Rain mars Onam sales at Chalai

Thiruvananthapuram: Onam business is yet to pick up for vendors at Chalai who were hoping for good sales during festival season.
Majority of the vendors raised concerns about intermittent rains, which according to them, is a major factor contributing to the overall slump in business.
But, the vendors are still hopeful that both the climate and business will swing in their favour in the coming days.
According to C Sreekandan of T Chandran Nair and Sons Florists located at Chalai, the flower business is not thriving as it used to be a few years ago. “While the statistics are much better than last year’s Onam, which was entirely marred by the August deluge, there is still no sales like how it used to be two or three years ago,” he pointed out.
Keshavan Nair, a 78-year-old plantain leaf seller from Vellayani who has been a vendor for the past 60 years, is also hoping for sunny days as the festival draws closer.
“Business is slowly picking up but rains are our concern. I do not have any shade above me and if it rains, I have to pack it all up and run for cover,” said Nair.
Several roadside vendors selling ‘manjakodi’ (yellow mundu) also lamented about the dip in sales. “I have been selling manjakodi for the past seven years here and with each passing year, the number of people who buy the product is decreasing. Maybe online shopping has played some role in the drop,” said Padmaja S, a vendor.
Rain is playing spoilsport for her as well ‘as the umbrellas do not help much in ensuring that the clothes do not get wet and damaged’. “This season and the previous one were two of the most disappointing seasons for me,” she added.
Besides the rain, the outdated infrastructure, ‘non-cooperative’ autorickshaw drivers and lack of adequate parking facilities are affecting business of vegetable vendor V Suresh.
“The price of vegetables is almost at an all-time low and still we are not able to achieve good sales. Now, fewer people are visiting the market, and the turnout is extremely low even on a weekend before Onam,” said Suresh.
“Most of the autorickshaw drivers operating here are hesitant to come into the lane where vegetables are sold. Even if someone comes on a bike, they will have a hard time finding a parking space,” Suresh added.