Free fried rice and ice cream; New food varieties for Attukal devotees

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of the Attukal Pongala festival, the city of Thiruvananthapuram is thronged by devotees from everywhere across the world. Braving the sweltering heat, devotees are truly immersed in fulfilling their yearly ritual of Pongala. Various organisations have also come up with assistance to provide better facilities for all devotees to perform the ritual. As part of this, food and soft drinks are provided at all nooks and crannies of the capital city.

Departing from the normal practice of traditional Kerala rice, this year, many clubs and organizations are providing sumptuous meal dishes including fried rice and ice cream as part of refreshments. Some private hotels are also providing free food for devotees as part of the festival. Some clubs in Thiruvananthapuram have arranged all essential services to provide food for as many as 5000 people.

The ongoing works ensure that no visitors in Thiruvananthapuram will remain hungry amidst the hullabaloo of the Pongala festival. Food offerings are also prepared in various temples. Food distribution is done in compliance with green regulations. Volunteers are also involved in keeping the city clean.

At 10;30 am, prominent personalities such as Ministers V Sivankutty, GR Anil, Mayor Arya Rajendran, MPs Shashi Tharoor, K Muralidharan, AA Rahim, BJP leaders O Rajagopal, and G Krishnakumar attended the function. 300 priests have been assigned to sprinkle theertha (holy water) on all Pongala offerings performed by devotees in the capital city at 2:30 pm.