Bahrain: 'Atil  2008' - A Fab Food Fair Par Excellence

By Ronald D’Souza & Joe Andrade

Bahrain, Jan 13: Moghaveers Bahrain were at their creative best with their “a la carte’ variety mouth-watering home-made cuisine display and take it all show held at the Papillon Restaurant Auditorium  premises on Thursday, 10th January, for their typical ‘ATIL 2008’ program commencing at 8.00 pm

For the third time in the past four years of their existence, “Atil 2008” was a spread of lavish 60 plus home-cooked specialities sumptuously laid up for the Tulu and non-Tulu speaking Dakshina Kannadites  taste buds!

“Atil 2008” had an endless stream stream of Kanarite food enthusiasts who wasted no time but to snatch or grab whatever delicacy available till the last bite in the pot, some even carrying it home as ready-to-eat-meals!    Mogaveers are a community known for its culinary skills and expertise promoting the Tuluva food culture and tradition which they revive every year in the right team spirit and unity in this program that is unique to their community.

Girish Iddya, Association President welcomed the crowd.  Mr. Nissar Ahmed, Owner of the Gulf-Russian Restaurant in Bahrain, was the Chief Guest who inaugurated the program on stage in a typical native Moghaveer tradition serving choice ethnic delicacies on a banana leaf (Kodi Ire) with the help of a traditional ladle (Thippidha Kayile) which symbolized serving family meal with love and respect as well as due prayerful credence to a reincarnation belief that our ancestors would be guiding and showering blessings. 

Leeladhar Kanchan, who was the main compere, briefed the significance of the ethnic serving tradition to the assembled large crowd in the presence of Association President Girish Iddya who led the Chief Guest to the podium.    “I am thrilled to inaugurate this unique “Atil” event that speaks a lot about Tulunad in a home away from home” said Nissar Ahmed addressing the crowd.

The lip-smacking dishes were labeled in Tulu and displayed in an orderly eye-catching manner for anybody’s taking at special subsidized prices.    To name some of the delicacies in native Tulu: Ambade Uppad, Thimare Chutney, Bele Saar, Kadle-manoli, Golai Chutney, Balyaar Chatney, Boothai Gasi, Galai Gasi, Maanji Gasi, Maruwai Sukka, Jenji Sukka, Bondaas Sukka, Yetti Sukka, Kori, Kuri and even Panji!    Chappati, Iddli, Urpel Nuppu, Biryani and some sweets too!      The Mogaveers proved to be creative astronomers to everyone’s mouth-watering gastronomies!
 
The other highlights of the evening program included an In-house Raffle Draw conducted by Sunil Kotiyan, Suresh Amin and Vinod Shriyan with prizes being distributed by seniors among the crowd Krishna Suvarna, Ronald and Srikrishna Bhat.    A Ring-Throw game with attractive prizes  organized by Sudhir Acharya, Bhaskar Acharya, Shankar and Sampath Jathanna kept the crowd busy throwing rings on the baits.     They were ably assisted by Krishna Kundar and Manohar Hejmadi at the Cash Coupon counter and were the crowd controllers.     Assisting in the food gallery were C.L. Mendon, Uday Polipu, Padmanabh Kanchan, Devu Amin, Nikhil Shriyan, Arun Karkera, Pravin Mendon and Kamal Survarna.

DJ Joe spun the discs making some youngsters perform their dancing act to the tune of music.     “Kolpu dance” (traditional break-dance of fast-rotating hips) was performed by a few to the beats of fast Hindi-English beat tracks.    The “Gadang” (a traditional liquor bar at the corner of the auditorium) was responsible for this reverberating chemistry!

The program was a thumping success due to the patronage and support of so many well-wishers and friends, including Papillon Restaurant (Savin Shetty and John), Nissar Ahmed, Ramesh Manjeshwar, Amarnath Rail Jagannath Kadekar, Ranjan Salian Iddya, Nagesh Shetty, Chef Corner (Vittal Shetty), Crystal Restaurant (Balkrishna Shetty), Central Café (Prakash Shetty), Nestle International (Bharath Kumar), Intercol (Navin Mendon), GDN, Bahrain Tribune, Radio FM, Creative Advertising (Ashok Shetty), Shankar Jathanna (Antiques), Bhaskar Acharya (Art Works), Sudhir Acharya (Ring throw game in Charge), Kannada Sangha, Bunts Association, Guru Seva Samithi and Anand Lobo.   Thanks go to a number of behind-the-scene Chefs of both gender from the community and others who put in a whole lot of effort  and time in preparing the delicacies and making it all a delicious nourishing cherished day for all who came to ‘ATIL 2008’.     The Vote of Thanks was the privilege of Mr. Leeladhan Kanchan.

We now look forward to the forthcoming even more mouth-watering ‘ATIL 2009’.   Watch out for the ‘Atil’ date early next year!

(with inputs from Leeladhar Baikampady)