COONOOR: The Nilgiris Collector Innocent Divya has declared local holiday on Monday for Onam celebrations. This follows the policy of the government as The Nilgiris has a sizable number of Malayalis and the district shares border with Kerala. However, the pandemic has dampened the enthusiasm of the Malayali population who could not buy fresh flowers for their traditional 'pookalam' because of the total lockdown on Sunday, said Chairman of District Federation of Consumers’ Organisations R Subramaniam.
“Every Onam, we used to introduce new varieties of sarees almost a month before the festival but this year, there is no business,” said a local garment merchant.
Even the restaurants and star hotels that offered special Onam Sathya are closed. Now, many rely on the home delivery of the special lunch. “For Onam, we used to serve an elaborate Onam Sathya which is a favourite among the residents and tourists. This year, we have closed our Ooty outlet and are supplying only parcels in our Coonoor outlet," said Managing Director of Quality group of restaurants G Ujjual.
“We had an overwhelming response through pre-order but we had to restrict the number because of staff shortage. The cost of the Sathya is the same as last year. On Monday, we will parcel each item in separate containers and make home delivery along with plantain leaves. This is the first time that we home deliver Onam Sathya," he added.