With vegetable, fruit supplies hit, Vishu festivities in Mumbai to remain low-key

The irregular supply of fruits and vegetables in and around Mumbai has dampened the festivities of the Malayalee New Year Vishu, which falls on Tuesday.

The irregular supply of fruits and vegetables in and around Mumbai has dampened the festivities of the Malayalee New Year Vishu, which falls on Tuesday.

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On the festival of Vishu, which is also celebrated by some Tamilians, families place a variety of fruits, vegetables, rice, ornaments, money and laburnum flowers before a mirror and idols of Gods at their homes, which signify the hope of prosperity for the coming year.

This year however, citizens said they are unable to source vegetables such as snake gourd, yellow cucumber, jackfruit and laburnum flowers, which form the crux of the festivities.

Shyamala Venkataraman, a resident of Brindavan, Thane, said, “Since the past two days, shops selling vegetables in the area have been shut down. We also have to place fruits such as bananas and mangoes before the deity, but nothing is available.”

The Asthika Samaj in Matunga, where thousands of members of the Malayalee community gather for cultural events on Vishu each year, is also gearing up for a low-key affair this time. “There is a shortage of even betel leaves and laburnum flowers,” said Sunder Ramakrishnan, secretary of the Samaj. “We have to make do with whatever is available,” he said.

The wholesale Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market in Vashi, from where the city sources vegetables, has been shut, while retail markets have been shifted and vegetable vendors have been asked to shut shops in containment zones, owing to which the supply has been irregular in many areas and has resulted in the higher prices.

Priyanka Muthuswamy, a resident of Mulund, said, “Celebrations apart, vendors are charging a lot for fruits and vegetables. Even a small-sized watermelon costs ₹100.”

The festival also marks preparation of a ‘sadhya’ or an elaborate feast served on banana leaves. However, many households have decided to abstain from the celebrations considering the present scenario. Prabha Sreenivasan, a Vashi resident, said, “At a time, when lakhs of daily-wage workers are struggling to get two square meals, we can’t be preparing a feast.”