Summer evenings in the city are filled with fragrance of khoya, jingle of steel plates and slow-melting kulfis. While people today may scoop cookies with cream or tiramisu ice creams, the city’s heart still beats for ‘dake wali kulfi, ghare wali kulfi’ and the indulgent creamy ‘rabri falooda’.In Ludhiana, kulfi is synonymous with Basant Ice-cream, a famous shop located at Field Gunj in the interiors of old city. It now has branches all over the city.Other popular joints people throng to satisfy their cravings on hot and sultry summer days are Gupta Ice-cream and Haqiqat Sweets at Civil Lines, Giani Ice-cream at Shastri Nagar and Civil Lines, and Manjit Ice-cream at Bharat Nagar Chowk and Kochar Market, among many other small lesser-known shops operating for years.Each shop has its loyalists. Basant’s ‘dake wali kulfi’ is a crowd-puller and Haqiqat’s ‘falooda kulfi’ is prized for its dense creaminess. Nothing beats the heat like a ‘rabri falooda’ cup from Gupta Ice-cream.“Nothing cools the soul like a steel plate of falooda on a June evening,” says Simran, a college student savouring a treat at Gupta Ice-cream, indulging in her rabri falooda cup with vermicelli, topped with rose syrup.For many, these shops are not just eateries, they are evening destinations where friends and families beat the heat together.“Kulfi is not just a dessert, it is a memory. It is the taste of childhood summers when cousins used to gather in verandahs and wait for vendors ringing bells to sell kulfis in the street. Kulfi and falooda are rituals of belonging, a shared nostalgia that binds generations. Though I do not eat sugary foods, my summer ritual every year includes eating a plate of falooda at least once,” said Sukhjeet, a resident of Pakhowal Road.The modern shops have given a twist to falooda kulfi, making it healthy by adding basil seeds or chia seeds with a dash of fresh fruits. However, locals say nothing matches the original taste.“The best is available at Basant. Be it be a dake wali kulfi or a ghare wali kulfi, Basant serves the best. It gives us an excuse for an outing,” Neha, a young mother, says as she laughs. Standing at Basant Ice-cream, she points out how families throng the shop every evening.