Kozhikode
This Vishu season seems to have offered some reprieve to traders unlike the past two years when the pandemic cast a shadow on their business prospects. People without face masks were seen thronging all the main commercial spots and markets in Kozhikode city on the eve of the festival on Thursday.
The rush had started a couple of days ago. Though many feared if the rain that lashed the city in the past couple of days would prove to be a spoiler, those doubts were over when the sky turned clear by the afternoon. Street vendors had a brisk business selling golden showers, essential for the “Vishu kani”, the first thing to be seen on Vishu day. Vegetable markets such as the one at Palayam in the city saw a high demand for golden cucumber, which is also a must for the ceremony. Krishna statues too were much sought after along with fire crackers.
Shops on S.M. Street and Mavoor Road, the main shopping and commercial centres in Kozhikode city, had many customers who wanted to buy new dress, sweets and other stuff.
Various agencies had started trade fairs much earlier to cater to the demand of the consumers. Kerala State Co-operatives Consumers’ Federation Ltd. or Consumerfed launched its Vishu-Ramzan-Easter fair some time ago. The Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board too had begun its trade fair.
