Shivamogga: It was a day for those having a passion for eating and getting into the competitive spirit. On Saturday, Shivamogga Dasara celebrations witnessed a unique idli-and-banana-eating competition.Organised by city corporation near the Shivappa Nayaka statue area, the competition saw both traffic police personnel and enthusiastic members of the public actively participate in it, showcasing their love for eating and winning prizes.In the police department’s men’s division, cop Praveen Patil clinched first place by consuming 12 idlis, followed by Ramesh in second place with 10 idlis and Santhosh in third with nine idlis.In the women’s category, cop Divya TD came first by eating seven and a half idlis; Radha bagged second place with seven idlis, and Sarala finished third with five idlis.In the public category, Mithun topped the men’s division with 11 and a half idlis, followed by Manikanta and Praveen.In the women’s banana-eating contest, Dhanalakshmi emerged victorious by devouring 13 bananas, followed by Geetha with nine and Neelakumari with eight, adding immense joy and light-hearted entertainment to the festive atmosphere.Expo of rare coins, postal stampsFormer chief minister BS Yediyurappa inaugurated an exhibition of ancient coins, rare postal stamps and foreign currency notes at Veerashaiva Kalyana Mandira.He praised the painstaking efforts of collectors and said old coins are living records of history that vividly reflect the administration, language, script, art and economic life of bygone eras.
