Kerala has modest Diwali celebrations

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 13 (IANS) Except for being a public holiday Tuesday on account of Diwali, by and large the festival of lights is an event that has little celebrations in Kerala, unlike in neighbouring states.

The celebrations are mostly limited to bursting of crackers and that too in cities like Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi and in towns bordering Mangalore in the Kasaragode district and in Palakkad bordering Coimbatore.

In the capital city there are shops that sell crackers and irrespective of caste creed or religion, there is a rush of people, especially children buying crackers.

“This time the price of crackers have skyrocketed. I came with a budget of Rs.500 and my kids were surprised with just a handful of crackers that we could buy,” said a Christian family.

There is not a single shop selling crackers in our village and never has Diwali celebrated here, remarked Punnose Jacob a resident in the Puthuppally constituency in Kottayam district.

IANS 2012-11-13 19:29:59