MU Students taste the ‘Flava’

Manipal: Enticing your taste buds seemed like the target of Flava, held on Wednesday, 23rd April, at the KMC Greens, organised by KMC. It was a soiree complete with cuisines from all over India, where the multitude states had set out their finest, as well as cuisines from Mauritius & Middle East. 

There were around twenty stalls, each of which displayed the traditional dress of the state, as well as the trademark decorations of the region. The Uttar Pradesh stall had the entrance of the Taj Mahal. Rajasthan brought camels to the fest, and rides were available. Punjabis went all out with Dhol play, and all stalls had a cultural show of dances, with a special martial arts performance called Gatka from Punjab. The best stall was awarded to the Middle East for an authentic menu, and hot-selling chicken shawarmas. 

The fest got mixed reviews from students. While some felt they were reminded of home, many others found the exorbitant prices, a hindrance. As the night progressed, the demand was more than supply, hence the rates were hiked to an extent that eventually, a plate of chaat cost around Rs. 40-50. “At one stall, they said the lassi was free, but I ended up paying almost the same amount with the Thepla I ordered” said Roopali Dhingra, 2nd year, Biotech, MIT. Sahiba Sahi, 2nd year BioMedical student said, “As a participant, I enjoyed it! One funny moment was when the Registrar had Jaljeera from our stall, and he came back for more within a few minutes, only to see that the price had been increased! He was very sporting about it though.” Owing to a majority of KMC crowd, the fest was well-visited.  

The security was stringent as a precaution against trouble brewing due to inter-college rivalry. Another appreciative gesture of the MAHE officials was requesting the students to avoid the use of plastic cutlery as far as possible, as an eco-friendly initiative. 

Sub-edited by Sara Mohammad Siddiqui