Cyclone Mandous dampens spirit; several stall owners suffer losses as goods get drenched

Mysore/Mysuru: As every year, this year too, the Rangayana premises, the venue of the Bahuroopi Theatre Festival, has many stalls selling a variety of articles, books and delicious food items. Notably all items on sale reflect the overall theme of Indianness and people are taking home many articles.

Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd. Chairman Raghu Kautilya inaugurated the handicraft stalls at Rangayana and painting expo at Suchitra Art Gallery last evening.

Art works at Suchitra Gallery have been created by CAVA students and all of them reflect the theme of Indianness. Themes like unity in diversity, religious & communal harmony, nature & Indian civilisation, maps depicting different Indian region-specific costumes are on display.

Other stalls were seen selling mats and bedsheets, decorative articles, flower garlands, copperware, decorative metal works pottery wares, handloom fabrics and a wide range of other articles. While the stall owners were happy to see customers after the last Bahuroopi, customers said that they came here to purchase goods that carry the symbols of nationalism and Indianness.

Clothes stalls that are selling women’s and men’s desi kurtas, cotton sarees and blouse materials, ready-made handloom items, children’s play articles made of clay and softwood saw extra people. A few stalls were seen selling fresh oil that is derived from traditional ‘gaana’, soaps, herbal tooth powders, herbal powders, energy malt, herbal shampoos and the like made from medicinal plants and herbs. A whole range of decorative and ornamental articles were also on display and sale.

Desi foods for the palate

A wide variety of desi foods from many parts of Karnataka like Karadantu, dishes and juices made of millets, Ladagi laadu, Dharwad Peda, Belagavi Kunda, Savanura Khara, gooseberry juice, pickles and snacks are also available.

Cyclone Mandous has had its effects on Bahuroopi and it rained heavily in the evening, drenching the stalls and people. The stalls that were arranged in front of B.V. Karanth Ranga Chavadi were oozing water and people could not even take shelter under it due to leaky shelters.

A few stall owners complained that the least Rangayana authorities could do was to put up sheet covers on top of the stalls. “This was not done and they had erected shamiyana that cannot withstand rain. A couple of book sellers took back the deposit money paid to Rangayana and left the place as their books were drenched and were not in a position to sell them,” a stall owner said.