Delicacies galore for denizens

Secunderabad: From the soothing Punjabi lassi to the crispy Keralan Pazham Pori, from the delicious Maharashtrian Karanji to the mouth-watering Bengali Nolen Gure Sandesh, the International Sweet Festival being hosted at the Parade Grounds is no less than a paradise for sweet tooths across the twin cities.

Offering over 1200 sweet delicacies from not just the 25 Indian states but also from 15 foreign countries like Turkey, Utopia, Brazil, Spain, Aghanistan etc, the first edition of the sugary fiesta celebrates India’s rich cultural diversity by bringing them together under one roof and promotes world peace. Attracting nearly 2,70,000 people from the Telugu speaking states and other parts of the country in just two days, the Sweet Festival has truly added to the festive spirits.

Unlike sweet festivals, the Hyderabad version will remain special for two unique reasons. Sweet stalls at the fiesta were not separated based on the state they originated from but from the type they belonged to. For example, the lassi of Punjab shared its space with the Kerala special Kulukki Sarbath as both are liquids. Similarly, the Jalebi of Andhra Pradesh was placed along with its Madhya Pradesh counterparts due its similarity.

The master idea behind such conception was to bring people belonging to separate ethnic and geographical backgrounds, living in Hyderabad, closer and make them appreciate one another’s unique cultural identity. “I originally hail from Coastal Karnataka. I have setup a Moong Dal Khichdi stall in the sweet festival.

The response from the guests especially the North Indians have been very inspiring but what touched me the most was that a woman came to me and appreciated my traditional attire.” gleams a 64-year-old Rajani Prabhu.

Another reason why the Hyderabad edition will remain special is that the stalls were not setup by commercial food joints or sweet houses but were purely occupied by the homemade sugary delights prepared by housewives and their families who assisted them in selling them to the visitors.

“The idea of the sweet festival is more about enhancing the traditional Sankranthi vibes where people would get together and have fun than money making corporate function. In such a festive atmosphere, only sweets made at home could take the celebrations to another high. Hence, we have strictly made sure that no company uses the event as its promotional platform.” shares Mamidi Harikrishna, Director (Culture) Telangana.

Apart from the Indian sweets, even foreign desserts found a special place in the hearts of the Hyderabadis. “I have come here with my family and I’m delighted at the mouth-watering varieties of foreign sweets and luckily even my wife and daughter too have a sweet tooth. So, we tasted the Baklava with the special Espresso coffee of South Africa and believe me its heavenly!” exclaims a guest.

But unfortunately, the bliss came along with its shares of difficulties too. Rizwan, a visitor expressed that it became difficult for him to locate sweets in the Indian stalls and to know what desserts were being served at the foreign stalls due to the absence of proper signboards in the venue premises.

Even heavy traffic congestions were observed in the area with motorists and car owners parking their vehicles along the roadsides instead of the assigned parking lots.But at the end, sweets are all that matters, right?!