Saras Mela ends a day early

While the first few days of Kolkata Saras Mela drew thick crowds, vendors claimed that footfall started dipping as news of rising Covid cases made headlines. The fair was held at New Town Mela Ground till January 3, a day before the scheduled conclusion. It ended a day early after the state government issued guidelines on restrictions on Sunday.
“The fair had begun on a great note with lots of visitors but after Christmas there was a sudden fall in footfall, by 30-40 per cent,” said Sarbani Joarder, who was selling saris, kurtis and blouses from Sarbani’s Creation.

Visitors browse home decor items at Saras Mela hours before it was closed down due to fresh Covid restrictions.

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Agreed Soma Shaw, who was selling macrame purses. “When the fair started on December 23, the Covid situation was under control but in a matter of days, it was all people were talking about. They are now scared to leave home,” said the lady from Barrackpore.

“Today is a Sunday, tomorrow is the last day of the fair but no one will say so judging from the thin crowd here,” grimaced Somnath Reddy, who had come from Andhra Pradesh with wooden statues. Of course, the fair did not open on the last day.

Safety for all

Another vendor, Namita Biswas Roy, claimed three out of 10 visitors came without masks. “They had to be reminded to put them on,” she said.

The fair organisers offered the vendors masks, surgical caps, gloves, sanitisers and non-woven gowns to protect against the coronavirus. “They would give us two new sets of these every morning and take them back at night to discard safely,” said the lady selling shell art.

But still, the stall-keepers were scared of infection, especially since they were all put up together at the dormitory at Salt Lake stadium. About 800 artisans had came over from all the districts and 17 states. Those who suffered from bouts of cough were tested but none reported positive. The boarders were scared, nonetheless. “Who knows if someone is running a temperature but hiding it for fear of isolation?” wondered Ranjit Singh, who was selling silk saris from Chhattisgarh.

The food court adjacent to the fairground saw a dip in customers over the last few days of the event.

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Bishnu Lama of the nursery pavilion said one of the ladies from Siliguri had indeed caught fever but that apparently it was due to overwork and nothing more serious.

“My family keeps reminding me to use the sanitiser,” sighed Dipa Khamaru, who was selling phuchkas at the food court. “They have reason to worry as people remove their masks while eating at my stall,” said the lady from Joynagar. Like several others who lived not-that-far-away, Khamaru preferred taking a bus home every night rather than live at the shared accommodation.

Mixed bag for business

Biswas Roy said her self-help group generally avoids fairs in Calcutta as shoppers here bargain shamelessly. “We prefer Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as people there value our shell art. But we have been skipping out-of-state fairs for two years now for fear of Covid. Our stocks are piling up and investments are stuck so we had no choice but to come to this fair,” she said.

A boy enquires about plants as sales staff in masks, caps and gowns tend to him.

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Reddy from Andhra Pradesh had got an invite for Saras Mela last year too but gave it a miss due to Covid. He’s still scared but had to risk it to earn his living.

“Shopper’s pockets are tight and they are preferring kurtis and blouses to saris. They are also bargaining like there’s no tomorrow but we are in dire need of money. Fairs are our main source of revenue and if lockdown starts again, who knows when the next fair will be!” added Joarder.

Many vendors had their fingers crossed for the upcoming Sabola Mela but that got cancelled too.

Happy shopping

On the final Sunday of the fair, footfall was sparse during the day but started picking up as the sun set. “We are scared of the rising Covid count so we came early in the day before it got crowded,” said Vikash Jaiswal of Maniktala. “My family and I love fairs and this might be the last one in a while so we’re enjoying the visit.”

Similarly, Atulya Misra of New Town’s CE Block was scared of the pandemic but had arranged the trip to the fairground when his wife wanted to shop and his pre-schooler son wanted an outing.

Stalls which were being built for New Town Book Fair.

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As the crowd swelled in the evening, a salesperson of the Sufal Bangla vegetable stall offered his two cents. “People of this city go mad at the mention of the word fair. At Hasto Shilpo Mela before this, they braved the rains and came to shop with their shoes in their hands and umbrellas above their heads. People aren’t scared of Covid. If at all, they are scared of the isolation during lockdown and even more people will come today to relish the last fair in a long time,” said the vendor, preferring not to be named.

A spokesperson for the fair said sales outstripped last year’s figures. While Sunday’s figures were not available, till Saturday sales totalled around Rs 8 crore. Though footfall was significant on Sunday, which turned out to be the last day of the fair, it was much less than on the Sunday before, an official of the panchayats and rural development department said. Last year, the fair was held in the same period and the total sales figure recorded was more than Rs 5 crore. “So sales wise, we did much better,” she smiled.

Fairs on hold

• Sabola Mela, that was scheduled from January 10 to 25 at New Town Mela ground, has been called off.
• l New Town Book Fair, that was scheduled from January 7 to 16 at the City Square near the Clock Tower, has been postponed. A decision on revised dates will be taken after the restrictions lift on January 15.
• New Town Carnival, that was slated from January 14 to 16, has been put on hold too.