Mumbaikars have a fun time at a festival at Chembur

It was a fun time in Chembur recently at the second edition of a two-day festival. Called as #nocookingday, this event that took place at St Anthony’s home ground, was about taking a break from the cooking at home, to tuck into the array of cuisines at the different stalls serving fast food, seafood, Mexican fare and a host of desserts. What’s more, the event was for a good cause as the proceeds from it went towards a welfare foundation, that takes care of 650 orphans.The turnout saw Mumbaikars came by to enjoy the numerous stand-up food stalls, fun live performances, as well as shopping zone. The younger lot loved their kids zone – with activities like a jumping jack, trampoline, painting, tattoo art and pottery. The other highlight was a pani puri-eating competition, which saw folks having a blast.
'The pani puri rounds had interesting variations’

The panipuri contest, which was open for all ages and for everyone who loves to eat pani puri, saw a record number of participants. Says organiser Niraj Agarwal, of The Bhukkad Flea, “The contest had interesting variations in the rounds to make them challenging. The first round was a knockout. In round two, it got a little tougher. Here, people had to break the puris, add the filling inside and eat them – all with one hand. In the third round, they had to eat the pani puri without using hands. They really had a fun time while doing so.”
Two food trucks were parked at the event and in the evening, local Chemburkars enthralled the crowd with their performances. The festival also saw singing, karaoke contests and a self-defense workshop.