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A journey from Paradise to Paramount


[From 1918]

The journey was not easy enough. Even the iconic sherbet centre the 21st century people are getting could have been closed in the sheer past. Right you are! I am talking about the legendary sherbet joint of Kolkata- Paramount, that completed their 100 in this year. After roving around the desserts, starters, starters and spices now we are heading towards the refreshing sips of Sherbets.



The Paramount- the heritage is located at the College Street and easily recognizable. It is an institution on quality sherbets and their varying range is bound to refresh the customers. Interesingly, the customers vary from youngsters to mid-age to oldies. This menu includes Green Mango, Cream Vanilla, Coco Malai, Rose Malai, Passion Fruit, Grape Crush, Strawberry Malai, Mango Mania, Tamarind and Litchi other than the famous and refreshingly delicious Daaber Sherbet. Daab Sherber is a mutual endeavour of the founder and Acharya P. C. Roy as the idea as the idea of this sherber was given by the latter. Though at the beginning there were few options.


The interior design here gives the appearance a vintage look. In the primitive days the Babus were the frequent customers of the sherbets as at that time having sherbet was a kind of luxury. The eminent rich families of North Kolkata like Laha family, Mullick family etc used to come in their horse-drawn carriages to sip the refreshment of various sherbets. A handful of students gathering their saved pennies to enjoy the daab-sherbet. Then the price ranged from 4annas to Rs. 3.5.


Paramount was the brainchild of late Nihar Ranjan Majumdar who materialised  his idea in the year 1918. It was named as Paradise then and was earlier at 1/a Bankim Chatterjee Street. Behind the purpose of serving sherbets Paradise had its own esoteric purpose. It was originally Barishal Anushilan Samity- the meeting place of Indian freedom fighters involved in Swadeshi Movement. Unfortunately it couldn't be kept hidden and the British caught and seized the shop in 1934. Within a few years gap the founder again reopened it in 1937 and this time with genuine purpose of serving refreshing drinks only. The shop moved to 1/1/1d Bankim Chaterjee Street , the current location of the joint and was renamed as Paramount.



Presently Paramount is run by Mr Mrigendra Majumdar, an advocate by profession who left his job in order to save such heritage. "I have received the grand honour from Paramount"- he said. Paramount set their brand in the market without any kind of advertisement. The two lines(in the following right side picture) did the part wisely. In the left picture below all the patrons visited Paramount are mentioned together.


From the beginning of the bistro they maintained the food value of the drink continuing till date. According to Mr Majumdar this made their items different from normal cold drinks which actually contains no food value. The quality of the sherbets is a serious concern for them.



Paramount for the city dwellers as well as outsiders is definitely a pleasure to meet the thirst and lust for taste and its heritage and glory is the cherry at the top.  

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