Every Onam, Kochi sees numerous festive sales popping up. While trade fairs have sprung up at several locations, including Marine Drive and JLN Stadium, one spot that has long been a favourite remains strangely vacant this year — the Ernakulathappan Ground.
There are no stalls, no carnival and no signs of the annual trade fair that usually transforms the sprawling ground into a bustling shopping destination. The absence of what had become sort of an Onam tradition has left many city residents wondering what happened.
A smaller tent has been set up there, with a handful of stalls operating under the banner reading ‘Kochi Onam Mega Trade Fair’. But there is little that is ‘mega’ about it this year. The fair, which began earlier this month, has been scaled down and shifted to a much smaller space.
“We tried to conduct the usual fair, but the authorities said there was a stay on giving it for events. That’s why we have squeezed ourselves into this smaller space,” say shopkeepers at the stalls, many of whom have been regulars at the annual event.
Officials, however, offer a different account. “The report from the temple to invite Onam carnival organisers had been approved by the Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB), and we conducted tender proceedings twice as per the order,” says a CDB official. “The plan was dropped as we could not find a suitable bidder.”
The management and rent collection of the ground were transferred from the Ernakulam Siva Kshetra Kshema Samithi to CDB in 2023.
According to officials, the proposal to conduct an Onam-related trade fair at the ground was sent to the CDB head office around four months before Onam through the office of the assistant commissioner.
“The process usually begins in April, and the order is returned within a month, giving the temple authorities sufficient time to invite tenders and negotiate rent with traders,” explains an official, requesting anonymity.
“This year, however, the paperwork was delayed, leaving little time to complete the tendering and negotiation processes. Traders sought to reduce the rent amount during the last-minute negotiation, which would have undermined the value of the ground. That’s why it was not rented out this year.”
Echoing what several regulars told TNIE, area councillor K V P Krishnakumar says the absence of the fair was a loss for the community. “The fair was a large-scale celebration in the region. People across the city would shop here and have a good time. The lapse that occurred here cost the people a regular outing of their Onam season,” he says.
Former president of the Kshetra Kshema Samithi Rajendra Prasad also terms the failure to provide space for the fair “unfair to the community”.
“For more than a decade since we started utilising the temple ground, this was a custom we practised every year,” he says.
“The fair was an affordable Onam shopping spot for many families, who used the opportunity to shop, hangout and also visit the temple. It is unfortunate that the authorities did not put enough effort into retaining the event.”
Hosting major events such as the Onam fair is also an important source of revenue for CDB-owned ground. According to official estimates, the ground can generate up to `1 crore in rent for a month-long event.
Board officials, however, say they would not suffer a loss by skipping the Onam event this year, as the ground had hosted a major event during the summer.
But Rajendra Prasad argues that it is not about meeting revenue targets. “The additional revenue could have been utilised to fund activities related to the Siva temple here or any other temples under the CDB,” he says.
Meanwhile, for city residents who have come to associate the Ernakulathappan ground with the bustle of Onam shopping and festivities, the empty ground is a curious, poignant sight. One they hope not to see again.
