Kadalekai Parishe - the heritage of namma Bengaluru

  My memories of Kadalekai Parishe or the groundnut fair dates back to my childhood days when I used to visit it with my mother, granny and aunts, roaming the streets flooded with people, buying loads of nuts to be eaten at home in different forms - raw, boiled, roasted, salted , sweetened and what not! 

As I grew up, I completely lost interest in such kinds of cultural festivals. May be as I developed an aversion to crowded places or may be due to a stressful lifestyle that comes free with an IT job..never bothered to analyse. 
But thanks to my love for street photography which recently revived my interest in this fair.  I was inspired to witness it through a fresh pair of eyes - my camera lenses. 

The event, held around the areas of Basavanagudi annually on the last Monday of Karthika masa, (typically around November end or December beginning) is one of the biggest of its kind in south Bangalore. It is a vibrant local festival and a real feast for the eyes. 

Here are some of the colourful and candid moments that I froze during the event.  

ಬಡವರ ಬಾದಾಮಿ(Poor man's almond)

Vendors geared up to sell their wares

Symmetrically arranged flower vases decorating the foot paths

Something to engage you while I shop for myself :)

Brisk business for cane juice vendors even during the winter

Irony of life - A distressed face selling some happy faces

All the heroes lineup together

Rocking Bugle Rock road

A woman breaths life into an idol as she awaits customers

Drums to beat your blues

Pretty dolls and wall hangings adorned the walls, trees and pavements in the surrounding areas. If you collect dolls for Navaratri, this is the right time to buy it at a good price.  

Dancing queens

Who'll buy us?

Rajasthan Royals

Blow away your worries

You can find the roads rimmed with mouth watering food all along

Tothapuri mavinakai and pineapple with chilli powder  - Bangaloreans' way of beating the chill 

Something for the sweet toothed

Garmagaram Kallekai

Ramaphala 

Nellikai, hunasekai, makai shunti - ingredients for the pickle of the season and my favourite too

Omnipresent Bhel

Sugar canes

Piping hot food for the winter

Masks to bask in their glory

Some angry faces amidst the exuberant

A lass testing her shooting skills

Wanna ride like papa

The candy man

People thronging the Bull Temple

A lady constable going nuts over the crowd stops to try some nuts for herself :)

Monkey business

 

Beauty behind the veil

Wonder what was going on in her mind at that moment...

You don't need to be rich to be happy!

Anxiety filled faces..

Like mother like daughter

Business getting brisk towards dusk...

The moustache wala surrounded by the moustachless

Girls catching up for a small chat in between their business