Report by Lancy J. D’Souza
Al Khobar, Oct 26: Under the closing summer brilliant sunshine on friendly Aziziyah beach side, in the warmth of a spacious villa courtyard, MASA Food Festival aptly titled Bhojana 2011 kick started on a promising note.
Vice President Santhosh Shetty welcomed gathered members and guests with greetings and invited President Ravi Karkera, Gen. Secretary Viraj Shetty, Treasurer Ahmed Gulam Beary,Advisory Committee Chairman Madhav Aminand other Excom members to the dais. All the stall owners were introduced one by one with their stall names and their delicious dishes before the President inaugurated the event.
Sixteen creatively decorated stalls in a myriad of seasonal colors created the right note for a lazy afternoon family brunch. People who arrived in large numbers smelt the pungent spicy aroma of traditional konkan food, wafting in recognizable familiar smell of wholesome food, a mile away.
As families, singles and children walked through the length and breadth of venue, an unmistakable camaraderie friendship and bonding set the perfect ambience for festive mood.Loudspeakers magnified the exotic infusion of western and Indian mixed songs, occasionally breaking into the incessant chatter of daily talk over mouth watering dishes. Juke box junction provided music relief to romantic ballads requested by ardent admirers, dedicated to their spouse and close friends.
You name it, you got it, the array of dishes ranged from the ordinary idli, masala dosa, neer dosa, pav bhaji to the tried and tested Mangalorean spicy curries.Extremely enthusiastic MASA members manned the stalls, serving fresh home cooked food in generous helpings. Smiles matched the moods and feelings, adding cheer and gaiety to the entire proceedings
It was an awesome heady mixturemenu, dishing out humble fried rice, noodles, creamy chutney, raita, parothas, appas, doklas, pakodas veg, non-veg, spl goan konkan thali, kids thali, Gujarathi special Bhel Phuri, Paanir Puri, Dahi Batata Sev Puri, all varieties of Biriyanis, Grills, Kababs, Tikkas and many more to the adventurous fish &Jenjisukka, Pundi Marvai, chicken roast, Kori sukka, mutton pathrodde, Puli munchi, Neer dose.To balance out the spiced course, milk based smoothies, holige, payasa, biscuit rotti, goli baje Kadle Bajil, Masala Dosa, laddus, Gatti, Naiyappa, Buns struck the right taste lingering on so tenderly towards the end of a gastronomic evening.
For the foodies, one could lay hands on the early stock up of diwali sweets, ever so tempting, in its shapes, sizes, colors, customs.
For the thirsty there was a choice of Lassi, Butter milk (Ale), Falooda, Gola, Ice cream, lemon juiceand Jal Jeera and other soft drinks
A total of eight judges among Masa members were assigned the task of tasting delicacies and observing stalls in their packaged presentations while serving the public at large. The Judges to decide the best food, best hygienic and best decorative stalls were Mr. Jagadish Alva, Mohd Farook, Hema Navin Shetty, Sunitha Vishwanath Suvarna. Judges for the evening snacks were Viraj Kumar Shetty, Sunil Shetty, Naseema Abdul Raheem Arkula and Lavina Ivan Pinto.
As the evening progressed, traditional tea break brought in organized games with stalls offering spot prizes and the like. A game of cracking coconuts by opponents (Tarai da Katta) attracted curious spectators urging the tempo of the event. Special attraction of the events were the Tulu Folk dance led by Satish Bajal Team and surprise puppet show by Sherief Karkala. Salesmen ship by children at the toyshop was worth watching.
Six young volunteers encouraged members to purchase raffle tickets. Two winners claimed attractive prizes – C2 Nokia Mobile & Moulinex mixer grinder on lucky raffle tickets.
A light evening breeze provided the perfect setting for President, Ravi Karkera to announce the Winners to loud applause.
Needless to state, kudos to the team that consistently supports the setting up of stalls involving steel pipes, wooden planks and tarpaulin done by Saudi Scaffolding Factory, Dammam with the help of their professional scaffolders under the supervision of Mr. Santosh Shetty.President recognized all the committee (Excom, Advisory, Entertainment, Sports& other committees) members of MASA for their contribution towards sponsorship of this prestigious event.
MASA Bhojana 2011 closed on a memorable note, reiterating its motto to entertain its members in the most delightful refreshing way. A foodie couldn’t have asked for more.
In conclusion, President invited all the members and guests for the 5th Anniversary of MASA scheduled on Thursday 8th December 2011.