From the memoir: Ruchi Ghanashyam on being the first Indian woman diplomat posted in Islamabad

Ghanashyam often tells a story about Karachi and his favourite sweet called Karachi halwa. He always loved this colourful chewy, sugary sweet filled with dry fruits. When we landed in Karachi for the first time, it was his ambition to try out his favourite sweet in its place of origin.

During our first evening, while having dinner with some local friends, Ghanashyam casually asked about Karachi halwa and mentioned that it was his favourite sweet. To our surprise, none of the locals had heard of the sweet! “Perhaps they did not like sweets,” we thought later. The next day was the same; no one had heard of Karachi halwa.

Someone then suggested a visit to Karachi’s famous sweets shop to look for the famous Karachi halwa. The day after, some of our friends took Ghanashyam to the famous sweets shop. “If it sells in Karachi, you’ll certainly find it here,” one of them said as they entered the shop. Ghanashyam looked at the first display of sweets. There was no Karachi halwa. The same for the second display! Somewhat perplexed, he looked helplessly at his friends. “There’s another display, Bhai. Look at that one too. You may find it there,” said the...

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