A feast for a much-loved star

NT Correspondent

Work began early on Tuesday morning, with 800 cooks on the job. It was the twelfth-day ceremony of the late actor Puneeth Rajkumar and his family prepared a feast for around 50,000 people through the course of Tuesday.

People thronged Bangalore Palace Grounds, by 10 am. Police had made elaborate security arrangements but struggled to contain the swelling crowds.

The meal was an elaborate one – meat is customarily served on the 12th day. Ghee rice, chicken kebabs, chicken chops, rice payasam, masala vada, aloo gobi, baby corn lollipops and rasam were all on the menu.

Over 3,000 kilos of chicken, 8,500 eggs, 2,500 kilos of sona masuri rice and 750 litres of edible oil were used. They served non-vegetarian food for 4,000 people and vegetarian food for 1,000 people at a time.
Around 1,000 police, including three Assistant Commissioners of Police, 32 Police Inspectors, 70 Police Sub-Inspectors and six KSRP platoons were on duty at Bangalore Palace Ground. Traffic police have supervised parking.

Shiavarajkumar, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar and other celebrities served food.