Why did an insurance consultant form bengakluru agree to plough through six kilos of ice cream in 30 minutes? Probably for the same reason that an engineering student gobbled a 17-inch pizza in 12 minutes 27 seconds. Yolande D’mello on competitive eating making an XL debut in India.If the bread loaves stacked in the canteen at public school in kodagu district of Karnataka, ran out during 8 am breakfast, the residential school’s authorities knew who to blame. Class 5 students abhishek MB and aakash ravi were infamous for challenging each other to hog a fest, cheered on by wound up classmates. “I could down 32 slices in 15 minutes. Aakash was better at it back then. He’d do 37”, remembers abhishek, now a 21-year-old-aeronautical engineering student in begaluru.

The proud winner rarely got anything more than a pat on the back from awe-struck buddies. And sometimes, a tummy ache by his third lecture. Eight years later, the friends are up to the same tricks; except now, it comes with a cash prize and press coverage.

In December 2010, a facebook invite caught their fancy. It was to a burger eating contest at a bengaluru pub where participations were expected to burrow through what’s known as the ‘oz burger’- a 10-ounce beef, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles bomb. Abhishek stood second. The guy who pipped him to the gold was Atlanta-based dale boone, a limca book of records  holder for eating 44 donuts in 12 minutes.

Boone, who moved to bengaluru in 2010, is a former star with major league eating, a newyork-based international body of competitive eating. And he’s been busy since, building an Indian army of eaters. His organization, the world league of competitive eating (WLOCE), organizes speed eating contests at restaurants across the southern metro. For eaters and food brands entering the Indian market, it’s effective public relations. “for young eaters, it means financial support, and for Indian audiences, it’s the chance to watch a new sport, and serious entertainment ,” says sunnu rock, operations head  at WLOCE, who’s in charge of scouting for potential ‘eaters’.

Major league eating publicist Richard shea says winning is just the beginning. “once eaters are established as world rankers, they are paid to attend events that help restaurants bag publicity.”

It’s serious business

 Speed eating has participants compete to consume the largest quantity of food in the shortest possible time. Contests typically last less than 15 minutes. In the united states, where it kicked off as an entertaining aside at country fairs and harvest festivals, competitive eating holds the same recognition as any national sport. Nathan’s hot dog eating contest, for instance, organized every year since the 1970s on july4 at coney island, new york, witness close to 40,000 spectators. This year, the cash prize has grown to $20,000. television coverage makes it accessible to over 9 million enthusiasts. As the sport is now catching india’s fancy. Once, a poor eater, ravi has managed to learn how to build an appetite that belies his skinny frame. His capacity to gorge has left his parents worried. “there is nothing wrong with me; my metabolism is good. If I can make some pocket money, why not?” he asks.

It takes training, my friend

 Boone agrees with his student. “you don’t have to be fat to be a good eater. When I am not involved with contests, I stick to a healthy vegetarian diet high in fibre,” says the champion , who prefers to train with the same food that he will eat in a contest. “ if I’m training for a pancake contest, I gradually increase my sugar intake, allowing my pancreas to get used to assimilating to the glucose,” he explains.

Sharlet george, a 29-year-old insurance consultant and part time competitive eater, prefers to skip breakfast and lunch on the day she’s meant to complete. Her first brush with the sport was in april this year when along with three colleagues, she registered for an ice cream eating contest. They had years of practice polishing off meals in 10 minutes flat, thanks to a lunch break that lasted barely 15 minutes. The team of downed six kilos of ice cream in 30 minutes. “the trick is not to allow the ice cream touch your palette or teeth; to avoid the cold,” observes george.

For others it’s about mending the mind, not the mouth. New york-based bob shoudt, also known as notorious BOB, is ranked world number 5. he says, “my secret strength is my ability to shut out all thoughts while competing. That either makes me a genius or a complete fool, but after you eat a certain Amount of food, your body starts telling you to stop. You’ve got to go against what your mind is saying, if you want to be winner.”

Girls can gorge just as well

 Size isn’t important. Neither is gender. Sonya Thomas is a slight framed American woman with an iron tummy. She calls herself the black widow and is ranked world number 4 by MLE. Back in 2003, at a hot dogs & bun contest, television reporters set up cameras in front of ‘crazy legs’ conti, one of the favourites to win the qualifier. “he was at the centre of the table, and I sat at the end, discounted by most as someone who had showed up for free lunch. The contest lasted 12 minutes, after which I had the lead. All the cameras were then dragged in front of me. It was quite funny, actually,” says Thomas, who ate 18 hot dogs and buns, while crazy legs managed 15.

George says a woman contestant is seen as “unpretty”. Eating a mountain of food isn’t feminine. May be the opinion will change,” she hopes.

“Indians have a sure advantage,” says rock, “since they are masters at handling spice.” It’s fitting then that tarun thadani, owner of cool chef café in Mumbai, is planning to hold its second chilli eating contest this month. In 2010,  the contest helped him sell 400 bottles of chilli paste that he retails at his eatery. “the spiciest one is named after my father- parkash chilli- in honour of his fowl temper,” thadani smiles.

There’s money to be made

 Noida-based engineering student at amity university, rohit yadav and varun bansal prefer to be on the organising end of the table. Yadav a second year electronics and telecommunication student, a regular participant at inter-collegiate festivals, grew bored of elocution-dramatics routine. He decide he’d introduce delhi university students to the thrill of speed eating. Their first event was held at what they called the momo kingdom, which they set up on campus this February. Students competed to be crowned momo king and queen.

The novelty factor was responsible for 200 registrations in the last three hours leading up to the event. “we had only heard about speed eating and watched snatches of it on TV. We were our own gurus,” says yadav. Online research, a disclaimer that contestants were maid to sign, a team of paramedics on site, and a supply of freshly steamed momos and extra large cola stood between 10 finalists and the crown. It took less than 30 seconds for the winner to emerge.

Since then, yadav has received 20 requests from delhi and Mumbai colleges to help organize speed eating bouts. The student entrepreneurs have set up a web site to manage eating orgies in their spare time. With three events already under his belt, yadav plans to go professional once he’s out of college, and target corporate firms next.

That’ll make quite a story- the engineer who taught people overeating.