Karnataka - Bijapur   

`Gadige mosaru' sales resume in Kolhar

Suresh Bhat

BRISK BUSINESS: a A woman selling `Gadige-mosaru' on NH 218 at Kolhar hobli in Basavanabagewadi taluk.

BIJAPUR: For decades, Kolhar, a village on the banks of the river in Basavanabagewadi taluk en route Bijapur - Hubli highway, has been known for its "gadige mosaru" (curd set in earthen pot.)

Although there was no official stop for long-route buses, passengers used to demand for a brief halt here to taste the "mosaru-avalakki," a mix of curd and beaten paddy.

Although not on a very large scale, restaurants and refreshment centres had roaring business because of this item on their menu. But their fortunes started diminishing following construction of the Alamatti dam. The bridge across the Krishna and on the highway submerged in the backwaters of the dam.

The highway was closed in the late 1990s because there was no bridge. The hobli, which was also a market place for over 25 nearby villages, suddenly became an island as vehicles bound for Hubli, Bagalkot and Bijapur started running via Alamatti.

Local residents had to struggle hard to market their agriculture produce such as onion, maize and brinjal. And "gadige mosaru" went into oblivion for want of customers. Many involved in selling it moved on to other jobs.

The recently opened high-level super-bridge has brought back the smile on their faces. What has further made them ecstatic is the upgradation of

the State highway into a national highway. It has now been declared as National Highway 218. For a month or so now, there has been a spurt in vehicle movement.

"Over hundred buses and many private vehicles and goods carriers pass via Kolhar. We have been procuring over 500 pots of curd these days. Yet we are not in position to meet the demand. The problem is that many who set curd in Kolhar and surrounding villages have switched over to other jobs. They have to resume their traditional profession. Only then can the demand be fully met," says Mallikajrun Gudadur, who runs a `khanavali' (hotel) along the highway.

According to Shekavva Siddappa Elangadi, what makes the Kolhar `gadige mosaru' special is the use of pure buffalo milk. It has to be boiled in an earthen pot and that too on charcoal stove.

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