DNA:In the pantheon of Hindu gods, Ganesha is considered the ultimate gourmand and his favourite snack is the modak. Traditionally, modak is made of rice flour with a stuffing of coconut and jaggery. This however has low shelf life so sweet shops tend to stock the khoya variety in varied flavours. None of which did much for your calorie intake. In keeping with these health-conscious times, mithai vendors are now creating what they call diet modak.

"We have special diet modaks with natural sweeteners for people who eat less sugar or for those suffering from diabetes. But they aren't in much demand as compared to other modaks which are offered as prasad. The offerings are never in the unsweetened form," says JP Ajmera, manager, Ramanlal Vithaldas & Co at Fort, sweet manufacturers and dry fruit retailers. What is a big hit are the flavoured modaks. Mohanlal Mithaiwala who has branches across the city for instance specialises in fancy varieties such as kesar and dry fruit. This year the shop is offering a combination of chocolate and mawa, says Kunal Sharma,  senior partner. "We specialise in king-sized modaks, usually purchased by mandals. The dough in these is made of almond, pistachios and raisins. It costs round Rs700 a kilo."

And if you are fazed by the exotic varieties there is always the humble type available at the nearest halwai shop flavoured with strawberries, mango and anjeer. Or at least liberally kneaded with artificial flavours and colours.