KOCHI: Of late, Athani, a nondescript hamlet near Kakkanad, has been seeing a huge influx of migrant labourers from all over the country, thanks to the boom in construction activities in the vicinity. They come and leave in batches, some of them even bringing their families. Their presence in hordes has led to several eateries and supermarkets coming up with provisions for the community. Restaurants and eateries are at the forefront of creating an eco-system by coming up with menu tailor-made for the community. 

While the ubiquitous brown rice of Keralites has been replaced with white rice, more suitable for their palate, the shopkeepers have also started procuring varieties of pulses and vegetables like palakhs, chow-chow, radish and brinjals, which are favoured among the community. “While a few businesses in the vicinity are set up solely for the migrant community, the majority of the shops here take their needs into consideration,” said Sajeer T M who owns a vegetable stall. 

A recently-opened small eatery in the area proudly displays its menu, which includes ‘mangsho baath’, ‘mach baath’ and ‘sabzi baath’. Started by Anwar A K, a Malayali and Shankar Deb Nath, a Bengali, the stall offers only north Indian food. The dishes here are made with a generous sprinkling of of cumin and the potato finds a place in most curries and then, of course, there is the dal. They use only certain fish varieties preferred by the north Indian diaspora. Panch-phoran (a mix of five condiments) and magaj (pumpkin seeds) etc are some of the ingredients used here.     

Snacks such as bread masala and egg baji are also served. Even some Malayalis in the vicinity have taken to the food here. Owner of Rijaal fashions, an apparel store in the area, says that while restocking, he keeps in mind the preference of the migrants. ‘T-shirts with prints and designs find more takers among migrants. Hence, I try and bring in more of such items,” he says.

 Items such as earphones and chargers are available at the small mobile stores here, besides facilities such as money transfer. These stores had earlier seen a huge demand for downloaded Hindi and Bengali songs, a trend which has now faded with the easy availability of the internet. The local body too is doing its bit. “Special care is taken to ensure health facilities. Awareness drives are conducted in areas where the migrants live,” said M T Omana, councillor of Athani.

radish & brinjals 
While the ubiquitous brown rice of Keralites has been replaced with white rice, more suitable for their palate, the shopkeepers have also started procuring varieties of dals and vegetables like palakhs, chow-chow, radish and brinjals, which are favoured among the community.