Kadalekai Parishe - The High Spirited Bangalorean Fest That Revolves Around Nuts

        

Image Credit - nyoooz

                                    A funfair for the Bangaloreans

Introduction:

The five-day annual groundnut fair popularly known as ‘Kadalekai Parishe’ is always held near the Dodda Ganesha Temple in Basavanagudi, Bangalore. The local vendors from across the state come together and put up their stalls of groundnuts and other edible and non-edible items in an organized manner. 

The primary reason for the fair is to exhibit the diverse varieties of groundnuts being harvested by the farmers. Every year, Kadlekai Parishe is held on the last Monday of Karthika Masa (a month in Hindu calendar).

What is the Significance of this Celebration?

The significance of the fair being held in this location is the belief that God exists in the idol of the Bull, known as Lord Basava in the Bull Temple also known as ‘Basavanagudi’. 

People worship the idol with groundnuts and do an ordination because they believe that bulls love groundnuts. Farmers from all across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh come here every year and offer their annual harvest of groundnuts as an offering to Lord Basava and 10,000 lamps are lit at the Bull temple, accompanied by the annual fair. 

The entire Bull Temple road hosts the fair. The road is blocked from Bugle Road to Ramakrishna Mutt.


The Fair that brings Fortune to Few:

Mounds of groundnuts are sold, of different types - shelled, spiced, fried, boiled, sugar-coated, roasted, etc. But the fair is not just limited to groundnuts, there is a whole lot of funfair. 

They have authentic chats of the city, mortar and pestles, earrings, fresh fruits, Ayurvedic medicines, crockeries, and home decor items; all at very reasonable prices. They also have horse-riding and giant wheels which attract the younger generation.

This particular fair is a great platform for making a profit in a low amount of investment. A vendor who sells a product at Rs.10 gets it at Rs.4 from the wholesaler. 

This sums up to 60% profit which is more than twice the investment. They bring the goods, especially groundnuts in trucks and distribute them amongst themselves depending upon their investment.


Packed Security that Ensures Maximum Safety:

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has installed 30 CCTV cameras and 10 watchtowers to ensure the safety and security of the visitors. Also, the cops play a major role in the conduct of the fair who are specially appointed annually. This year 300 police personnel will be on duty. 

They work in shifts to take care of the public as well as the vendors. They make sure the traffic runs smoothly as it is one of the biggest marketplaces of the city. “We portray a fake lathi-charge to keep the public in control,” says Ms.Chetana- the constable in charge. 

Another officer Mr. Murali S said, "People are very rude and do not listen to us. We understand their excitement but after all, it is their safety and that is our duty. We pull certain people to scare them in uncontrollable situations”. 

The officials also spoke about the restrictions implemented on the vendors i.e., footpaths should be left empty for the public to move across the market, no trouble should be caused to the public by eve-teasing, ragging, etc,. To tackle such issues, policemen wear leather jackets so that they can keep an eye on the people while staying anonymous.

Six men have already been sent behind the bars for eve-teasing and misconduct. Higher police official Mr. Kishore Kanth added,” We also enjoy a lot but we have to stay disciplined as it is also about the uniform and the status we are in, our uniform restricts us a lot and we change into regular clothes after our shift and enjoy to the fullest.” 

The Inside Story:

This was one facet of the story where the officials claimed that they had built a good rapport with the vendors whereas, on the contrary, we heard other stories that did not favor the claims of the officials. 

Abdul, a 9-year-old boy from Bihar whose means of survival was selling toys which he buys from Chennai with some of his elder so-called brothers, informed us about harassment done by the local officials on the vendors. 

“We all came as a group of 70 and had to give a commission of Rs.100 per person to the police as we had to sleep on footpaths in the night and did not have any other shelter,'' says Rehan who accompanied the 9-year old boy. 

These vendors visit the fair yearly and earn up to Rs.6000 per individual in a day at the fair. Deepak Kumar, a flute seller, also complained that the Police make it difficult for them to live there and work as they beat them up and hurt their self-respect.

Apart from that, Mr.Ponnuswami, a groundnut seller all the way from Tamil Nadu has been in this business for 20 years and says that he has a profit margin of Rs.1000 and manages to earn Rs.5000 to Rs.10000 per day. 

He added that there is no fear of competition between the groundnut sellers. Mr. Venkthesh, a B.Com graduate who brings first-copy products from Chikpete, the main wholesale market center in the city, earns Rs.30000 per month. These products primarily include electronic gadgets. He claims himself to be a proprietor and calls this fair a good platform for his business.


Conclusion:

Since this fair is happening for over three decades now, it witnessed customers of different generations from different parts of the city and state. There were students, grandparents, housewives, couples, kids, etc., who showed up. 

Students of P.E.S. University had come with their teacher for a field trip. Sandeep, a student of the University says “it is a better source of entertainment compared to malls and is a very sentimental place since I am visiting this fair from my childhood days”. 

Image Credit - dailymotion

If it is a sentimental place for some, it is a commercial business for others. As a whole, it is a part of Bengaluru tradition, a great fair to visit annually in the city.

Written By - Amulya Sriharsha
Edited By - Daniel Deepak Charles