HYDERABAD, SINDH: Pakistanis in the southern Sindh province are celebrating Pakistan Day this year with cakes decorated in the national colors of white and green and photos of the nation's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah, with the famous Black and Brown Bakers in Hyderabad taking the lead in preparing customized confectionary.
March 23 is celebrated annually in Pakistan to commemorate the adoption of the Lahore Resolution in 1940 which called for the creation of an independent sovereign state for the Muslims of India.
While a military parade in the city of Rawalpindi is the highlight of the day, other important events include the laying of wreaths at the mausoleums of Pakistan's national poet Muhammad Iqbal and founder Jinnah and flag hoisting ceremonies at important buildings and monuments.
Citizens also celebrate by ordering novelty cakes, with Hyderabad’s famous Black and Brown Bakers, which has 21 branches across Sindh province, receiving over 1,000 orders this year.
“Come national days and we get orders for special cakes and donuts,” Aftab Umrani, Director Human Resources at the bakery, told Arab News. “Mostly these orders come on national days like Pakistan’s Independence Day, Pakistan Day and Defense Day.”
A Black and Brown Bakers cake on display in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on March 21, 2022, ahead of Pakistan Day celebrations on March 23. (Photo Courtesy Aftab Umrani)
Popular designs on cakes are the national flag, portraits of Jinnah and the country’s geographical map. Popular slogans include ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Happy Independence.’
“These cakes are available in different flavors including ice cream cakes, low fat with no butter, dry cakes, Bombay flavor, Belgium chocolate cakes,” Umrani said. “However, the Hyderabadi cake is the most famous.”
Most of the orders, he said, came from large corporations, pharmaceutical companies, offices and educational institutes.
“We provide premium quality products at affordable and economical prices,” Umrani said. “For instance, a two-pound cake cost ranges between 800 to 1600 rupees.”
A Black and Brown Bakers cupcakes on display in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on March 21, 2022, ahead of Pakistan Day celebrations on March 23. (Photo Courtesy Aftab Umrani)
Mahpara Akbar, a sales girl at a Black and Brown Bakers branch in the city of Mirpurkhas, said though the outlet had only recently opened, it was getting large orders for Pakistan Day, especially for the bakery’s famous Bombay Hyderabadi cake.
“Whatever the party is, be it birthday, wedding anniversaries, or office promotion, cakes bring more joy to the celebration,” she told Arab News. “Likewise, a cake with the national green Pakistani flag makes the national day more special.”
Towns in Sindh's Thar Desert also mark the day with special cakes, with many bakers using social media to market their creations and enhance profits.
“We receive special orders for cream and chocolate cakes on national days like August 14 [Independence Day] and March 23,” Sawai Mal Malhi, a manager at Krishan Sweets and Bakers in the small city of Umerkot, told Arab News. “The collective number of orders on these days goes up to 500 cakes.”
Akram Khaskheli, a customer in Nawabshah, said he preferred cream cakes during national day celebrations.
A Black and Brown Bakers cake on display in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on March 21, 2022, ahead of Pakistan Day celebrations on March 23. (Photo Courtesy Aftab Umrani)
“During COVID-19 restrictions physical parties were not allowed," he said. "However, after the lifting of the restrictions, social gatherings are back and so are cake cutting ceremonies on national days."
Social media, Malhi said, had played a major role in promoting special cakes for national days and religious festivals.
“There is a sort of competition among the youth,” he said. “They take photos and post them on Facebook and other social media platforms.”
Even school children, he said, collected money to arrange parties to celebrate the national days of Pakistan.
A Jan Bakers and Sweets cake on display in Khairpur, Pakistan, on August 14, 2020, to mark Pakistan's Independence Day. (Photo Courtesy Jan Bakers and Sweets Khairpur)
Hafiz Sikander, who runs Jan Bakers and Sweets in Khairpur, said posting his designs on Facebook had helped to boost business.
“Selling online is helping to boost my business,” he told Arab News. “I get orders on festivals and national days like March 23 even from far flung areas.”
