But, Coimbatore provides a different picture this year. Malayalees in the middle income group say that the feast was low-key on Onam on September 12. They attribute this to the increased cost in all the items used for the feast.
‘I had invited five families in my neighbourhood for the feast last year. But, I gave them all only one glass of payasam this time,’ says M.B. Babu, who works in a private company.
‘I was able to give a feast for 15 persons last year with just Rs.2,500. This year, the feast just for my family of three cost me Rs.2,000. This is besides the expenses on clothes,’ he says.
The festival phase in Coimbatore is long. After Pongal in January, the festival season picks up in September for Onam. The city has a Malayalee population because of the proximity to Kerala. Instead of going to their home State for Onam, these people prefer to celebrate it where they have settled for good: Coimbatore.
While Onam has revealed the pinch one section has felt because of the inflation, the others feel that another important festival ahead – Deepavali – will not be different if the current price trend continues.
‘Crackers and sweets will be less this time,’ says S. Murugan, a businessman. ‘But, we may not be able to cuts costs on other traditionally mandatory areas,’ he says.
If a girl had been married recently, her family will have to spend heavily for her husband as it will be the couple’s ‘Thala Deepavali’ (the first Deepavali after the wedding). ‘No one takes the risk of cutting expenses here, as it may lead to bad blood between two families,’ explains Mr. Murugan. ‘So, the cost-cutting will be done in other areas.’
Mr. Murugan says that the scaled-down Onam celebrations are a pointer to the situation ahead during Deepavali. ‘Onam has only increased our loan burden,’ says K. Karthikeyan, who heads a family of four members. ‘The inflation actually made Malayalees move away from Onam, their most important festival,’ he says. ‘Even the most scaled-down feast in a family cost Rs.1,000.’
Treasurer of Federation of Coimbatore District Malayalees’ Associations M.R. Das says that inflation reduced festivities and increased charity during Onam this year.
‘We did not have the annual procession with three caparisoned elephants. Forty member-associations of the federation decided to use the money for the procession to offer welfare assistance. We had a two-day programme at which economically backward students were provided assistance for their education.’
From Rs.6 lakh last year, the expenses on the celebrations were cut down to Rs.2 lakh this year, he said.
It is not as if everyone plunged into cost-cutting. Some people did not reduce the scale of Onam celebrations despite the rise in prices, he says.
K. Sreekumar, a businessman, says the celebrations had been more this time. ‘There was no compromise on the sadya (feast), dress and pookalam (the flower arrangement)’.
Malayalees say that whatever the cost cutting in other areas, the pookalam was a must item. There cannot be an Onam without the pookalam. It is like Deepavali without lights or crackers.
So, there was the usual rush for flowers at the city’s Poo Market.
As for Deepavali, the cost calculations seem to have begun. V. Kamalam, a home maker, says it is better to make sweets and savouries at home than buy these from stalls.
Families can cut cracker expenses if there are no young children who demand all kinds of crackers.
But, it is difficult to eliminate food items from the usual Deepavali menu. It is just a month to go for Deepavali and the budget preparation is already on.
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