Tuesday is bhandara day for Lucknowites

Come summers and Lucknowites look forward to Bada Mangal, a festival unique to the city. Dedicated to Lord Hanuman, the festival originated nearly 400 years ago and since then the tradition of organising bhandaras has been followed with people feeding the poor on every Tuesday of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. Stalls serving poori-subzi, pulao, chowmein and even burgers and ice creams, can be spotted nearly every 100 metres distributing food to whoever comes to the stall.And it's not just the underprivileged who look forward to these bhandaras. With such a variety of food being offered, even the well-to-do can be spotted eating or taking home the food. And with not just four, but nine Bada Mangals being celebrated this year, Lucknowites are spoilt for choice at these bhandaras with lunch on Tuesday, comprising of bhandara food, mostly.
Bhandara food is enjoyed by people from all walks of life in Lucknow on Bada Mangal (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav, Vishnu Jaiswal and Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui)
For most Lucknowites, these much-awaited bhandaras serve as the perfect hotspot to enjoy all sorts of delicacies says Harshita Mishra, a resident of Gomti Nagar, "Every Tuesday is a new quest to try out different bhandaras for our family. It not only gives us a break from home-cooked meals but also lets us appreciate the warmth and love with which people give out food." Same is the case at Anoop Dikshit's house. A retired government employee who resides in Gomti Nagar, Anoop says that no lunch is prepared at his house on Tuesday. "I go and get food from the bhandara. In Gomti Nagar, we have such a variety of food being served that you go to three-four bhandaras and you have a whole meal for the whole family," says Anoop. And he tells us that last Tuesday he got chowmein at one stall, poori-sabzi from another and chhola-pulao at another. Anoop adds, "There was another one serving boondi which took care of the dessert."
To beat the heat, cone ice creams being distributed by people at one bhandara (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav, Vishnu Jaiswal and Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui)
"It's a no-cooking day for us on Tuesdays ever since the Bada Mangal bhandaras started in Lucknow," shares Sakshi Arora, a resident in Gomti Nagar. "Since I stay near Patrakar Puram Chauraha, there are several stalls of Bada Mangal bhandaras put up there. So we only cook breakfast for the family, and while the male members arrange for the poori-sabzi ka prasad near their business premise in Lalbagh, we ladies get it from near our house. For dinners, we generally order food from outside. So the ladies in the house have been getting a day off from cooking on every Bada Mangal," shares Sakshi.
A practice being followed by Lalita Pradeep, a bureaucrat, who also organised a bhandara at her office last Tuesday. "Although I keep a fast on Tuesdays, I make an exception for at least one or two Tuesday just to have bhandare ka khana. At my house, though everyone has Bada Mangal ka prasad. For me it's not just prasad but jo taste bhandare ki poori-sabzi ka hota hai woh aur kabhi nahi milta hai. However much you try and make it at home with the same masalas but it just doesn't taste as good," says Lalita who adds, "In our office, no one gets tiffins on Tuesdays. Everyone gets food from the bhandara. And that's why we also organised a bhandara and all my friends, colleagues and their families were lined up to take food from the stall.”
Same is the case with Sameer Khurana, an office-goer who looks forward to every Bada Mangal. "It's a no-tiffin day at our office on Bada Mangal," says Sameer, adding, "All my colleagues and I go out to a bhandara to grab lunch. The food served at the bhandaras is so tasty that one can't resist it."
"Even our office canteen wallah doesn't serve anything interesting on Tuesdays because he knows half of us will be eating at the bhandaras," says Nitin Sharma, a senior executive at a private broker company in Hazratganj. "Most of us go out and get food from the bhandara and have that. Last week a colleague of ours had set up a bhandara and he got poori-sabzi and pulao for us. That food tastes so good that we don't want to have anything else," he adds.
Not just the regular poori-sabzi, a few stalls also distributed noodles at the bhandara (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav, Vishnu Jaiswal and Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui)
"Ghar ke khane se hatt kar kuchh achha milta hai. Plus the kind of variety we get on that day is just awesome. I remember on last Bada Mangal when I was on my way to the office, I saw noodles being served at a bhandara. The moment I saw it, I also stood in the queue to take it," shares Ashish Gupta, a banker.
No matter whoever comes to the stall, everyone gets fed on Bada Mangal says, Shalini Pathania, a homemaker, who resides in New Hyderabad. "I have been orgaising bhandaras for the past three years with my sister, in Gomti Nagar and we have served a lot of people, be it families, school students, office employees or anyone. Whoever passes by the stall usually stops and gets prasad. Some eat it right there while others like to get it packed and carry it home," says Shalini.
Lucknow is famous for its delicious mouth-watering food and these bhandaras are a perfect way to enjoy the food and celebrate the festival. Some people serve the usual poori, sabji and halwa as prasad while others try to step out of the ordinary and serve food items like noodles, ice cream, cold drinks and sweets. So, if you don't feel like having the same old poori-sabzi you can always hunt around and get your hands on some of these other items.
People enjoyed biscuits dipped in liquid nitrogen on one of the Bada Mangals (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav, Vishnu Jaiswal and Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui)
For the forced bachelors during summer vacations, the bhandaras come to a rescue. Like for Aditya Huria, a city accountant, whose wife goes to her maika during the summer holidays. "Every year my wife visit my in-laws during summer holidays, so these bhandaras are my one-stop destination for food on Tuesdays as I don't have to cook food on that day. From food to dessert, I get all my lunch from these bhandaras."
With so many people eating at the bhandraras, those organising them say it serves their purpose of feeding all and doing good. Mukesh Agarwal, a shopkeeper in Udaiganj, who sets up a bhandara on every Bada Mangal says earlier it used to be just the underprivileged who would come and take food, but now even the affluent can be seen taking food from the bhandara. "Now people park their cars and take food from the bhandara. The spirit is to enjoy the offering, and not mind the surroundings," says Agarwal.
Sujeet Tandon, who owns a store owner in Patrakar Puram in Gomti Nagar, has also been putting up a stall on all these Tuesday. Tandon also says that bhandaras are no longer just for the poor. "People even the well-to-do look forward to bhandaras now. I see so many well-dressed people come and take food from my stall on Tuesdays. And it's a good sight because it reflects the spirit of bonhomie," he says.
— Team LT