Ethnic food, enactment of village life at first Tulu festival

Though the convention was scheduled to start at 5 pm on Thursday, hundreds of people started thronging the venue on Wednesday itself. An unprecedented enthusiasm was evident among those gathered to participate at the gala cultural show.

The main centres of attraction were the typical Tulu village at Ajjere Kallu recreated by veteran artist Jagadish Ammunje and well-known artiste Jeevanram Sullia and the Atilda Aragene (food court) where over 50 varieties of Tulu delicacies were showcased. For a nominal price, visitors had the rare opportunity of tasting traditional Tulu cuisine.  
The ethnic snacks and beverages were being sold in beautifully designed stalls managed mostly by women from traditional Tulu households.

 The women were not only generous with their servings but they were also courteous and indulgent towards those who wanted to know a little bit more about the ingredients that go into their preparations that included dishes such as  ‘pundi gasi,’ ‘raagi manni,’ ‘Indeda manni,’ ‘nela nekkare’ and ‘manjeltha iretha gatti.’ Besides, some typical Tulu juices like ‘punarpuli juice,’ ‘bonda-sharbath’ were a hit among the visitors.

The scenes of simple and inspiring rural people at the typical Tulu village so painstakingly recreated by Ammunje provided a fascinating peep into the hoary past of the Tulu culture and traditions.

The sight of village head seated regally on a chair at his house with an ancient telephone instrument on the desk receiving different people at his house and helping to resolve family feuds and disputes.