MYSURU: A competition that not just offers the winner a cash reward, but also a chance to act in a movie. Yes, you read it right. Mandya-based Neladani Balaga and others have organised a ragi mudde and naati koli (country chicken) curry eating contest on Sunday. The competition has already attracted more than 150 entries and will be held in front of the Maramma Temple at Mangala village in Mandya taluk.
According to the event organiser Lankesh, this year’s winner, apart from the cash reward, will also get a chance to act in the Kannada movie titled “Aane baala”. The producer of the movie has promised the organisers to offer a role to the winner to encourage people’s participation in traditional games, he claimed.
Anticipating that the number of entries may go up, the organisers have decided to prepare 50 kg of chicken curry and ragi balls weighing 250 gm each.
The participants will be served naati koli curry and ragi balls and the participant who consumes the highest number of ragi balls and chicken curry will also be honoured with a cash prize of `5,000. The participants who come second and third will get cash rewards of `3,000 and `2,000, respectively. Apart from this, two others will get consolation prizes of `1,000 each besides trophies. There will be an entry fee of `100 per participant.
“Of late, traditional games and local cultures are dying a slow death. In order to revive traditional games, I came up with this idea,” he said, adding that more such competitions are planned in the future as the events will help in bringing people together and also encourage them to take part in traditional games.
He said that one of the participants last year ate 3 kg of ragi balls.