HYDERABAD: Creating an experience that brings together food, culture and water conservation, Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project, organised ‘Samhitha’ at Bansilalpet Stepwell, recently. The event presented guests with the opportunity to relish in the beauty of the stepwell as well as enjoy a Kuchipudi dance recital by Vijayalakshmi Koka. This was enhanced further by snacks and drinks served by Tamera.
The performance began with a graceful welcome dance, followed by a Ganapathi Vandana, invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha. The first set was dedicated to Telangana, celebrating its rich history and cultural heritage. “It holds a special place in our hearts. Through our chosen song, ‘Telangana Bharathi’, we aimed to portray the pride and essence of Telangana,” Vijayalakshmi said. “In the Indian ethos, women are revered as embodiments of divinity. We pay homage to them, much like we worship Goddess Durga, who vanquished the buffalo demon Mahishasura,” she added, talking about the next song that celebrated the fierceness of Goddess Durga.
This was followed by ‘Dasavatara Sabdam’, a rendition depicting the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, from Matsya to Kalki. The performance was concluded with a mesmerising Kuchipudi highlight — Tarangam. Dancers showcased their skilful footwork as they danced on brass plates, intricately choreographed to the theme of Krishna. The talented team included K Surya Silpa, B Pranavi Latha, M Tejaswini, S Siri, C Sree Lasya, S Vyshnavi, and N Srivalli.
The event was also graced by legendary chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who explored the galleries with Kalpana Ramesh and got a gist of the stepwell’s restoration process. “I took him around and explained the transformation of the place. He was quite impressed to know the details. He talked about how passion is the one thing that keeps one happy and nothing can beat that,” Ramesh said.
Appreciating the effort the dancers and young chefs put in, Kapoor shared some tips on chasing their passion in all challenging times and encouraged them to keep smiling.
Shedding light on the relevance of events like these, Kalpana told CE, “We want people to encourage water conservation. The guests at the event are those who contributed to the restoration of the stepwell initially. The idea is to highlight the interconnected of food, water, architecture and culture.”
She also mentioned that in connection with GHMC, she has started working on the idea of building a rainwater harvestation tank and a park in every municipality of Hyderabad.
Keerthana, a chef trained in Manipal is the owner of Tamera by Yalla Bakes, a cozy, pet friendly cafeteria in Gachibowli, specialising in custom celebration cakes, party caterings and B2B curated desserts. She and her team crafted the menu for this event, blending traditional Telangana flavours with a modern twist. The snacks included Sarvapindi tartlets filled with a refreshing mango-cucumber salad, pesto khari (pesto infused into puff pastry) with whipped cream cheese and caramelised onions, along with date and walnut cupcakes and luscious banana jaggery truffles. The food was paired with a refreshing watermelon and mint juice.