Broadway saw last-minute Onam shopping on Uthradam day, with a few turning up to make their purchases.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
Kochi will wake up to Onam celebrations on Wednesday.The weather improved on Tuesday, Uthradam, as the heavy rain that had lashed the city the previous day largely stayed away, restoring the festive buzz and adding colour to the celebrations.Uthrada Pachil — the last-minute shopping rush on Uthradam — turned out to be a subdued affair following heavy rain since the previous evening. In Ernakulam market, business slowed so much that traders cut back on orders for vegetables from suppliers in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, who largely meet the Onam demand here.“Rain played havoc with last-minute sales, while most customers seem to have completed their purchases in advance, fearing a price rise,” said K.K. Ashraf, secretary of the Ernakulam Market Stall Owners Association. Inclement weather also dampened sales in Broadway, the city’s commercial hub. P.A. Sageer, president of the Broadway Shop Owners Association, said business was brisk until the downpour lashed the city on Monday evening, adding to Broadway’s traffic and parking woes. “The biggest sales are supposed to happen in the last two days before Thiruvonam, but rain badly disrupted that momentum,” he noted.
