Deepavali in Thiruvananthapuram: Small-scale units and home chefs spread out delectable fare

The sight is enough to put my taste buds on overdrive — jalebi, laddoo, Mysore Pak, peda, badusha, mixture, rava laddoo, mixture… arranged on trays. It is Deepavali, the busiest time of the year at Sree Bala Sweets and Curry Point, the residence-cum-sweet shop of Krishnakumar TH at Pulimood Road, Karamana, in Thiruvananthapuram.It is among the several home-based enterprises in the capital city that amp up their production of sweets and savouries, while they either provide tiffin services or do catering rest of the year.Even though the number of such small-scale units, especially those run by families in different agraharams across the city, has declined over the years, due to a lack of interest from the next generation and the arrival of brands and chains, a few, like Sree Bala, have managed to stay put.“My paternal grandfather, Thanu Krishna Iyer started this 40 years ago, and my father, T Hariharan, took over the reins. Deepavali sweets have always been part of the menu from my grandfather’s time, and I have been continuing it since I took over the business in 2019,” says Krishnakumar, who runs the enterprise with his wife, Archana Krishnakumar and mother, Valliyammal.Besides the ubiquitous South Indian sweets, there are festival specials such as okkarai, omappodi, and lehyam. He explains, “Okkarai, made from chana dal and jaggery, is prepared only during Deepavali. The proportion of the gingelly oil should be spot on to get the correct taste. It can be stored for a few days.” Omappodi is crispy snack made with rice flour, gram flour, spices and ajwain while the lehyam is a medicinal paste of herbs and spices, which has to be consumed on the morning of Deepavali (Contact: 9400786154, 9895786154). Mallika Ramaiyer making kaimurukku at her residence in Thiruvananthapuram | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement We then move to Mallika Ramaiyer's residence, located on the stretch between Vazhappally Junction and the western entrance of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. I have to make my way through huge vessels and boxes on the floor heaped with sweets and savouries to catch up with the 67 year old, who is busy making kai murukku in the overheated kitchen.A native of Nagercoil, she moved to the city nine years ago and has since then found a steady clientele for the items she makes with her siblings, Venkateswaran and Nagarajan. “My husband, Ramaiyer, used to be in this business for over three decades and after he passed away I thought of continuing it,” says Mallika. “During Deepavali, we sell an assorted box with 20 items, which has a regular clientele. One of the traditional snack in the list is porulvilangai [a sweet ball made with green gram flour, wheat flour, rice flour, dry fruits, jaggery etc]. Three types of barfi – pineapple, bournvita and strawberry is an attraction in the box,” says Mallika, adding that she does not sell the products to any shop. People have to buy directly from her home (Contact: 7012548063). Muthusankari Manikandan runs Sakthi Foods | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Several home chefs also take orders for sweets. Like Thirunelveli-native Muthusankari Manikandan, who operates Sakthi Foods from near Medical College. “Our Deepavali box has athirasam, badusha, wheat halwa, Mysore Pak, laddoo, jalebi, mixture and a milk sweet, usually barfi. Among the traditional items, thenkuzhal murukku always finds more takers,” says Muthusankari, who moved to the city 15 years ago (Contact: 7806965470, 9746559717).Another home cook in the fray is 61-year-old Sujatha Uday Kumar Menon, whose Suja’s Kitchen at Kulathoor has been in business for seven years. Sujatha, who is from Palakkad, grew up in Coimbatore and later lived in different parts of the country, says, “Initially I used to sell only murukku and gulab jamun. As I found more customers, I added other sweets to the list. This year we have yellow laddoo, ghee laddoo, rava laddoo, gulab jamun, Mysore Pak and savouries such as mixture, ribbon pakkavada and thenkuzhal murukku. The demand is high for laddoo and Mysore Pak,” says Sujatha, adding, “I have skipped kaju katli this time since the preparation is a time-consuming process.” (Contact: 8590040577) Sujatha Uday Kumar Menon making Deepavali sweets | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT And if you are looking for some North Indian fare, there is Sakshi Saizra, a Punjabi brought up in Delhi. She moved to Thiruvananthapuram over a year ago, and this is the first Deepavali since she opened Mallu Singh’s Dhaba at Peyad, which serves Punjabi and Gujarati food. “Deepavali is definitely a big festival for us. Usually, we place three to five varieties of sweets in front of the deity during the pujas. This year we have opened orders for gujiya, kalakand, barfi, motichur laddoo (both orange and yellow), and besan laddoo,” says Sakshi, adding that she does the preparation along with her mother-in-law Lata Duttan, whose father, Padmanabha Iyer used to make sweets for functions and events in Thiruvananthapuram long back. “While amma takes care of the laddoos, gujiya is my speciality, something which I picked up from my mother,” says Sakshi (@mallusinghsdhaba, 9633133320). Sakshi Saizra (left) making motichoor laddoo with her mother-in-law Lata Duttan | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Meanwhile home chef Saleha Nahas from Bengaluru, who has lived in the city for 22 years, has added Deepavali sweets to her venture Saleha’s Indian Flavours, which primarily sells chaats. “I have made gulab jamun, diamond cuts and shakkarpara [a snack made from maida, semolina, ghee and sugar].” (@saleha.indian.flavours)According to Krishnakumar, with people becoming more health conscious, there has been a decline in demand for sweets. “Another challenge is that cost of production has gone up by several times. At the same time, we are forced to think beyond traditional sweets. That’s why we have different types of barfi (orange, pista, badam, chocolate), strawberry laddoo, dry fruits laddoo etc,” he says. Muthusankari, who sells a combo box with seven items, also has premium sweet box, which has specials such as kaju katli, baklava, dates laddoo, and kunafa.