Vindu... bhale pasandu

Ever wondered what is a ``Shadrasopetha bhojanam''. It means a meal of delectable delicacies giving your taste buds six different flavours... vagaru, teepi, uppu, karam, chedu and pulupu. Reminds you of Ugadi pacchadi and the much sought-after traditional Telugu ``bhojanam'', ain't it?

Now, hold your breath and here is a wonderful idea if you are throwing out a party or want to take your beloved ones out to a dinner. The basic tastes may be limited. But ``Telugu Sampradaya Vantakalu'', the five-day food festival beginning from Saturday at Shilparamam is offering you a mind-boggling... er... ``tongue- titillating'' variety of 120 exotic food items.

The exhaustive menu reads Pulihora, Perugu Chutney, Payasam, Bajji, Garelu, Rasam..., and it goes on. You have a minimum of five varieties in each of these items. For example, Minapa Garelu, Pesara Garelu, Chana Garelu, Mokkajonna Garelu, you name it, they have it.

One can test the capability of the taste buds, with as many as 30 varieties of food items. Bakshalu and Chakinalu, which go with Ugadi and Sankranti festivals respectively, are also here for those who missed them this year. In Payasam alone they have more than 10 varieties -- Semya Payasam, Saggu Biyyam Payasam, Pesarapappu and Coconut Payasam are a few to name.

Dadhojanam, Perugu Vada, Perugu Chutney and Bajji, identified with Telugu household, are regular items throughout the festival. It's being organised by Shilparamam, the Arts and Crafts village in Madhapur as part of Sri Krishna Janmashtami and ``Sravana Sambaralu''.

It is not just the food that is tempting. All the five-evenings, there are light classical music concerts, dance ballets by renowned artistes to create a perfect ambience. It's going to be an evening of "mrushtanna bhojanam" and melodious music.

By Marri Ramu

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