J. B. Mangharam & Company was a maker of biscuits in India. It was founded in 1919. Mangharam1930s

In 1950s they were the largest biscuit producer in Asia and produced several type of biscuits and confectioneries. They were initially famous for their "Energy Food" biscuits made using

glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...

. They were originally intended for British soldiers, but became popular among children. Later they were also known for the cream

wafer A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...

biscuits. The Mangharams were originally from

Sukkur Sukkur (; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest ci ...

Sindh, but had branches in Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi. The Gwalior factory was established in 1951. After the death of J. B. Mangharam himself, the company was restructured in 1969 and 1977 and in 1983 became a part of the

Britannia Industries Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian company specialised in food industry, part of the Wadia Group headed by Nusli Wadia. Founded in 1892 and headquartered in Kolkata, it is one of India's oldest existing companies and best known for it ...

Ltd and no longer produces biscuits with the J.B Mangharam label. The Sukkur factory was established in 1937. During the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, the building was declared evacuee property and after partition it was allotted to Muhammad Yakoob and was renamed Yacoob Biscuit Factory. It was once considered of the top few Sindhi owned companies along with Kaycee's Blue Star, Motwaney's

Chicago Radio Chicago Radio is an Indian manufacturer of public address systems, closely associated with the pro-independence Indian National Congress during the last decades of the British Raj. The company was established by Gianchand Chandumal Motwane in 19 ...

. The Mangharam family arrived in Gwalior sometime in 1940s. They negotiated special tax concessions with the then Madhya Bharat government. As a result of their support a large number of Sindhis came and settled in Gwalior after the partition.Provincial Hinduism: Religion and Community in Gwalior City, Daniel Gold, Oxford University Press, 2015 p. 136 The brightly colored tins of J.B. Mangharam biscuits and sweets produced in 1950s and 1960s, featuring pictures from Indian tradition (Shakuntala and Bharat, Mira Bai, baby Krishna, Krishna with flute) and selected cities (Mumbai VT, Kolkata Howra Bridge, Amritsar Golden temple) are now regarded as collectibles.

References

{{reflist Bakeries of India Sukkur District

See also

References