CHENNAI: On a pleasant Sunday noon, Savera Hotel donned the look of a Christmas carnival with a colour-coded white-and-red-striped shamiana set up inside its premises. Children scurried around wearing their Santa hats. Patrons flocked to artisan market stalls and gourmet vendors who had their products on display. The air was celebratory.
This year’s Green Christmas Carnival was put together by the B.O.B cycling group and Green Goddess. “We’ve been having carnivals for around five years now. Band performances, charity events, cooking competitions, carols, Christmas parade, and games for kids — everything happened under one roof. NGOs also tied up with us and displayed their creations. Christmas is all about giving and sharing,” said one of the organisers.
From homebaked goodies to festive decor, around 70 stalls featured their Christmas collection.
One such stall was Mash’s Collectionz. Owned by artist Mahalakshmi Rajendran, this stall had an array of accessories like earrings and necklaces made of cloth scrap. Trinkets made of beads, wall hangers with mosaic patterns, and decoupaged coasters. “These are mainly decor options for Christmas. They’re all sustainable, carry an elegant pattern, and can make for aesthetic gifting options,” she said.
Catering to the theme, all things were Christmassy. The ubiquitous plum cake made its appearance in many bakery stalls. Among them, home baker Mahak Samdaria had a sumptuous line-up of cupcakes, chocolates, rich fruit plum cakes, brownies, vegan chocolate pops, and more. The goodies wrapped in green, red and golden glitter papers were a visual treat.
Overall, artists had come up with eco-friendly options and fancy combinations in hampers. Artist Ansaline Sruthi had crafted wine holders with wood. Homemaker-turned-artist Priya Kannan had introduced Christmas trees made of paper, handmade tree ornaments, and table decor. “It’s lovely to see so many pop-ups ahead of Christmas and New Year. I’ve picked up hand-made baubles, greetings, beaded stars, and wooden lanterns. It’s going to be green Christmas for us,” said Reshma George.
Alongside shopping, there were other engaging events. Edelweiss Fund for Abandoned Animals had come up with charity calendars featuring furry friends. “The products feature pictures taken by R Gopinath and Advaith Gopinath. The father and son are wildlife enthusiasts. Funds collected will be donated to organisations working with stray animals,” said Uttara Prakash, founder of the four-year-old NGO. A workshop on how to behave with pets was also conducted.