The Malabar Crafts Mela that started at the Swapnanagari ground in Kozhikode on October 2 is suffering from poor public patronage unlike its previous versions, the most recent of which were held at Palakkad and Kannur in 2018 and 2019.
The festival that has been organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce after a two-year pandemic-induced gap is notable for several rare and artistic handicraft products from different parts of the country.
The location of the festival is cited as one of the major reasons for the failure to attract crowds. Swapnanagari, located on the east side of the Conolly Canal near Sarovaram Biopark, is accessible only through the canal road that starts from the Eranhipalam junction. Alternatively, visitors could cross the canal at Sarovaram Biopark through the bridge and walk around 400 metres to the venue.
“If only there were a few more bridges across the canal, visitors would be more inclined to visit,” said an exhibitor. Also, the lack of a bus route through the mini bypass road makes it difficult for common people to reach the venue without spending money for auto rickshaws, he added.
The exhibitors also complain that the alignment of the stalls is improper, as a result, stalls on one side get more visitors while those towards the southern end are rarely noticed.
“Visitors who come through the main gate are attracted to the exhibits on their left. They go around the stalls on the north side and exit through the centre and fail to notice the stalls on the south,” said another exhibitor. He said that the issue was brought up before the authorities several times, but they refused to make arrangements.
Officials of the Industries department were unavailable for comments.
