Come Wednesday and the Capital’s Baba Kharak Singh Marg will play host to its fifth Dilli Ke Pakwaan festival where some 40 street vendors will prepare mouthwatering dishes. Organised by the Delhi Tourism Department, the event is aimed at providing space to street food vendors in the region. The initiative, according to the officials, may usher in a new wave of vibrancy in the street food arena.
Sudhir Sobti, the spokesperson for Delhi Tourism, said it was this time of the year when people are on an exploration drive to savour diverse flavours. “Our Dilli Ke Pakwaan festival is the perfect destination to enjoy the culinary multiplicity. Here flavours don’t end and a dish as homespun as dosa has infusion of flavours when cooked in a Punjabi kitchen than the traditional South Indian one!”
Not only restricted to food, the Dilli Ke Pakwaan will also be host to numerous activities like recipe competition, food photography crash course, expert food talk, musical evenings, art and craft section along with others. Dilli Dil Se, recipe competition-cum-food talk will allow people to freely drop their secret recipes and earn recognition, and pioneering expert from the industry will also be conducting talks on healthy food and special diets.
Dilli Belly, a food photography workshop will impart the skill of clicking beautiful photos using basic camera devices/mobile phones. Sobti said that visitors will be given a chance to embellish the venue through on-spot paintings of autorickshaw installations under the banner Rang De Dilli.
“The entire venue will be themed to showcase the vivid culture and traditions of Delhi. Cultural presentations, sale and presentation of handicrafts and handlooms items along with engrossing talk shows will be accompanying the foodies for a complete and delightful package,” said Sobti.
A musical delight, Delhi Unplugged, will offer melodious evenings full of genres such as Indipop, Sufi, Qawwali along with other youth centric tracks. With food being the major offering, the festival is all set to be full of entertainment and series of activities.
In a special societal welfare opportunity at Dilli Ke Pakwaan, an NGO Antardrishti, along with its sister project Antarkranti, will showcase its exquisite products at the venue. Antardrishti works towards the benefit of visually impaired while Antarkranti helps in rehabilitation and reformation of prison inmates. All the revenue generated from the sale of these products will go to the benefit of the physically challenged. From a wide range of aromatherapy products to exquisite handicrafts of modern art, the venue will be a mixed bag of admirable items and gastronomic delights.