The annual Onam mela of rural products under the Integrated Rural Development Programme organised by the district panchayat will be held at the Quilon Athletic Club grounds here from August 22 to 26.
District panchayat president S. Jayamohan said the mela, with a targeted turnover of Rs. 6 crore, aimed at bagging the State-level first prize in the IRDP Onam melas to be held in the State. Last year heavy rains had dampened the sales. Yet, with a turnover of Rs.28 lakh, the district had managed to bag the second prize, he said.
The mela will be inaugurated by Labour Minister Shibu Baby John at a function to be presided over by P.K. Gurudasan, MLA. N.K. Premachandran, MP, will inaugurate the first sale. Kodikunnil Suresh and K.N. Balagopal, MPs, A.A. Azeez, MLA, and Mayor Honey Benjamin will speak.Promotion by cobblers
Mr. Jayamohan said a unique advertisement mode was being used this time to promote the mela. There would be no flex boards or banners. Instead, cobblers of the city would be advertising the event. Large colourful umbrellas with prints about the mela were distributed to all cobblers of the city on Friday. They would work under the umbrellas be it rain or shine, he said. A cultural procession was taken out with these umbrellas in the city on Friday to herald the event.
D. Johnson, convener of the programme and deputy director of the District Rural Development Agency, said that every care had been taken to ensure that only genuine rural products were sold through the mela. These comprised farm products, home-made eatables, minor forest products, handcrafted products, and lightweight farm tools.
From each block panchayat, products worth Rs.50 lakh would be brought. The Ochira block panchayat would bring products worth Rs.1 crore. In the evenings on all the five days, cultural programmes based on traditional folk songs and dances would be held.
There would be a food festival of dishes made from seer fish, pearl spot (karimeen), and shrimps. Mr. Jayamohan said pearl spot would be caught from the Kanjirakode creek of the Ashtamudi Lake which is a delicacy.
