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As the temperatures start rising, our minds automatically jump to the many possible ways of cooling down. As a native North Indian struggling to survive in Mumbai – a city that never sleeps, a city that never stops smelling of fish, a city that has serious boundary issues and a lack of space – one of my biggest complaints in such climatic situations has been the lack of Banta on a hot summer day. “What’s a Banta? It sounds disgusting,” laughed a local friend, momentarily questioning the basis of our friendship as she watches my excitement as I explain the anatomy of the corkless Codd-neck glass bottle tinged with a hint of green and the marvellous *POP* of the marble.
No Delhi childhood is complete without at least one yelling from your mother/father to stop sneaking off under the pretext of playing hide and seek with your neighbours to quickly gulp down chilled Banta, out of fear of getting typhoid (or maybe it was just me). Had with heaps of crushed ice, lime juice and chaat masala, or straight from the bottle with a sprinkling of kala namak (black salt) as the soda starts to gush up in reaction – there tends to be a negotiation with the bantawallah; bas itna? Thoda aur kala namak dalo na bhaiya! There are few things that truly symbolizes childhood in the national capital, a shared experience for Rs.10-50 (depending on the location).
Cited as Delhi’s favourite drink, it is known by quite a few names across the country – Goti Soda or Goli Soda in the South, Banta Soda and simply, Banta in the North. For those born in the 2000s and unfamiliar with this creation, it’s a lemony drink carbonated in a now ‘old-school’ glass bottle that you will probably find as decorative items in kitschy stores.
With a rise in the variety of aerated beverages, the humble Banta took a back seat to changing trends and ‘health’ hazards associated with the recycled nature of the glass bottles. People began opting for the bottles versions of the drink, especially when Nimbooz Masala Soda made its entry into the market with its cringe-worthy name and upbeat advertisements.
Nothing sells better than nostalgia and mixologists seem to have caught onto the love of bygone moments and memories. Though it seems that people still yearn for the original flavours and charm of a Banta bottle, with many alcohol-infused versions making their way onto menus of bars across the country. “We use the traditional banta machine, infusing alcohol with flavours that have an instant Indian connect. There are about 120-150 orders for bantas a day, which can go up during the weekend, and we don’t store the bantas for more than 48 hours,” said Aman Dua, head mixologist for Massive restaurants, which runs Farzi and Masala Library, in an interview with The Indian Express. “Banta has always enjoyed a cult status in the country, while cocktails have also become very popular. So we thought we’d give a new twist to an old classic by serving cocktails in the banta bottle,” added Vijay Prakash, mixologist at Impressario.
However, nothing can truly beat or trump a classic because things like these are more than just food staples and drinks. It is an enduring connection to the playfulness and naivety of childhood. To after-school meet-ups with neighbourhood friends for a round of badminton in the streets followed by sunset banter over a chilled drink, and cooling off after a day of haggling at Sarojini Nagar Market, or skipping off to North Campus and meeting friends, when you were supposed to be attending morning classes instead.
While its prices may have gone up, and the flavours slightly altered with a garnish of bantawallah sweat and pollution, Banta will always remain a stalwart staple if Delhi ever had a food-culture-history museum.
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