns between Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 a month, nearly double he used to make despite working 12-hour long backbreaking jobs during overseas employment. Sah says he is satisfied with fortune he made with traditional confectionery in the homeland. #nepal#rss
