CHENNAI: Kalyaana samaiyal saatham, Kaaikarigalum pramaadham, Antha gaurava prasaadham, Idhuvae enakku podhum... SV Ranga Rao, who played the iconic role of Ghatotkajan in the 1957 cult classic film Mayabazar, lipsynced to this song, heartily laughing and taking in the aromatic flavours of the wedding feast that he waited to devour.
Decades later, the song is as fresh as the raindrops outside when one thinks of a traditional kalyana sappadu. But in a pandemic world, when marriages have been cancelled or postponed, guest list restricted and other protocols put in place, much of the grandeur of the wedding ceremonies has lost its sheen.
Not to forget the morning tiffin of idli, vadai, pongal, kesari and chutney accompanied by filter kaapi, and the post-muhurtham elaborate elai sappadu that we missed in 2020. But, if the past year has taught us anything, it is that hope keeps the head and heart alive.
It’s with this sentiment that Chennai’s wedding caterers now deliver this feast of joy at our doorsteps. Business models, menu plans and packaging of the feast are being tweaked to include the virtual guests.
Recreating experience
After several brainstorming sessions, the team of Arusuvai Arasu caterers joined hands with Weddings & Marigolds, an event management company. The duo toyed with multiple ideas to package the lavish feast in a way that offered a ‘been there, ate that’ experience of elai sappadu. Putting their creativity and coordination skills to test was one such wedding project where they handled the delivery of sappadu to 85 households in the city.
“All 23 items, which normally get served in south Indian weddings, had to go to the bridegroom’s friends and relatives. We created a little menu card, which also showed the order of serving at a wedding. Each partition in the hot case was numbered according to the printed menu card so that you knew exactly what each box contained. To avoid spillage, we mixed kuzhambu, rasam, sambar with rice so that it’s easier to consume,” shares Mathangi Srinivasamurti, founder, Weddings & Marigolds. Rolled banana leaves are kept along with containers in wire baskets of yellow, orange and pink colours, woven by Manjal — an NGO that attempts to revive Chettinad crafts.
The main dishes are served in hot packs to maintain the temperature. All other smaller items like curies and poriyals are packed in airtight containers. The hot pack and basket are for the guests as return gifts. “A hot pack serves one. So, we distribute according to the count in a household. In the case of large families, a bigger carrier is provided. No food goes waste as it can always be carried forward to the next day. We also add bakshanam if requested. The idea is to keep it as aesthetically pleasing as possible,” details Mathangi, who has executed this concept in a few weddings in Chennai since September 2020. But, the team still had the huge responsibility of delivering the food on time.
“One of our clients suggested Unanu, a delivery service, for professional and safe delivery to all the families on the guest list. We divided the 85 households into zones and aimed at having all five trucks depart between 9 am and 9.30 am with the truck carrying food to the farthest location being the first to leave,” explains Mathangi, adding that they can deliver wedding food to a minimum of 20 guests or more. The pricing for the customisable meal portions range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 depending on the choice of packaging and menu.
For Mathangi, however, it was the typical sappadu scenes — watching kids trying to stop the rasam from flowing out of the banana leaf, elders scooping up the payasam in one swift hand movement, and making sure every guest has eaten to their heart’s content — that she sorely missed. Yet, amid the cacophony of nadaswaram and clattering of vessels, her phone just did not stop ringing, once the guests had polished off the containers of food. “Sappadu is an emotion.
The way the whole meal was meticulously packed reflects the love and affection of the groom’s family. The way the food needs to be served is an art in itself and not many pay attention to it in a dining hall. So, their illustration and numbered boxes helped us arrange the items on the leaf, just like how it’s done traditionally. This thought is commendable and definitely needs to be explored. Relatives, especially the elderly, feel satisfied,” shares Latha Ganesh, a guest, who was served by Mathangi’s catering service.
Ups and downs
While this wasn’t the plunge several conventional caterers were willing to take, a few such as Sastha Catering Services (Porur), Mountbatten Mani Iyer Catering Services and Sri Balaji Catering services tapped on this opportunity. Weighing the pros and cons, K Srinivasan, son of veteran caterer ‘Mountbatten’ Mani Iyer, shares “One has to be careful with the items in the menu. If I deliver a box of cauliflower roast, poori or bajji, it will get chewy and hard by the time it reaches the guest. Clients must understand that and not raise it as a complaint.
The delivery model doesn’t give me complete satisfaction. However, if this is the way forward then we will have to adjust.” Mountbatten Mani Iyer Catering services and Sri Balaji Catering Services prefer delivering the bulk supply to the host family at a convenient time. “It’s not cost-effective for us to deliver at the doorstep of every person in the guest list. So we leave it to the families to handle it through Dunzo,” says Balaji Pattappa, a sixth-generation caterer.
On the other hand, Venkatesan Krishnan of Sastha Catering Services (Porur), offered the taste of the kalyana sappadu during Margazhi music festival for rasikas. Besides, he also catered at a few weddings and took charge of the delivery of sappadu as well. On the bright side, Mathangi is glad that the business model is picking up. “I think we have begun our new journey quite well even if we didn’t get everything right. We can either handle the catering, packaging and delivery for clients or just the delivery by leaving the choice of caterers to them.
If we can create more employment opportunities this way, then why not? We have to constantly update ourselves to sustain in this ever-evolving hospitality industry. The lockdown has prepared us for the game with enough trial runs,” says a hopeful Mathangi. Like Neil Armstrong said when he first walked on the moon, ‘That’s one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind’, Mathangi and her ilk have taken their first steps in a newnormal. And perhaps now, the battle for mudhal pandi will be a nostalgic story to be narrated to future generations.