Walking into the mall, 18-year-old Nicolas Kipgen from Manipur, did not expect a double bonanza. He not only enjoyed a thali with sumptuous dishes but also won Rs.10,000 for finishing it!

Kipgen was visiting a shopping mall at Guwahati when he came across a tough challenge that stipulated finishing a Maharaja Thali in 45 minutes. Looks easy but it was not so. The thali included two pieces of naan, a bowl of Afghani chicken, a plate of chicken 65, a plate of spicy tandoori wings, a glass of sweetened lassi, chach, mojito, four bowls of raita and two kinds of dessert. All this had to be finished in 45 minutes.

Now, many had tried their luck and failed and this made it more challenging and exciting for Kipgen. Talking to the media after finishing the thali he said: “I took the challenge as it excited me. I completed the entire course of Maharaja Thali in 28 minutes and 30 seconds. The biryani was yummy and I felt great.”

Kipgen’s feat elated Akash Hazarika, the proprietor of the food outlet. “I am super happy that someone succeeded at the challenge and in such little time. I did not expect that a young boy would complete the challenge. We crowned him for his achievement. He asked for ice cream after finishing all the food in the thali.”

Following this, Hazarika is now planning to have a challenge with a more exhaustive list of food items that will have to be finished in 60 minutes. The prize for this is a Bullet motorcycle.