Scores of cooks are working round the clock to cater to the thousands of people attending the 83rd Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Mysuru.
With a mandate to provide a variety of Kannada culinary delights, the cooks are serving everything ranging from sweet and khara pongal to poori sagu to menthya soppina bath to anna sambar. Four stalls have been set up, and all of them saw lengthy queues from morning on Friday. Breakfast was served from 7.30 a.m. to noon.
According to Rameshwarappa Kadappa, Senior Deputy Director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, who is in charge of the food arrangements at the meet, more than 70,000 people had breakfast on day 1 of the literary meet. It is estimated that over 1.3 lakh people had lunch. He said that lunch was served even till 6 p.m. as there was huge demand.
In fact, Mr. Rameshwarappa said, the district administration had made arrangement to provide food for delegates at the Scouts and Guides Ground from 4 a.m itself. They were given coffee, tea and other beverages before being taken to guesthouses, he said.
He also said he was taken aback by the huge crowd but food was provided to everyone and no one was sent away empty-handed.
Mr. Rameshwarappa said dinner would be supplied to all the delegates and members of the public, and arrangement would be made to serve a greater number of people. Contracts to prepare and serve the dishes have been given to three individuals.
