Dishing delectable fare for the wayfarer
Highway on a platter
Farmers of Chikkaballapur are facing an economic crisis. On the one hand, lack of water supply and irrigation facilities are forcing the farmers to sell their land.
On the other hand childen of farmers and youth are migrting to the city in search of jobs. This has resulted in lack of farm hands. Farmers has lost hope due to poor crop yields and the burden of loans.
Inspite of all these hurdles some people have learnt to survive and earn their livelihood with minimal investmennt and without making losses. Among them are not only youth, but also a woman grama panchayat member.
Bhagyamma, grama panchayat member of Harobande village runs a mobile canteen on the outskirts of Chikkaballapur on NH-7 near Maraganahalli. Bhagyamma, who belongs to the Jadenahalli village, has been running the mobile canteen for the past three years. She decided that she will not borrow loans for agricultural activities. She is now content with running the canteen and providing sumptuous meals for the wayfarer.
“If it were not for this mobile canteen, I would find it very difficult to earn my livelihood. I open the canteen at 7 am and by 2 pm I finish my day’s work and return home. With this occupation I have been able to improve my economic status”, She says.
Bhagyamma prepares the food at home before taking it to her regular spot in containers. Travellers in vehicles going towards Bagepalli, Anantapur, Hyderabad, Puttaparthi and other places who passes through NH-7 make a stopover at her canteen to have snacks of a meal before proceeding further.
Snacks include idly, vade and dosa and for meals there is ragi balls, chapathis and rice and sambhar. She caters both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals. Chapathi and ragi balls is priced at Rs 8 and a rice plate at Rs 15.
At the same spot Naveen and Shivakumar of Gulvalakkanahalli also run mobile canteens. “We do not possess land and we have no other means of livelihood. We do not want to go to another town in search of works”, they say.
There is a restaurant where these mobile canteens operate. Some people choose to go there, while others patronise these mobile canteens.
