“I didn’t come here for the music, I wanted to have bondas in the canteen,” said Hariprasad, a Hanumanthanagar resident who had come to Gayana Samaja’s annual conference on K.R. Road.
He is not alone. Violinist Kumaresh and mridangist Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma are among the many who enjoy the bondas and coffee at the Samaja’s canteen, run by Manjunath and family for two decades.
“People fight when they see the canteen closed. Such eateries matter as thousands gather during our music programmes. The short intervals are chances of social gathering both the artistes and the visitors look forward to,” said M.R.V. Prasad, president of the Samaja.
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“I introduced the ‘Malnad Kashaaya’ here as most musicians loved the idea of a natural throat equaliser,” Mr. Prasad said, adding that the Trichur Brothers and Venkatesh Kumar were among those who drink it.