Team Mangalorean - Puttur
from Vishal Nekkilady

Puttur: The non-vegetarian residents of Pernaje, bordering on the taluk's boundary with Sullia taluk on state highway 88, celebrated a festival of chicken dishes on Friday, August 17, after a mini-lorry transporting live hens from Mysore to Puttur rolled over near Pooja factory in the morning.

There was every indication that the festival would continue for a few days because of the death of a large number of birds in a poorly-populated village, which also has a large presence of vegetarians.

The vehicle is said to have gone out of control of the driver. Reasons cited are absence of street-lights, steady drizzle overnight and driver's skipping of sleep through the night.

The birds which died of getting smashed, injuries and suffocation were lying in heaps. Chicken connoisseurs living around helped themselves with sackfuls, without any protest from the lorry crew. Otherwise, they had to clean up the mess themselves. They were saved of the trouble by such 'helpful' passersby.

Various dishes like kabab, puli-munchi, biriyani, fry, masala and others may have been the main courses in many houses for at least two days, said a vegetarian reader from Pernaje over phone.