Along with flowers, Onathappan, the conical little towers made of clay, is an essential part of Onam rituals. The clay models are placed right in the middle of floral patterns (pookkalams) that are made throughout the Onam week.
Around 20 families at Kolathuruthu, near Muvattupuzha, make a living out of selling clay pots and pans. One of the richest seasons used to be Onam when the traditional Onathappans are sold in relatively large numbers to make up for the less lucrative seasons.
The Velar community at Kolathuruthu is in dire straits now. While the cost of natural clay has gone up exponentially, members of the community are unable to sell products owing to the pandemic. Sindhu Mohanan, an Onathappan maker, said she was finding it difficult to sell products because of heavy restrictions. Moreover, the authorities have clamped down on wayside sale points.
Thankappan Kunduvelil from Kolathuruthy appealed to the authorities to help clay workers do business in keeping with COVID-19 restrictions, so that they can overcome the crisis to a certain extent. He also said that the sellers did not want to inconvenience law enforcement agencies.
Akhil Rajan, who is also part of the community, said Google Pay facility was available for buyers to avoid exchange of currency notes.
