Nenthrapazham, which is sold at over Rs 80 per kg. is available at Onachandha for Rs 57 per kg
Ahead of Onam, women shop for nenthrapazham, banana chips, jaggery coated chips, papads and vegetables in special stalls set up by Kerala Samajam on Monday. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: As the harvest festival of Kerala, Onam, arrives, Malayalees across the city are out shopping for the popular ‘Nenthrapazham’, a traditionally favorite banana variety available at a nominal price at special stalls for the occasion.
“Coming to an Onachandha and buying these local delicacies is more about meeting of minds and to obtain a feel like that of our native places where we get to see all these products in larger quantities. Moreover, by selling the products at reduced prices is a reprieve for customers like me who have to spend large amounts for these in the city shops,” said T.Kamalam, a teacher who has come to be a part of the festival at the Onachandha, organised at the Kerala Samajam office on EVR Periyar Salai here.
Nenthrapazham, which is sold at over Rs 80 per kg. is available at Onachandha for Rs 57 per kg. Banana chips sold in the city at over Rs 300 per kg is available at Rs 200. Jaggery coated chips, popularly known as ‘Sharkkara upperi’ among Keralites is sold at Rs 180 per kg.
It’s not just the banana, an array of banana products such as ‘Palakkad banana chips’, ‘sweet banana chips’, ‘jaggery coated chips’, pazha pradaman’, are been sold like hot cakes at ‘Onachandha’,
The chips varieties that are made in places like Chittoor and Mannarkaad are made out of the nenthrapazham which is grown extensively in these areas. “These banana chips are so tasty as it is fried in coconut oil, the usual practice in Kerala, and it feels like I am at home,” said S.Sumesh, a final year arts student at Loyola College who will be in the city for the first time to be part of the festival.
Shopkeepers at Onachandha said compared to 2014, the arrival of Nenthrapazham has gone up by 30 to 40 percent this year. “Last year, during the same time five tonnes of banana arrived;, this time it has gone up to eight tonnes. Moreover, by 5 pm for the last two days we are running short of the nenthrapazham,” said T.Sashi, a vendor who has been part of the festival in the city for the past 10 years.
Kerala Samajam, a welfare organisation that has been undertaking the Onam fest for the past 18 years, has put up 20 such stalls this time. However, Unnikrishnan Kumbalangad, samajam secretary, says this time around the sweet yellow banana variety, which has been arriving from Kerala, has crowned the Onachandha, as there is a huge demand for it.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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