| Nobin Chandra Das | |
| Birth Date: | 1845 |
| Birth Place: | Paschim Medinipore District, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Death Date: | 1925 (aged 80) |
| Death Place: | Bagbazar, Calcutta |
| Nationality: | British Indian |
| Other Names: | Nobin Moira of Bagbazar, Columbus of Rossogolla |
| Occupation: | Businessman, Confectioner, entrepreneur |
| Years Active: | 1864–1925 |
| Known For: | Rosogolla |
| Successor: | Krishna Chandra Das (K.C. Das) |
| Movement: | Bengali Renaissance |
| Spouse: | Khirodmoni Devi |
| Children: | 1 |
| Relatives: | Bhola Moira (Grandfather-in-law) |
Nobin Chandra Das (1845–1925) was a Bengali confectioner. a popular limerick of 19th-century Bengal labeled him as the "Columbus of Rossogolla".[1] [2]
Nobin Chandra was born in 1845.[3] In 1864, driven by poverty and with little provision to complete his education, he initially started working for the Indra family, confectioners from Shantipur in the Nadia district of Bengal. They were distant relatives of Nobin Chandra's mother, and their shop was located on Chitpur road in Bagbazar, Kolkata. However, it turned out to be a futile engagement as Nobin Chandra was reportedly humiliated by the Indras. Hence he left the job and, aged 18, started his sweet-shop at Jorasanko along with a close friend. Being respectable and prosperous sugar merchants, Nobin's family did not take kindly to his decision to become a sweetmeat seller due to the social constraints of the times. They disparagingly referred to him as the "moira" (a profession not held in high esteem in the 19th century Bengal). Ironically, no one could have foreseen at that time that history would transform their title of contempt into one of lasting adulation.
Nobin Chandra's Jorasanko business failed as he fell out with his friend. Moreover, In those days, sweetmeat shops depended largely on credit sales, and Nobin Chandra had no resources to offer credit to his customers. In 1866, Nobin Chandra ventured into a new business endeavor, opening another shop on Chitpur Road. This location was directly across the street from the confectionery shop in Bagbazar where his career had begun. Most sweetmeats made at the time were either "Sondesh/Sandesh" (a sweet exclusively for the affluent, which was remolded and popularized by Bhim Chandra Nag) or sweets made of "dal" (lentils) or flour from various grains.
In 1868, Nobin Chandra modified the original recipe of "Rossogolla" that increased the shelf life of the sweet. This was to be his arguably most significant creation.[4] Nobin Chandra christened this creation the "Rossogolla". It was a popular sweet of his time which was affordable across all economic segments of society. It took some time for Rossogolla to become popular in the absence of advertising and media as we know it today.[5]
Nobin Chandra left his legacy to his son Krishna Chandra Das.[6]
In 2018, director Pavel made a film Rosogolla on the life of Nobin Chandra Das. Actor Ujaan Ganguly portrayed Nobin in the film.[7]