A man serves sattu to complainants at the chief minister’s janata darbar on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, April 11: Those who are thinking of postponing their visit to the chief minister’s janata darbar because of the scorching heat, think again. Complainants at the darbar are being served sattu (roasted gram flour) drink to beat the heat.

Sources said sattu provides instant energy, checks heat strokes, quenches thirst and raises tolerance.

For the visitors, the idea of a cool, refreshing and energising drink, while waiting to meet chief minister Nitish Kumar has been a great hit. Some of them like the idea so much that they are consuming five to six glasses of sattu mixed with chopped onion, chilli, salt and coriander leaves.

“The heat is intolerable. Most of us are sweating like anything. Getting a glass of sattu is a boon for us,” said Ramesh Prasad, a complainant, while sipping a glass of the cool drink.

Prasad added: “It is a good source of natural fibre and carbohydrates. It refreshes the brain. It contains no artificial colour or chemical. It is the best drink for summer and easy to digest as well.”

Some of the officers at the darbar were also spotted relishing the drink.

A source said around 500 litres of sattu were served at the darbar today. Many of the applicants arrived at 1 Aney Marg, the chief minister’s official residence, as early as 7am, to register for the darbar. As many of them had not had breakfast, they found the sattu very helpful.

Manoj Kumar, another complainant, said: “This is a great thing that the chief minister has started. I came here early this morning and had nothing to eat. So I was very hungry. I could not even go out to buy something. That is when I saw that sattu was being served.

“I was very happy. I drank five glasses. It was rather tasty. What more can we expect? This shows that Nitish Kumar is concerned about our problems and that he understands what we need to combat the hot weather,” added Manoj.

Some of the visitors also had tips on offer to make the sattu better.

Homemaker Rinku Kumar, offering advice on how the sattu can be made better, said: “I think the taste is very good but more water has been added than required. If you add less water, the sattu will taste better and be more filling.”

The centre of attraction was of course Ranjit Kumar, the man serving sattu.

He said: “There is no limit. People coming here can drink as much as they want. After all, the sattu has been prepared for them. It energises and refreshes a person. People coming to the darbar need a lot of stamina as they have to wait for hours. Drinking sattu is good for them.”