There is a popular saying in Tamil which goes – “enna maamiyar veetla irukka nu nenapa?” – used to chide people for being lax and oblivious to their surroundings by asking them if they are in their mother-in-law’s house. The usage has its roots in how men can simply ‘chill’ when visiting their in-laws. More often than not, the mother-in-law’s home is seen as a place where the son-in-law sits back and is served everything without having to lift a finger (not that they have to lift many in their own homes too, but that is for another day). A family in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru elevated this sentiment to a new level and served their son-in-law Buddha Muralidhar a whopping 379 dishes as a part of the Sankranthi feast on Sunday, January 15.
Buddha Muralidhar married Koruballi Kusuma in April last year. He told the Times of India that he always wanted to marry into a family in Godavari because they are known for their “hospitality.” Reports suggest that such feasts are not uncommon in East and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh. Last year, a family served 356 dishes during a feast for the same festival, and according to the Times of India, this was not even for a son-in-law who was married into the family, he was only engaged and going to be married into the family soon. While it is common for families in Andhra Pradesh to throw a feast for their sons-in-law during Sankranthi, serving 379 dishes is a rarity.
Cooking up such a feast is undoubtedly a Herculean task. Kusuma told the Times of India that her parents began preparing the feast a week in advance for their son-in-law. Delicacies served to Muralidhar included pickles, different varieties of rice, beverages, fried snacks, and sweets, among others. Muralidhar was more than pleased at the spread his in-laws prepared for him. He said that he was very surprised at the feast. He also added that it was a special feeling to be cared for this way. Muralidhar jokingly told the media that after seeing this spread, more people would want to marry into families from Godavari.