“It is Vishu eve. Everything of golden hue in the market is fetching a premium,” says a wholesale vegetable trader in Ernakulam, making light of an unusually damp market this year. Among the yellow stuff that define Vishu and go to fill a platter of auspicious sighting objects is ‘Kanikonna’ (cassia fistula) or golden shower.
But climate change is playing havoc with traditions, heritage, and the inmutables as imported plastic Kanikonna flowers take the place of their natural counterparts in the platter of auspicious Vishu dawn sightings. Constantly rising temperature since February has seen Kanikonna flowers withering away in some places, while only a few trees are spotted in and around the city with characteristic glowing pendular bunches in profusion.
Researchers attribute irregular flowering of cassia fistula trees triggered by changing tree rhythms to unusual weather events and extreme weather conditions. Cassia fistula normally blooms during early summer in dry weather. They appear in such generous bunches that the tree trunks and even leaves are hardly visible.
But the rare bunches seen around the city are not their usual selves as temperature has risen constantly across Kerala since February. The summer season hit Kerala a month earlier than expected, with weather conditions being notably harsher than usual. The year 2023 was referred to as the hottest in 100 years. Temperature has ranged between 36 degrees Celsius and 38 degrees Celsius in February and since then it has moved up relentlessly in most districts.
These conditions have made artificial flowers force their way into the festivities. They come cheap, ₹25 a bunch, and to top it, there is no scarcity. Walk into any shop selling knick-knacks or decoratives, one can pick up these bunches of flowers without having to comb abandoned compounds or climb trees.
Meanwhile, Vishu market is relatively dull. “People have not flooded the market with the usual enthusiasm,” said N.H. Shameed, a trader in the city market. He added that people appeared reluctant to open up their purses and were buying in small quantities though the rate of most vegetables and fruits had remained steady for about a month now. Only winter vegetables and mangoes are being sold at higher prices than the seasonal rates, he added. The wholesale price of ‘Kani vellari’ (golden cucumber) on Saturday was ₹40 a kg, while mangoes are being sold in the price range of ₹150 to ₹250.
Kani vellari is in great demand on Vishu day for their auspicious yellow colour. Together with Kanikonna, Kani vellari is part of the bunch of the traditional auspicious items along with areca nuts, betel and mango leaves.