Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Indore's famous street food hubs gear up to offer mouth-watering snacks to guests

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore's famous street food vendors are gearing up to offer their mouth-watering snacks to foreign guests during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention to be held here from January 8 to 10.

Nearly 3,000 Non-Resident Indians are expected to attend the three-day programme.

Sarafa Chowpatty here, known as a paradise for 'chaat' lovers, has been accorded the status of "clean street food hub" by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The street food hub, located near the palace of the former Holkar rulers, bustles every night after jewellery shops in the area call it a day.

The Chowpatty operators have made preparations to whip up traditional dishes for those taking part in the high-profile gathering, representatives of their associations said on Thursday.

Ram Gupta, president of the Night Sarafa Chowpatty Association, said that the street food market comprising 108 shops is being decorated with attractive lighting for the foreign guests visiting Indore, which has consistently bagged the title of India's cleanest city.

"We will serve traditional delicacies like 'bhutta ka kees', peas and green gram 'kachori' and garadu (a yam-based savoury) free of cost to the foreign guests. We want the guests to carry with them a unique experience of taste," he said.

Gunjan Sharma, president of the association of shops at '56 Dukaan', another popular street food market here, said they have decorated the place with colourful flags and installed welcome gates for the guests coming from across the world.

This food market has also been given the status of "clean street food hub' by the FSSAI.

"We have prepared a special dress featuring three colours of our national flag for the employees of the 56 shops here in view of the convention, so that the Indian spirit of hospitality can be displayed in front of the foreign guests," Sharma said.

He said the guests at the high-profile event will be served dishes like "hotdog, namkeen, patties, gajak, kulfi and shikanji with traditional flavours of Indore without any charge".