‘Sisir Saras’ Celebrates Taste and Tradition with ‘Saras Aahar’ and Grand Cultural Evenings
– Huge crowd flocks to taste Mushroom Pakoras by Mushroom Maa ‘Sava’
– Similipal’s ‘Barehipani Drink’ wins hearts
By Sukant Mohanty
Bhunbaneswar,Jan.11: The Sisir Saras fair, jointly organized by ORMAS and Mission Shakti, is witnessing an impressive turnout at both the shopping zones and food stalls. A beautifully decorated food court featuring lights and Pipili (woven) decor has been set up for visitors’ convenience. As the sun sets, the crowd continues to grow, with visitors enjoying delicious food along with the colorful cultural festivities.
Food stalls from various districts of Odisha as well as from outside the state have been set up. Among Odisha’s specialties are Baripada Mudhi Mansa, Kendrapada Rasabali, Koraput Coffee, and Nabarangpur mushrooms. In addition, stalls from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and other states have also added to the culinary diversity of the fair.
One of the major attractions is the food stall of Sava Bharat of Nabrangpur, fondly known as “Mushroom Maa”, where people are lining up to relish her fresh mushroom pakoras. She personally prepares mushroom delicacies along with fresh chutneys at her stall. Through mushroom cultivation at the grassroots level, she has become self-reliant and has also empowered many rural women with livelihood opportunities. She practices organic cultivation using vermicompost and encourages farmers to adopt natural farming methods over chemical-intensive modern techniques. So far, she has trained more than 5,000 women across districts like Koraput and Nabarangpur through various government and non-government initiatives, helping promote mushroom farming and women’s self-reliance. Similarly, mushroom pakoras prepared by women from Self-Help Groups of Jajpur are also drawing large appreciation. Beyond fresh mushrooms, they are also producing value-added products such as dried mushroom powder, Badi, Sauce, Papad, and Pickles, enabling year-round use of mushroom-based foods.
The popular Baripada Mudhi Mansa stall is attracting food lovers with traditional dishes like mutton mudhi, manda pitha, mansa poda pitha, mansa patua, and meat roasted in Sal Leaves. Visitors can also enjoy desi chicken with chuna roti, rice, or mudhi, choosing according to their preference. A special attraction is the ‘Barehipani Drink’ prepared from indigenous red rice, which has earned praise as the “Taste of Similipal”.
Along with freshly prepared dishes, a wide range of processed food products are also available at Sisir Saras. All items are priced affordably to suit every budget. People of all age groups—from children to the elderly—are enjoying the rich diversity of flavors brought from across the state.
The cultural evenings are equally captivating. The live concert by popular Bollywood singer Divya Kumar has generated great excitement among the youth. Traditional dance performances such as ‘Ghumura’ from Kalahandi, ‘Santali’ dance from Keonjhar, ‘Karma dance’ from Koraput, ‘Dhemsa’ from Rayagada, along with Rajasthani folk dance, have deeply touched and entertained the audience.
