Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu:

Sharing of culture, traditions and cuisine keep friendship intact, promote bonds, and create harmony and appreciation. And that incidentally is the main theme of the Sri Lanka Food and Cultural Festival to be held in Kathmandu. The Embassy of Sri Lanka and the Radisson Hotel with the support of Laxmi Bank Ltd, Carlsberg, Nabil Bank and Sri Lankan Air is organising the Sri Lanka Food and Cultural Festival starting on May 29 at Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu. The food-cum-cultural festival will showcase the traditions and culture of Sri Lanka and cuisine from the island. Chefs have travelled to Kathmandu all the way from Sri Lanka to spice up the festival.

The embassy of Sri Lanka is all geared up to present this mega event with delight says ambassador Grace A Asirwatham. “We are very happy to present the food and cultural festival, which will create a deep awareness about Sri Lanka among Nepali people as well as expatriates,” she says. Sri Lanka is rich in multicultural bonding, ethnic traditions and lip-smacking cuisine. “Still a lot of people don’t know much about Sri Lanka and we hope to present glimpses of the best of Sri Lanka here in Kathmandu,” says ambassador Asirwatham.

An 11-member troupe of traditional dancers, who will present traditional dances and songs will also fly to Kathmandu for the festival “The exotic spices which add extraordinary flavour to each and every food item of Sri Lanka will be a new experience for everyone present at the festival. The menu which will comprise around 25 dishes will win the hearts of many.”

“Hopefully we will be adding more colour to the festival this time. We also have plans to move such festivals to other parts of the country — maybe to Dharan and Pokhara but I think it will take some time to materialise,” says ambassador Asirwatham. In terms of cuisine, the food festival will be a memorable event, with ingredients brought from Sri Lanka. The famous Sri Lankan Tea will be another attraction at the festival.