Pics courtesy : Dev Prasad Swain
Organic products like cereals, pulses, spices, utility items, handicrafts and handloom products from the tribal hinterland of the state are selling like hot cakes at the ongoing Adivasi Mela. The fortnight-long fair that has been attracting huge crowd is nothing short of a live museum where tribal communities have showcased their culture and lifestyle by making replicas of their houses. The fair, which started on Thursday, will continue till February 9.
There is a huge demand for turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cereals like mandia and varieties of pulses. Even a kind of potato grown in interior districts is a hit among the city folks, said Lalita Pradhan, a tribal woman from Kandhamal. She has been coming to the fair for the last 15 years.
Besides, products like badis, a dried and preserved food made from black gram, from Keonjhar district, turmeric from Phulbani and Rayagada, honey, fumigant and tamarind paste from Mayurbhanj, pulses and cereals like black gram, kendula, mustard, cumin seed, cinnamon and a large variety of rice are also quite popular in the fair. Hygienic dried fish are also another popular item in the fair.
Tickling the taste buds, the food court serves a wide variety of traditional tribal dishes including mutton curry and puffed rice (mudhi-mansa) from Mayurbhanj district.
Courtesy : TOI