Recalls fond memories of lunch on a banana leaf in Mysuru

Mysore/Mysuru: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and National Conference leader Dr. Farooq Abdullah visited the tomb of Hazrath Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatna on Monday (Aug. 28) and paid his respects by placing a chaddar, made of flowers, on the tomb.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah, current MP from Srinagar, was in Bengaluru on Aug. 27 as a guest at the ‘31st Hussain Day’ event titled ‘Diversity in Solidarity.’

On Aug. 28, Farooq Abdullah’s cavalcade arrived at 12.30 pm from Bengaluru and was accompanied by Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam and former Minister R. Roshan Baig. A large number of local leaders including former Mysuru Corporator Suhail Baig accorded a warm welcome to dignitaries.

The former J&K CM also visited the Sriranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangapatna and offered his prayers. The Police had made elaborate security arrangements as Farooq Abdullah is a Z-plus security cover protectee of the National Security Guard (NSG), also known as Black Cat Commandos. After spending some time at the tomb, he met the local community leaders at the Jamma Masjid and interacted with them.

According to Suhail Baig, 85-year-old Dr. Farooq Abdullah recalled his fond memories of food served on banana leaf at Hotel Dasaprakash in Mysuru and expressed his wish to have lunch on banana leaf. “We told him that Hotel Dasaprakash is closed for renovation and we took him to the RRR Hotel at Gandhi Square. People who were having lunch clicked photos as the VIP entered the hotel along with gun-toting Black Cat Commandos,” Suhail said.

At lunch, Dr. Farooq Abdullah appreciated the distinct taste of the food and even interacted with other people who were having lunch. With folded hands, he passed through the rows of the hotel and said that he was impressed by the crowd and the food. The former J&K CM later happily posed for photos with the hotel staff, suppliers, waiters and even the cleaning staff. Sources said that he gave them a handsome tip too. 

On the way out from Gandhi Square, Dr. Farooq Abdullah visited the Mysore Palace. He, however, did not go inside the Palace building due to his tight schedule. The dignitaries returned to Bengaluru by road.