THE story doing the rounds in Gwalior is that Atal Bihari Vajpayee (the same), who is notorious for having a big sweet tooth, will only eat the Boondhi Ladoos that are prepared in this city.

And there are two claimants for the honour of feeding the former prime minister their exclusive and special Boondhi Ladoos. They are Shankerlal Halwai in Sarafa Bazar area and Bahadura Sweets in Naya Bazar. Of them, the Naya Bazar ladoowala (that�s what both are popularly known as in Gwalior) is more authentic in his claim about keeping Vajpayeeji in Boondhi Ladoos through the year. Among his clients is Anup Mishra, a minister in the Madhya Pradesh government, who is the former prime minister�s nephew. And it is Mishra who picks up a parcel of Boondhi Ladoos for his famous uncle every now and then. Sushma Swaraj gets a box every now and then too.

The Bahadura Sweets shop was started by a Bahadur Pratap Sharma 75 years ago. It is today run by his son, A. P. Sharma. The Boondhi Ladoos cost Rs. 140 a kg and they are made out of desi ghee. They stay for upto a week without refrigeration, and they are very rich, very sweet, and not hard like the Boondhi Ladoos made by the South Indian sweet shops of Mangalore.

The Sarafa Bazar ladoowala is even older, the shop here is 85 years old, it is run by a Shankerlal Babulal, and the speciality here is the Boondhi, Churma and Besan Ladoos. Every ladoo is made out of pure desi ghee and has a shelf life of 15 days. The ladoo-making process is fairly simple It requires boondhi or besan, ghee and sugar. And it is cooked in hot ghee. Wonder what makes Vajpayeeji go ga-ga over them! But the former prime minister, it is said, is never happier than when presented a month�s stock of his favourite sweetmeat from Gwalior. A Boondhi Ladoo a day, keeps his doctor away, is Vajpayeeji�s belief!