Oman: Unique Bunts Food Festival is a Resounding Succcess
Media Release

Oman, Oct 25: The 23rd Bunts gathering on Friday October 22 saw a Bunts’ food festival held for the first time in Oman. The event took place at Ramee Dream Resort, Seeb, from 11 am to 3 pm.

The organizers were dressed in beautiful traditional attire and the aim of the event was to showcase the tradition, culture, heritage, and cuisine of the community and pass it on to the next generation. The welcome drink was ‘Bonda’or coconut water and the entrance to  the hall was adorned traditionally. ‘Kumkum’, ‘arshana’ and ‘Mangalore Mallige’ flown in from Mangalore were offered to guests.

The stage was also beautifully decorated with lamps and flowers and other things. A makeshift kitchen depicting the time before modernity took over was set up for display ‘Dhikel’ with firewood, ‘bisele’ used for cooking, ‘Pperadane’, ‘katti’,  ‘mutati’ and the like were pat of this. A projector displayed various types of Bunt cuisine and background score comprised Kannada and Tulu folk songs.

The programme started with a welcome speech by Ratnakar Shetty followed by lighting of the lamp by the organizers. An invocation to Lord Ganesha followed. The programme was compered by Dr Vijayalakshmi R Shetty.  This was followed by traditional games and the Tulu compere was Ashok Shetty.

Children participated in a colouring and drawing competition judged by Vijayshree Rai. There were two winners in each category. The winners were - Ananya Shetty ,Athisha Shetty, Janav Shetty , Anupam B Shetty, Anshali Shetty ,Akshara Shetty,Adithi Shetty, and Dhrithi Shetty.

For the older children there was a modified version of coconut ‘lagori’ where the winners were Shashwath Shetty and Eshwar Shetty.  ‘Tharai Kottuna’ dice game ‘Ghar Ghar Mandala’, and blindfolded ‘Matka’, were some of the other games for adults.  The feast during the break  included ‘neer dosa’, ‘pundi’, ‘idli’ , ‘Kori-roti’, ‘kori kachpu’, ‘kori ajjadina’, mutton curry, ‘denji’ curry, ‘puli munchi’ fish, fish fry, ‘Basele kudu ta gasi’, ‘manoli chana ajadina’, potato peas ‘gasi’, ‘sambhar’, ‘saar’, ‘kudu saar’, plain rice, boiled rice, ghee rice, pickle, salad, and raitha. The food stall was elegantly decorated with banana leaves and hanging vegetables. The men had their own Sharab Angadi.

The array of chutneys made by the women organizers included mango chutney, ‘podi’ chutney, prawn chutney, ‘Bollingee’ chutney and red chili chutney.  The feast concluded with the sweetness of the ‘Padengi bele payasa’ and ‘Holige’. Food was served in plates and cups made from areca nut leaves and was specially flown in from South Kanara. The final touch was the betel leaves and nut with ‘chunna’ and those who wanted a puff of a ‘beedi’.
 
The grand finale was the ‘Kori Katta’, the great cock fight with the birds being locally sourced. No real knives were used and only plastic substitutes. A demonstration of the cock fight was done as the birds refused to fight! The vote of thanks was by Ratnakar Shetty. 

The whole show was organized by a great team of sportive organizers including Dr Vijayalakshmi and Rathnakar Shetty, Veena and Sukumar Shetty, Mamatha and Surendra Shetty, Keerthi and Prasad Shetty, Pavithra and Jayaraj Shetty, Thrishori and Prasidh Bhandary, Rajeev Shetty and Sharath Shetty who toiled tediously to make this event, the first of its kind in Oman, a huge success.