Onam celebrations gaiety grips Kochi

Kochi: The city residents were all set to greet Mahabali and celebrate Onam on Wednesday, though the last-minute shopping binge was lacking everywhere on Tuesday.

Since the long holidays started last week itself, most of the families from other districts have gone to their native places while many others  have opted for holiday trips. It seems the harvest festival is losing its shine in the urban areas.

The city roads and commercial centres did not witness  traffic congestion even on the day of Uthradam though the footpath vendors and organisers of festival fairs claimed good business.

The  shopping spree was absent  in the traditional shopping areas  like Broadway and MG Road  though there was considerable drop  in the prices of essential goods. But the special Onam fairs of Consumerfed and Supplyco, where provisions and vegetables were offered at 30 to 60 per cent discount rates, witnessed good sales like in big shopping malls.

“The tradition  of making sumptuous Onasadya at home is missing in small families. Many people in the city prefer to either  visit a  restaurant or order a home delivery of the sadya. The increase in the sale of different varieties of payasam and chips shows this trend,” said Manju Nath, a city-based catering unit owner. However, many of the apartments celebrated the festival with pomp and gaiety thanks to the initiatives taken mostly by residents’ associations.

Meanwhile, the five-day-long Onam celebrations, ‘Lavanyam – 2016,’ organised by the district administration kickstarted at Durbar Hall ground on Tuesday. State Public Service Commission chairman Dr. K.S. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the programme.