Ugadi bonanza, Malls offer big discounts

Visakhapatnam: The thresholds are getting cleaned and strings of fresh mango leaves (mamidi toranam) are readied to adorn the portals as Telugu people gear up to usher in 'Vikari Nama Samvatsaram' celebrated on Apirl 6 this year.

A day before Ugadi, people headed to neighbourhood Rythu Bazaars to stuff their bags with raw mangoes, a bunch of neem leaves with flowers and mango leaves, fruits, flowers, coconut, jaggery and other required ingredients to celebrate the Telugu New Year with zeal.

While the online stores are making the best of the festival season to draw the attention of the shoppers, retail outlets across the city too have toed the line, offering discounts. From ethnic wear to gadgets and edible items, it's raining discounts in a number of outlets on a range of products.

Strengthening the concept of healthy food, Avinashh, a firm that promotes millet-based food, is all set to launch semi-cooked rotis made of sorghum (jonna) and pearl millet (sajja) at MVP Colony. Customising ingredients to suit the festival needs, the Chocolate Craft Club has come up with millet-infused sweets, cookies and snacks along with combo packs that signify 'shad ruchulu' (six flavours), epitomising the essence of Ugadi 'pachadi'.

Ugadi pachadi

The highlight of the festival is Ugadi pachadi. With subtle variations, grandmas and moms get ready to work in the kitchen to blend different ingredients. "The pachadi represents different phases of life that should be accepted and balanced equally.

Normally, it is a mix of sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, sour and tangy flavours. Keeping the traditional taste intact, we also add a bit of coconut and banana pieces to the mixture as children like it that way," explains B Sunitha, a parent. Fresh jaggery, tamarind, pieces of raw mango, neem flowers, green chillies and salt form a part of Ugadi pachadi in many households.