Walk into a traditional mishti shop in Bengal, and what you see is not just sweet treats, but culinary art resting on the shelves. Bengal’s sweet industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled karigars, (workers/sweet makers) putting the future of handmade mishti at risk. While this ensures supply, it also marks a shift away from handmade processes that defined Bengal’s sweet heritage. “Interestingly, many of these pastry chefs, 15 years down the line, want to learn how a sweet shop works. ‘Children don’t want to come into this industry’Vishu Mohapatra, a karigar at a small sweet shop in Behala, has seen the change firsthand.

Source: The Telegraph February 06, 2026 08:14 UTC