It’s a low-key Vishu fete this time

KOCHI: For a festival marked by temple visits, kanikonna flowers, a platter of offerings, firecrackers and kaineettam, the pandemic-induced lockdown has robbed it of its coveted feature - family get-togethers. 
Kerala’s harvest festival, Vishu, is also considered the astrological new year for Keralites. However, in keeping with the norm of social distancing, several Kochiites are unable to celebrate with their near and dear ones. 

For Dr Amrutha Narayan, a Kochiite, the biggest downside is not being able to celebrate with her family. “Most of us have relatives in different places -- this is usually a time when cousins, aunts and uncles visit each other’s houses and spend a lot of time together. This year is undoubtedly different -- my dad is in Oman and he wasn’t able to return. Vishukkani and kaineettam will be there nevertheless, but the anticipation and excitement involved in planning the festivities will be absent this year,” she says.

Despite efforts to help farmers sell their produce, there does exist disharmony in the materials available. “Usually the markets are up and running in full swing a week before Vishu. Owing to the lockdown, the scenario doesn’t exist. As a result, it as difficult to buy appropriate materials for the kani; so we have arranged the same with limited elements,” says Divya Raju, a software engineer who returned to her home in Kochi before the lockdown began.

While many were able to reunite with their families, the unprecedented lockdown made it arduous for some to get back in a short period. Rishika S works in Bengaluru and couldn’t return to Kochi, but that doesn’t stop her from celebrating the festival. “Vishu is more like an emotion; I was with my parents the previous year -- we had all the usual aspects -- the sadya, Vishukkani, visiting our grandparents and so on.

I stay with my cousin here and this year we’ve decided that we’ll prepare our Vishukkani with the available materials and make the sadya with minimal curries,” she adds.The lockdown has also proved to be a dampener for fruit and vegetable sellers along with the fireworks industry, which could have earned a sizeable increase in sales with Easter and Vishu in the same week.