Session spices up MLF with humour, culinary anecdotes

Mysuru: The Kannada panel at Mysuru Literature Festival (MLF) brought together two seemingly different worlds: The artistry of cuisine and the importance of organic farming. Held by the poolside at Hotel Southern Star last evening, the session titled ‘Safety in Farming; Nala Bhimasena’s Culinary Delights’ served up a blend of food, farming and thought-provoking discussions.

Veteran actor and popular culinary show host ‘Sihi Kahi’ Chandru (A. Chandrashekar) kept the audience engaged with his trademark humour, drawing laughter while encouraging them to reflect on food and farming.

The session was anchored by storyteller Dharmendra Kumar of ‘Mysurina Kathégalu’ fame.

Challenges lead to progress

David Bello, who moved from South Africa to Mysuru in 2011 and founded Naviluna Chocolate House, shared his entrepreneurial journey, recalling the challenges of establishing a chocolate business in a new city. “Without challenges, there is no progress,” he said.

Engineer-turned-organic far- mer Madhu Chandan, Founder of ‘Organic Mandya,’ spoke about his mission to detoxify farmland in Mandya district through organic farming. “Pandavapura has already been declared an organic taluk,” he said.

Recalling his decision to return from the United States to take up farming, Chandan said, “Solving problems abroad felt meaningless when farmers here were struggling. Preventing farmer suicides became my mission. Today, 12,000 to 13,000 farmers are part of this movement.”

Cooking is meditation

Vinay Srinivas, owner of Bengaluru’s RVR Caterers, highlighted the precision required to prepare food for large gatherings. “Cooking is meditation. Lose focus and the dish collapses,” he said, adding that he is passionate about reviving forgotten traditional recipes.

Sharing anecdotes from his long television career, ‘Sihi Kahi’ Chandru said, “I have never cooked a single non-vegetarian dish. Since 1992, I’ve hosted 3,000 episodes and prepared 6,000 recipes.”

He also recalled inviting Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to his show, where Shivakumar described Chandru’s ‘avarekalu chitranna’ as the best he had ever tasted. “What greater compliment could I ask for?” Chandru said with a smile.

Concluding the session, Madhu Chandan said, farming can be both sustainable and profitable if pursued with commitment. “If one commits sincerely to farming, an acre can yield over Rs. 1 lakh a month. Many farmers in Karnataka are already achieving this. Trust the soil — Mother Earth never abandons those who believe in her,” he said.