One of the names you tend to associate most with the State School Festival is Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboodiri. He has been the chief chef of the festival for a decade now.
The 55{+t}{+h}edition, which concluded here on Wednesday, could well be his last, though. He does not want to associate with the festival anymore because he wants to protest against the government’s attitude towards Kerala caterers for the National Games. “I was hurt when all the caterers from the State were ignored,” he says. “The contracts were given to caterers outside the State, though there were several eligible ones from here.”
Pazhayidam says he would miss the festival. “I loved cooking food for thousands of children every day,” he says. “But I felt I had to make a point.”