TOMATINO FEST IN HYDERABAD-FRIENDSHIP DAY SPECIAL

After the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a group of Hyderabadis have organised their own version of the Tomatina Festival which is popular in Spain.

It is being called the Tomatino Festival instead of Tomatina Festival.

A first in Hyderabad, the organisers hope it will become an iconic event. “People in Hyderabad are always looking for unique things to do and this is a perfect opportunity for them to do so,” says Puneet Arora, one of the organisers and excited attendees.

A huge amount of 15 tonnes of tomatos have been ordered from neighbouring states and districts for the event. One would expect people would mind the spectacular waste of tomatoes, but nobody seems to mind at all. In fact, most people are quite excited about the event.

“I originally wanted to use Spanish tomatoes, but they are Rs 65 per kg. So now we are just using local tomatoes,” says chief organiser Bisket Srikanth.

Tomatoes are being sourced from Chittoor, Bangalore as well as neighbouring districts of Hyderabad. The most obvious question that comes to mind for any layman is the quantity of tomatoes that will be wasted at an event like this.

Bisket says, “Even when we buy for household consumption, the shelf life of tomatoes is not long so we throw them into the garbage. We did have people saying why are you wasting food, but the flipside is, we are using it for fun.”

Two dumpsters filled with tomatoes have already been set aside for the festivities. Participants at the Tomatino festival are also encouraged to get their own tomatoes to add to the fun. College-goers are really excited by the festival.

“Not all of us can go to Spain to take part in the festival. This is the closest we can go to taking part in something like this,” says Sayuktha M., a second-year media studies student.

Since most of the registrations have come from students, the entry fee for them has been reduced to Rs 2,000. The regular fees for couples being Rs 3,500.

“I don’t mind spending that much because it will be a unique experience and that’s the amount you end up spending on a nightout,” says Akshay Babu, a second-year engineering student. With most young people in the city looking forward to the event as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they don’t seem to mind the waste.