“I am very fortunate and happy to have been asked to cook Telangana delicacies for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other important people. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity given by Bandi ‘anna’ (TS BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar),” said Golla Yadamma, the lady chef specially brought from Gudatipalli village, Husnabad mandal of Siddipet district, to cook the local dishes for BJP leaders at the national executive committee meetings here at the HICC-Novotel Hotel on Sunday.
Despite the hotel being a five-star, the host party unit convinced the management to allow Ms. Yadamma and her six-member team to cook for the delegates snacks, lunch and even desserts in Telangana tradition and style.
The main course had: tomato-beans curry, aloo kurma (potato gravy), bagara baingan (spicy brinjal), ivy gourd-coconut fry, okra- cashew and groundnut fry, ridge gourd fry with soya flakes, methi-moong dal fry, mango dal, biryani, pulihora, pudina rice, white rice, curd rice, gongura pickle, cucumber chutney, tomato chutney and bottle gourd chutney.
Sweet rice or ‘paramannam’ made of jaggery, seviya pudding, sweet pancakes — puran polis and ariselu. The snacks included gaarelu made of moong dal, sakinaalu, makka gudaalu and sarva pindi with various chutneys like that of tomato, groundnut, coconut and chillis.
In all, Ms. Yadamma and her team have prepared 50 food items even while Mr. Sanjay Kumar himself visited the kitchen to look into the preparations. “How are the preparations going on? All the food items should reflect our Telangana cuisine for our guests who have come from different parts of the country,” he advised her. He also requested the hotel chef and other staff to cooperate with Yadamma and company.
She denied not being allowed inside the hotel initially by the security staff. “I was brought here in a Benz car and looked after very well. We have been given a room and had a chance to have food along with the Prime Minister and others. What more does one want?,” said Ms. Yadamma.
Earlier on Satuday night, Mr. Modi and other top party leaders like Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J.P. Nadda, Chief Ministers and deputy Chief Ministers of various BJP ruled States witnessed a performance of ‘Perini Siva Thandavam’ – the traditional dance form of Telangana patronised in the era of the Kakatiyas, by Ratan Kumar and party.
Mr. Kumar too belongs to Karimnagar, from where Mr. Sanjay Kumar hails, and this dance form was popularised once again by noted dancer Nataraja Ramakrishna. This art form was said to have been practised by the soldiers of the Kakatiya armies before going to the war.
