Kottayam (Kerala): No Onasadhya, the grand traditional lunch during Onam, is ever complete without the pappadam, the thin, crispy fired accompaniment to South Indian meals.
However, the lives of those dependent on making pappadams, have been adversely affected, with the COVID-19 pandemic having a disastrous effect on businesses, festivals, and livelihoods across the board.
Due to the pandemic and related regulations, all festivals, weddings, and other ceremonies have also been severely hindered over the past few months.
As a result, pappadam sales have dwindled, and workers are struggling to make ends meet.
Every year during the Malayalam month of Chingam, the production of pappadams is raised to meet the higher demand. However, this Onam season, the demand has shrunk to around a fourth of the usual.
Those working in the small scale sector reveal that they are going through a tough financial crisis situation. Even the number of labourers working in pappadam-making units have come down, due to the severe beating the economy has taken.
Read: Low-key Onam celebrations in Kerala amid pandemic
Further, the rising prices, and unavailability of the raw material is only adding to the woes. The price of Urad dal, one of the main ingredients in making pappadams, has been constantly rising every week.
However, even with the rising number of COVID positive cases in Kerala this Onam season, the pappadam makers are hopeful that they will mark reasonable sales in the coming days as Keralites can't do without pappadam in their meals.
