The festival of Vishu has come a long way from its association with the kanikkonna , and the traditional Vishu kani and kaineetam .
Today, like most festivals of the State, Vishu has been commercialised and has become a season for shoppers.
Though new clothes were traditionally not a part of Vishu celebrations, Kerala has incorporated it into the festivities and it is not just textile shops that are making the most of this fetish.
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Government, semi-government and private players are coming up with exhibitions of clothes.
Vishu fairs organised by the Handicrafts Development Corporation as well as the District Handloom Development Committee are the most sought after places.
The Handicrafts Development Corporation’s Kairali exhibition at Comtrust Ground in Kozhikode features handicraft items such as bags, jewellery and wooden artefacts besides handloom fabrics from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
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The participants are weavers and craftsmen from various States.
The District Handloom Committee’s exhibition on the Regional Public Health Laboratory premises features handloom fabrics produced by various weavers’ cooperative societies in the district. There are additional stalls put up by the government-owned brands, Hanveev and Hantex.
The Kozhikode Sarvodaya Sangham has come up with an array of handicraft and handloom products at its S.M. Street showroom for the season.
Khadi silk clothing is the most popular item here. All these exhibitions offer 20 per cent government rebate for handloom products.
Among the private players, the All-India Cotton Saree Fest organised by Narmatha along with the Punarjani Cancer Crusaders Society at the Police Club is the prominent one. The festival features a variety of cotton sarees from across the country at wholesale rates. A part of the proceeds of the exhibition goes to the welfare of cancer survivors.
With leading textile shops too coming up with interesting offers, the city’s shoppers have options galore for their Vishu kodi .