বাংলা 
English Sesame khaja of Kushtia has now become a cottage industry. Sesame khaja is available all year round. It is made from sesame. Sesame is cultivated in the winter season, so winter sesame khaja has a special appeal of its own. The sesame khaja season runs until the month of February. Among Kushtia's thousands of traditions, sesame khaja is one.
Hardly anyone's mouth does not water at the mention of Kushtia's sesame khaja. At one time sesame khaja was made only to meet local demand. With the passage of time its standing has grown across the country. It has now matured into a cottage industry. This cottage industry has created additional employment for people.
If financial facilities were also created for these small entrepreneurs from banking institutions, it would be possible to take them further ahead. For this reason these cottage industries are not expanding despite their potential. Although much in the country changed after independence, the fortunes of the artisans engaged in this trade did not. That is what the sesame khaja makers say when you talk to them.
Tracing the history of Kushtia's sesame khaja, it first appeared in Kushtia during the days of the Indian subcontinent. It is known that the Pal community, among the Hindus of this region, used to make this delicious food. Before India and Pakistan were partitioned, quite a few families in the Deshwali Para area of the town made sesame khaja. From then on sesame khaja gradually began to spread in Kushtia. After '71, factories for making sesame khaja grew up in Char Milpara of Kushtia town. From that time on, the fame of Kushtia's sesame khaja gradually spread across the country.
At present there are factories named after Kushtia's famous sesame khaja in various districts of the country. It is Kushtia's own artisans who work in the factories of other districts too. Having learned the craft in Kushtia, they are working in factories in other districts. Sesame khaja is being made in Dhaka, Khulna, Rajbari, Saidpur and Kushtia under the name of Kushtia's famous No. 1 New Special Bhai Bhai Sesame Khaja. This sesame khaja factory of Kushtia has no sole owner. It is run under joint ownership across the country. In Kushtia, however, Abdul Majid Member holds the main responsibility. He says that winter is the sesame khaja season, and that it runs until February. He also says that at present 200 kg of sesame khaja is being produced every day. In other seasons 80-100 kg of sesame khaja used to be produced.
The main ingredients of sesame khaja are sesame and sugar. In a large pressed iron karai set on the stove, sugar is heated over a fierce fire to make a syrup. When it reaches the right consistency it is taken off the stove. Once it has cooled a little, the sugar syrup sets firm, and then the solidified syrup is pulled by hand against the two-pronged branch of a tree, like a horn. At one stage, when it turns from brown to white, the artisan pulls it in a special way, slapping it against the palm of the hand. It then becomes hollow inside. When the pulling of the syrup is finished, it is placed in a clean spot. Cut to a set size, hulled sesame is then mixed into it.
And this is how sesame khaja is made. The pieces are then packed and consigned to various places across the country. The business requires sufficient capital. If the business grew, employment opportunities would be created for the thousands of people engaged in this profession. The livelihood of several thousand families in Kushtia and in districts beyond depends on the making and sale of Kushtia's sesame khaja. Government patronage is felt to be needed to take this industry further ahead.
