Mysuru: A visit to Sunday market or farmers’ market is a weekly pilgrimage for many who live in concrete jungles. It’s not just the freshness of the fruits and vegetables that is a draw here, but one can experience the strife and perseverance of farmers that begin in their fields and culminate here.

A Green Market (Hasiru Santhe) was organised by the District Administration this morning at Krishnaraja Boulevard to give a chance to Mysureans to visit and have a look, savour and take home as-fresh-as-it-gets vegetables and fruits. What more, while one side of the Boulevard had the Greens, the other side had Chitra Santhe (Art Market) where art lovers and youth thronged to buy paintings, artefacts and trinkets.

People gathered in large numbers to buy organic food and vegetable products, rare paintings and art works. Over 50 Farmer Associations from Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts displayed a variety of chemical and pesticide-free organic products.  

The products on display and sale included organic rice such as Rajamudi, Kempakki (red rice), Sannavalli, Sona, Kuchchalakki (boiled rice) and other products such as Avalakki (beaten rice), pulses, organic jaggery, organic sugar, honey, coconut oil, herbal shampoo, soaps and dry fruits.

Millets such as Saame (Little millet), Navane (Foxtail millet), Sajje (Pearl millet), Baragu (Proso millet), Oodhalu (Barnyard millet), Ragi (Finger millet) and pulses were sold in huge quantities. There was a good demand for organic vegetables including tomato, lady’s finger, Coccinia (tondekai), ridge gourd, brinjal, cucumber, green chilli and root-based vegetables.

Bags of buyers were bulging with varieties of green leaves like basale soppu, coriander, methi soppu, honagone soppu, dantina soppu and palak soppu. Apart from public, District Minister G.T. Devegowda, who inaugurated the event, too bought the leaves and vegetables. He also ate some of the green stuff.           

People savoured food items like Puliogare, North Karnataka special puffed rice, curd rice and other snacks and drank to drink herbal juices. The star attractions of the organic fair were the display of pure cow ghee, naturally extracted edible oil, pumpkin, jaggery and coconut oil.

The other side of Krishnaraja Boulevard had thousands of college students and art lovers seeing rare paintings, drawings and art works. Students Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA), Kalaniketan School, Ravi Varma School of Art and other art colleges displayed their works. Paintings on wood, glass, canvas, paper, walls, clay, sand and leaves drew crowds. Face painting was the major attraction.

Though there were very few visitors in the morning, people started to pour onto the venue after 11 am. The event will be held till 6 pm today. G.T. Devegowda said that the District Administration has planned to conduct organic fair every Sundays across the city.

Unprecedented security

Following incidents of alleged harassment meted out to girls and women during Dasara Open Street festival at the same venue there was unprecedented Police security around the Krishnaraja Boulevard this morning. So much so that in the morning, there were more men and women in khakis than the visitors.

Apart from Policemen, camera-and-drone-equipped Mobile Command Centre was stationed at the venue and over 36 CCTVs cameras were installed all along the road. All the roads leading to Krishnaraja Boulevard were blocked.

MLA L. Nagendra, Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, DC Abhiram G. Sankar, Tourism Deputy Director H.P. Janardhan, Joint Director of Agriculture Mahantheshappa and  others were present.

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