KOCHI: Age is no bar when it comes to festivals and celebrations. And this fact is proven right by a group of more than 35 men belonging to age ranging from 50 to more than 80 years. This group of men, from different backgrounds, have been enthusiastically making and displaying floats during the Cochin Carnival since the very start of the event way back in 1984. Thoppumpady Athira Arts Club has not missed a single year except for the two years that the pandemic took away. “We have been doing this for 39 years,” said C L Pappachan, an official who retired from HMT at Kalamassery.
According to him, it has been a thrilling ride over the years. “I joined the group around 10 years back. But there are still members who had been there since the founding of the club,” he said. Right from taking the decision to participate in the carnival to deciding upon the idea for the float, all the members are involved in each and every step, said Pappachan. According to A R Santhosh Kumar, who recently retired as an engineering executive with Modern Bread, the club had won five times the best float prize at the carnival.
“We are a group of oldies. But our spirits are high. Can you imagine an 84-year-old joining wholeheartedly in every aspect of the making of the float? But we have people who do so and will continue to do so for years to come,” he said
“Some of the founding members of the club had left with jobs taking them outside the state and also the country,” he said. Their very first competition entry was a float dedicated to Lord Buddha. It was titled ‘Buddha and his disciples.’ “We won the third prize for the float,” said Santhosh Kumar. According to him, this year the club will be presenting a flat that will depict a village scene. Their floats that bagged the first prize were titled Elavur Thookam, Circus, Heathen (a Russian sculpture), nomad circus and a float on Amma, a poem by ONV Kurup.
“A float takes days to make. It also requires a huge amount of funds,” said Pappachan. According to him, in the very beginning, we had made floats that cost only Rs 200. “The cost for the float that we are making this year is pegged at Rs 1.5 lakh,” said Santhosh.
According to him, till last year they had sponsorships. “But this year we have realised the funds through donations from our friends and well-wishers including Kochi MLA K J Maxi,” he added. The cost of the float escalates in tandem with its size.
“Earlier, the floats used to be set up on smaller trucks. But now they are set on trailers and extend up to 70 feet. This plus the accompanying vehicles add to the charge. We don’t need to realise labour charges since we have welders and electricians among us,” said Pappachan. The club is keeping its finger crossed for a stellar performance at this carnival.