Mysuru: Traditional chefs, who are experts in cooking dishes that are famous in and around Mysuru, have been hired to supply food for the two-day State BJP Executive meeting that began in the city this morning.

Cooks arrived at Rajendra Kalamandira, the venue of the event, yesterday evening and started the preparations for today and food is being cooked for over 700 delegates, 400 volunteers and around 200 guests, visitors and the media.

It will be a fully vegetarian spread. For today’s breakfast, Upma and Dumrot were served along with coffee and tea. For lunch, Akki Rotti, Yennegai, Mavinakai Chitranna, Sweet Corn Soup, Kosambari, palya made with beans and carrot, paalpayasa, rice, sambar, rasam and curd rice were served.

At 4.30 pm, balekai bajji, kodubale, Mangaluru Avalakki will be served with coffee and tea. For dinner, Methi Chapathi, Pacchadi, rice, sambar, rasam and Shyavige Payasa will be served. Tomorrow, the breakfast menu includes Set Dosa, Sagu, Shyavige Bath and Pineapple Kesaribath.  

Around 350 cooks and their helpers are engaged in preparing food and separate sections have been created at the venue for VIPs, delegates, VIP assistants and gunmen and local party workers to have food.

According to cooks, dishes and snacks made out of millets grown in Mysuru region which are rich in nutrients are being prepared. To beat the heat, delegates will also be served with mango and moosambi juice and masala majjige.

Austerity MEASURES

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity, the State BJP leaders are not making the executive meeting an extravagant affair. Aligning with Swachh Bharat Mission, the venue of the meeting has been declared plastic-free. Plastics are not being used even in banners and there is a blanket ban on flex boards.

For accommodation, State BJP President and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has opted to stay inside the Rajendra Kalamandira. Sources in the party said that as Yeddyurappa has chosen the venue itself as his place of stay, there was no question of other leaders opting for star hotels.

Even Union Ministers are expected to make their own arrangements. MLAs and MLCs will share the available rooms at the venue for accommodation.

The Rajendra Kalamandira is owned by BJP District (City) senior Vice-President M. Rajendra, who is also the President of Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurants Association. Twenty rooms are available at the venue and over 300 rooms have been booked in medium range hotels. A separate hotel has been booked for women participants with only women staff, sources said.