If you have a sweet tooth, Hyderabad should be your ultimate ''sweet'' getaway this January.
That's because the city will soon turn out to be a paradise of sweets, showcasing varieties from around 25 Indian states and 15 foreign countries, at the World Sweet Festival.
When and where will it be organised
To be organised by the Telangana government as a first of its kind festival, the three-day event will begin on January 13, at the Parade Grounds, in Secunderabad.
"The sweet festival is being organised to showcase the cosmopolitan nature of Hyderabad in a sweet way," B Venkatesam, tourism and culture secretary, was quoted as saying by PTI.
1000 sweet varieties at a time
Hyderabad is home to a large number of ethnic communities. This time, the sweet festival will bring together each of these communities, which will showcase their respective food traditions.
'The festival is conceptualised to provide a 'sweet link' connecting different communities and appreciate the variations,'' the secretary was quoted as saying
About 1000 varieties of sweets will be prepared locally with the help of various cultural, linguistic and region-based associations of people, including those from foreign countries living in Hyderabad. ''No hotels, no shopkeepers, no caterers, no commercial representation" will be part of the event, added Venkatesam.
On the other hand, the stalls will be categorised not according to respective states from where they originate, but by the kind of sweets being offered. The stalls will have women exhibiting and selling the sweets.
Gift coupons
"Sponsors will be roped in to provide gift coupons to participants. Each association will give recipe classes and a live demonstration of one sweet,'' Venkatesam was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
The festival is being organised as an endeavour to encourage participants to research and bring to the fore some of their traditional sweets that have been handed down to them by their ancestors.
''We want to make Hyderabad a place to head for if someone is looking for a sweet that is typical to any region in the country," added the secretary.