India, Feb. 27 -- How much meaning can a simple concoction of milk, sugar, rice flour and jaggery hold?

In West Bengal and Bangladesh, mishti, or sweetmeats, are ritual, emotion, heritage, craft, commerce, and, above all, full of contradictions. There's a recipe for every occasion and budget, with prices ranging from a mere rupee to Rs.1,000 a piece. There are rosogollas for election wins and good report cards. Chomchom for weddings. Fried bonde for Sunday breakfasts. Hollow melt-in-the-mouth batasha for the unexpected guest. Even conch-shaped sandesh as tributes to loved ones at a shraddha.

"The sociality of mishti goes beyond need, nutrition and logic," says Ishita Dey, assistant professor of sociology at South Asian University, Delhi...