Rasikas await canteens to dish out variety spread

As the music season of Chennai sets in, the wafting aroma of Filter Kaapi and the “hiss” from masala dosas on the hot pans of sabha canteens is something a Chennaiite would truly relish.

Even before the concert schedules are finalised and the stage is set for concerts, one could see stoves lit at the venues and tables set for the rasikas to enjoy a hot cuppa and crisp vadas. While the rasikas welcomed this greatly, it was received with greater joy by women from ‘sabha neighbourhoods’ who could conveniently give their stoves at home some rest.

However, the ‘canteen season’ does not appear to have really begun yet, though some sabhas have already started their concerts.

And so the rasikas looking forward to some hot idlis and strong coffee, are left disappointed that many venues have hungry emptiness where tables and hot plates should have been, not to forget the familiar faces of those pot-bellied cooks. A quiet enquiry with a couple of sabha secretaries reveals that this year, canteens would be set up on the day of the music festival inauguration, which is a good two weeks into the month of December!

There’s one good news though—Nungambakkam Cultural Academy has begun its annual fest on Friday, promising at the end of its media announcement: ‘Canteen facilities available.’