Most items available here can also be found outside at lower prices and bearing the same taste, often from the same producers,” said Krishna Kumar, a visitor. Feast with a pinch: Dasara Food Mela at Maharaja’s College Grounds remains a big draw for tourists, even as some complain of vendors charging exorbitantly Mysuru: At Mysuru Dasara , food is proving a bigger draw than books. The food mela at Maharaja’s College Grounds is bustling with visitors from morning till night, while the book fair at Bharat Scouts and Guides Grounds, less than a kilometre away, is struggling to draw crowds. Even familiar delicacies at premium prices are finding plenty of takers, but books and literary events are yet to spark similar enthusiasm. The contrast offers a telling glimpse into Dasara visitors’ preferences, with the lure of food outpacing that of the written word. “The concept of a food mela is becoming outdated.
At Maharaja’s College Grounds, the aroma of food and the steady stream of visitors make the food mela a crowd-puller even before it opens at 11.30 am. Visitors begin arriving as early as 10 am and continue to throng the venue until around 10.30 pm.
Visitors, however, want the organisers to introduce a mechanism to prevent what they term as “overcharging”. However, the popularity of the food mela has not spared it from criticism over prices. From donne biryani to North Karnataka’s traditional jowar roti meals, the stalls offer a familiar range of dishes, but visitors say there is little novelty to justify the premium rates. Stall owners cite higher price of raw materials and rental costs in setting up stalls to justify the price tags.