Bitter Truth: Odisha Loses ‘Rosogolla’ War Against Bengal Due To Delayed Response

Bhubaneswar/Chennai: Odisha was again left red-faced when Geographical Indications Registry on Thursday ruled the challenge to the GI tag given to ‘Banglar Rosogolla’ as being “abandoned”.

The reason: Odisha-based activist and head of Regional Development Trust (RDT) Ramesh Chandra Sahoo filed the evidence supporting his challenge 40 days beyond the legal deadline.

He had filed a rectification petition in February 2018 demanding that Bengal’s GI registration of the sweet dumplings be cancelled. He had accused Bengal of falsifying evidence and tampering with data to get the GI tag.

Sahoo had submitted historical evidence, claiming that the origin of Rasagola can be traced to the 12th century Jagannath Temple in Puri, dating back to 800 years. However, West Bengal claimed the sweet was invented in Kolkata by Nobin Chandra Das in the 19th century.

Following which, the West Bengal Government filed a counter statement to defend its claim over the sweet and pointed out the delay in filing of evidence by Odisha.

In a last-ditch attempt, the petitioners, Regional Development Trust (RDT), produced the courier receipts as proof that they had mailed the document long back, but it reached the GI Registry late.

Taking this into account, the Chennai-based Registry allowed Odisha one more month to file the documents again.

Talking to media, vice-chairman of the Trust Santosh Kumar Sahu alleged that they got no help from the Odisha government to fight the case. “Had our state government contested it, the outcome could have been different. Our members will meet on Sunday to chalk out further course of action,” he added.

However, this was not the first instance of delay by Odisha in this regard.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

While West Bengal got the GI tag for ‘Banglar Rosogolla’ in 2017, Odisha won it for its version of the delicacy — ‘Odisha Rasagola’ two years later.

This despite the fact that it was Odisha which had first voiced its claim over the syrupy sweet in 2015. This alerted the West Bengal, which moved fast and got the coveted GI tag for ‘Bengal Rosogolla’.

After Bengal initiated the move for GI tag, the Odisha government appointed a three-member experts’ committee to collect and collate evidence available in ancient texts to back its claim. However, it made no headway for over a year. That is when senior journalist and cultural chronicler Asit Mohanty prepared and submitted a 100-page document, referring to the mention of ‘Rasagola’ in ‘Dandi Ramayana’ written by Odia poet Balaram Das in the 15th century.

The government’s alleged lackadaisical attitude continued and it got into action mode only in February 2018. It presented its case through a lawyer equipped with all relevant documents and evidences at a meeting of GI Registry held in New Delhi on March 27. In the absence of any objection from any quarter during the customary four-month period, it was finally granted the GI tag in July this year.

Odisha got its due but only after avoidable delay of four years.