Twenty-year-old Mangala loves the coconut chikki she receives as prasada at Vani Kala Kendra in Basaveshwaranagar. M.K. Mani, who comes all the way from Cambridge Layout to Seshadripuram Rama Seva Samithi for the concerts, doesn’t miss his hot cuppa in the canteen while enjoying the tani-avartha . At Chamarajpet Ramaseva Mandali, visitors jostle in and out of the canteen while humming to the tune of the artists.
For, it is not just music that is fundamental to the Sri Ramanavami celebrations in Bengaluru. Providing food to those who gather is a parallel service that most event organisers follow as a norm.
Maybe it began with the fact that the summer months are ideal for the distribution of panaka and kosambri. Slowly, food became part of the tradition even as the number of concerts and the audience grew multifold.
For Ramaseva Mandali, it was soon clear that they needed a canteen attached to their venue (Fort High School). They see a footfall of about two lakh over the 31 days of cultural programmes. “The canteen (was set up) out of public demand, with samosas, idlis, doses and bajjis selling like hot cakes. Most people who come from far-off places look forward to such conveniences,” said S.N. Varadaraj, a member. This year, Ramaseva Mandali has allocated additional space of 20 feet, with a lower-level platform and flooring, to house the canteen — known as Ramesh’s Canteen.
Apart from this, the Mandali prepares food (both lunch and dinner) for 500 people every day. “My father, S.V.N. Rao, regarded the festival as the time for anna daana (providing food) and always insisted that the visiting artistes and people should get to eat there,” Mr. Varadaraj said. Ramaseva Mandali serves a ‘Karnataka platter’ to nearly 5,000 people during its Founders Day celebration and Ramapattabhisheka.
At the Seshadripuram Rama Seva Samithi’s open-air programmes, hot cuppas are a part of the experience. “The canteen serves snacks such as vade, uppittu and dose , although coffee and tea sell more. Most people walk in after an early dinner to relax and enjoy the music while breathing in the fresh air,” said V. Tarakaram of the Samithi.
Karanji Ramaseva Samithi Trust in Gandhi Bazaar, which is into its 62nd year of music programming, regularly serves thindis such as puliyogare and distributes 10 kg of prasada such as usli daily.
“On Ramanavami, we distribute 100 kg of chitranna (lime and mango rice) to nearly 4,000 people during the concerts. And our custom of Ramapattabhisheka lunch is for several hundreds of people,” said Anantharaman K.R., president of the Samithi.
At the Rama Bhaktha Bhajana Sabha, where 150 people have lunch every day for 10 days during the festival, the food routine has been followed scrupulously for over a century. “We do not have a regular canteen, but coffee and tea are served alongside tiffin varieties such as avalakki, uppittu and pongal. Usli is distributed regularly as prasada to nearly 1,000 people every day,” said C.V. Venkatesh of the Sabha.
