Father’s Day 2023: Like father, like son, Delhi’s kulfi makers

Creating a symphony of love and tradition, these father-son duos are swirling their way to Delhiites’ hearts through frozen delights. Crafting the creamy magic of kulfi to tickle taste buds, they share how they are taking the legacy forward.

From Karol Bagh to Geeta Colony and Model Town to Lajpat Nagar, the length and breadth of Delhi can be measured with its famous kulfi spots. A delight to relish not just in summer months but throughout the year, kulfis have a long history of being this frozen symphony of love and tradition, where fathers have taught their sons to swirl their way through this creamy delights, and craft some icy magic to tickle the taste buds of Delhiites.

Some of the popular kulfi makers of Delhi talk about their father-son bond that has played a vital role in carrying forward their kulfi legacy. (Photo: Dhruv Sethi/HT)

Celebrating the craft of making this age-old Indian dessert, this Father’s Day (June 18), some well known kulfi makers of the city share how they inherited their legacy and aim to melt hearts of many, for years to come.

Melting hearts in Lajpat Nagar: Sindhi Kulfi Wale, near Lajpat Nagar flyover

Hanish Kumar, Devi Das and Rajesh Kumar whip up their famed kulfi falooda. (Photo: Dhruv Sethi/HT)

“I remember when I was 13, I’d visit the shop in the lure of getting to miss home-cooked meals and watch my father for hours... On 11 August 1999, when I prepared kulfi for the first time ever, papa gave me a pat on my back. I can never forget that day,” recalls Rajesh Kumar, 38, who now whips the same mouth-watering kulfi falooda and rabri falooda. He adds, “My grandfather, Narayan Das, started this shop with my father Devi Das, in 1972. My father worked with him until my brother, Hanish (34) and I joined in. Though I studied MBA, I decided to run this shop because I couldn’t see people returning without savouring the delicacies that my father served for years.”

Joginder Soni with his younger son, Ayush Soni. (Photo: Dhruv Sethi/HT)

“My father started the family tradition of making kulfi in 1951,” says Joginder Soni, adding, “My three brothers and I learnt from him in the late 1980s. Today, I feel proud seeing my sons, Ishan and Ayush, expanding this culinary art with the same passion.” Ayush adds, “This shop is legendary for not just us, but also for many Delhiites. I’m thankful to my father, who taught me his secret skills... In 2018, after completing my BBA, when I first prepared a plate of kulfi, my father felt emotional. Today, having mastered it, I feel I’ve paid my due regards to all his hard work over the years.”

From Old to New Delhi, serving happiness: Kuremal Mahavir Prasad Kulfiwale

Mahavir Prasad with his son Manoj Sharma. (Photo: Manvi Singh/HT)

“My grandfather was 11 when he would accompany his uncle to sell kulfis in summer,” shares Manoj Sharma, the third generation in this fam that runs shops in Kamla Nagar, Preet Vihar and Pitampura. Sharma adds, “I was seven when I started accompanying my father, Mahavir Prasad, especially during the peak season of Dussehra at Ramlila Ground, where customers would come from far and wide. My task then was only to hand over kulfi to the customers. But soon, I joined the shop and realised how my father’s love for kulfi is far greater. Seeing him make some unique kulfis in our shop, set-up in 1906 in Sita Ram Bazar (Old Delhi), made me realise how he actually serves happiness on a plate! That’s what I want to do, too.”

Author tweets @maishascribbles

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