<p>With most of the homemakers in the City too embroiled in their work to dish out sweets for the festival, restaurants and sweet stalls are making the most of the festival.<br /><br />“This being one of the biggest festivals, we are expecting friends and families to visit us on the festival. It is difficult to get everything ready on time. So, it is easier to book a few things in advance and make sure we are prepared,” says Mayuri, a working professional.<br />Items like sugar candies and yellu bella are now are available in abundance in the markets. <br /><br />At the same time, sweet items like Kaju Barfi, Til Laddus, Cobri Mithai are booked in advance. <br /><br />“Generally people don’t book yellu bella in advance as they want them to be fresh and prefer to come and buy it on the very day. But we are getting a lot of orders for other sweet items which are popular with a cross-section of people who celebrate the festival,” says Manjula from Ace Iyengar Home Products.<br /><br />Manjunath, who works for Sri Krishna Condiments, says that the highlight for the festival is the sugar candies and the yellu bella, which they have just for the festival. <br /><br />“The candies are bought in bulk and we also get demands for candies which come in different shapes,” he adds. Those who make the yellu bella at home book the raw materials in advance.<br /><br /> “We get a lot of orders for jaggery as well. So we take these orders a few weeks before Sankranthi. So far, we have orders for at least 50 kg,” says Ranganath, a store owner. <br /><br />While Neethu, a BPO professional, says that she never takes the risk of preparing sweets at home, Anuradha feels that making these items at home offers a more personalised feeling. “My mother always took some time out during the festival to prepare some of the delicacies like Payasam, Holiges and Kajjayas at home itself. Today, I follow the same since the entire process bonds the family more and you get the taste of home food,” explains Anuradha.<br /><br />There are also those who head out for a grand festive lunch. Halli Mane at Malleswaram is known for their festive meals. <br /><br />Srinivas, the manager of the hotel, says that they would be decorating the entire place and giving out yellu bella to all customers. <br /><br />This year, they have also come out with something different. “The festive feast will have close 20 to 22 items and this year, we are also holding an Avarekalu Mela where we are going to prepare many delicacies using the bean,” he says. “Though they have been enquires for booking, we are not taking any because it won’t be fair to everyone. It’s one of those festivals that a wide section of the society celebrates. And through this festival, we want to provide a taste of Karnataka to those present here.”<br /></p>
<p>With most of the homemakers in the City too embroiled in their work to dish out sweets for the festival, restaurants and sweet stalls are making the most of the festival.<br /><br />“This being one of the biggest festivals, we are expecting friends and families to visit us on the festival. It is difficult to get everything ready on time. So, it is easier to book a few things in advance and make sure we are prepared,” says Mayuri, a working professional.<br />Items like sugar candies and yellu bella are now are available in abundance in the markets. <br /><br />At the same time, sweet items like Kaju Barfi, Til Laddus, Cobri Mithai are booked in advance. <br /><br />“Generally people don’t book yellu bella in advance as they want them to be fresh and prefer to come and buy it on the very day. But we are getting a lot of orders for other sweet items which are popular with a cross-section of people who celebrate the festival,” says Manjula from Ace Iyengar Home Products.<br /><br />Manjunath, who works for Sri Krishna Condiments, says that the highlight for the festival is the sugar candies and the yellu bella, which they have just for the festival. <br /><br />“The candies are bought in bulk and we also get demands for candies which come in different shapes,” he adds. Those who make the yellu bella at home book the raw materials in advance.<br /><br /> “We get a lot of orders for jaggery as well. So we take these orders a few weeks before Sankranthi. So far, we have orders for at least 50 kg,” says Ranganath, a store owner. <br /><br />While Neethu, a BPO professional, says that she never takes the risk of preparing sweets at home, Anuradha feels that making these items at home offers a more personalised feeling. “My mother always took some time out during the festival to prepare some of the delicacies like Payasam, Holiges and Kajjayas at home itself. Today, I follow the same since the entire process bonds the family more and you get the taste of home food,” explains Anuradha.<br /><br />There are also those who head out for a grand festive lunch. Halli Mane at Malleswaram is known for their festive meals. <br /><br />Srinivas, the manager of the hotel, says that they would be decorating the entire place and giving out yellu bella to all customers. <br /><br />This year, they have also come out with something different. “The festive feast will have close 20 to 22 items and this year, we are also holding an Avarekalu Mela where we are going to prepare many delicacies using the bean,” he says. “Though they have been enquires for booking, we are not taking any because it won’t be fair to everyone. It’s one of those festivals that a wide section of the society celebrates. And through this festival, we want to provide a taste of Karnataka to those present here.”<br /></p>
