New Delhi:
The Anando Mela marks the beginning of all the fun and excitement
that revolves around Durga Puja. Being a food festival, housewives
prepare authentic Bengali delicacies at home which they then sell
at nominal rates in different stalls at the pandals. While most
pujas will hold the mela on Sunday, welcoming the goddess on Mahashashti,
there were a few which put up the stalls a day ahead on Saturday.
"The enthusiasm among women in the community is
remarkable. There is a huge turnout for this fair. It's
such an essential part of the festival, that we actually look
forward to eat the delicious food at the pandals. During these
four days, most Bengalis, like me, don't cook at home and
enjoy eating here with family and friends," says
Debashish Saha, head of the organising committee at Matri Mandir,
Safdarjung Enclave.
Most puja samitis also give out prizes for the best stall at
their pandals. "We've organised for around
100 stalls. Of these, we will award the best one considering the
presentation, hygiene and of course, the recipe and preparation,"
says Anjan Mukherjee, convenor of Durgotsav at Shiv Mandir, CR
Park. The stalls offer some lip-smacking snacks and sweets -
Ghugni, narkol nadu, pithey, paatisapta, luchi-chhola, taal gurer
payesh. And for those who crave for spicy food, the stalls also
have vegetarian and non-vegetarian items - Mughlai paratha,
fish curry, chicken curry, biryani, egg roll - the list
is endless. Besides, there are North-Indian preparations also
on offer.
Ajoy Ashirwad, an ex-JNU student now working in the media industry,
who is eager to attend the Anando Mela, feels there is dearth
of food outlets offering Bengali cuisine. "I'm
from Asansol and here, in the north, there are very few eating
places where one can get Bengali food, even though we have chains
of restaurants serving south Indian dishes." He further
goes on to say, "Our cuisine is elaborate. It does
not come under the fast-food culture. For these kind of preparations
you need to have fine-dining and proper restaurants which is what
the city lacks."
Kajal Biswas, manager of Oh! Calcutta, one of the few restaurants
in the city which serve traditional Bengali cuisine, says: "The
very flavour of Bengali food, which has its base in mustard oil,
is different. This is why the people take longer to develop a
taste for it. However, our customer base has seen an increase
over the last couple of years and is growing by around 10% every
month. Today, 60% of our clientele comprises non-Bengalis of the
city."
According to Gauri Shankar, manager of Bijoli Grill, another
Bengali food-joint, the food costs more when compared to south
Indian preparations. Shankar says: "We get fish flown-in
from Kolkata, since fish is the main item in our meal. Bengali
food is slightly more expensive that way. But 2005 onwards, we
have witnessed a rise in popularity. The number of visitors have
been increasing by over 20% every year."
Consciousness among people regarding the food they consume has
gone up in the last few years and some cite this as a significant
reason why the demand for Bengali food is going up. "Even
the doctors are highlighting the protein value of fish. And today,
an increasing number of people are moving away from other non-vegetarian
options," explains Anjan Mukherjee.
However, Mukherjee admits the supply is not in correspondence
to the high demand. He adds, "It could be because the community
has not really taken up the task of promoting the cuisine
with as much vigour as the people from other parts of the country
have. We need better entrepreneurship skills to expand the Bengali
food culture in the north."
But, for those who wish to relish and even explore the rich Bengali
cuisine, now is the best time. A visit to the Anando Mela is all
you need.
Source: The Times of India
