Analogue alarm: How synthetic paneer takes a Gondola ride to your plate

Standing outside a closed gate that looks like the entrance to a foundry, the man who identifies himself as Imran asks what we want.“Paneer,” we say. “Do you take large orders?”“Any quantity,” he replies. “We supply to many places in Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Within a day, we can supply as much paneer as required to Chandigarh.”Imran wasn’t exaggerating. There would be few lives in Delhi-NCR and the vast agglomeration of towns and villages around it that the foundry-like units operating in a cluster here – Gondola village in Nuh’s Punahana block – would not have touched. Their chief produce – synthetic paneer (also analogue or non-dairy) is cheap, lasts a long time, and needs no dairy.Daily, synthetic paneer is delivered in bulk to distributors, mandis, and catering kitchens associated with banquet halls.