Vijaywada: Goli soda loses its fizz in the era of soft drinks

VIJAYAWADA: The indigenous goli soda (marble soda) has become a rare product these days with many of the petty vendors switching to selling cool drinks manufactured by the multinational companies (MNCs), packed in trendy plastic bottles.

However, there are a few vendors in Krishna district who still sell goli soda, as did their elders, sometimes from generations.  Many vendors have shifted to making soda using modern equipment and have done away with the traditional goli soda as the demand has decreased.  

At one time, goli soda in the codd-neck glass bottles was the most sought after refreshment in summer. The popping sound made once the marble is pushed from its slot inside the bottle used to be the major attraction for children. Goli soda used to be sold on pushcarts and roadside shops in all cities, towns and villages.

Vendors used to do brisk business in summer as it was affordable and quite effective in quenching one’s thirst.

For the last few years, consumers too have not shown interest in goli soda, what with the wide range of cool drinks and juices available.

Now, the same carbonated soda is being sold in different flavours like lime, orange, pineapple and others, dispensed through automated machines.

Before the cool drinks reached every nook and corner of the state, goli soda had a prominent place as a summer beverage. It not only quenched the thirst but also helped in overcoming sunstroke. The carbonated drink was also used to help those suffering from seizures recuperate.

During summer, goli soda carts used to be seen on either side of the road and a majority of them used to mix it with lemon to make the favourite ‘nimma soda’, with the tangy taste.

Other flavours like masala soda, sweet soda and sugandhi sodas were also kept available catering to the taste of the consumers.

After the demand for the drink has gone down, many of the traders incurred loss and reportedly turned into agricultural labourers in the district. Some others upgraded their shops and switched to modern automated soda machines. A very few of them have stuck to selling the same beverage in codd-neck bottles as it had been passed on to them by their grandfathers, who made a living selling it.

V. Venkayamma, a goli soda trader in Penamaluru, said that her parents sold the same and so she too wants to continue selling it, even though the cost of the gas used in making soda, lemon and mineral water have gone up and there is a very little profit margin. “We cannot hike the price of goli soda just because it is summer as customers would then prefer to buy cool drinks,” she pointed out.

M. Surendra, a native of Poranki, said that the goli soda gas gives immediate relief from sunstroke, from bloating due to acidity and that no other cool drink can tastes the same as it.