Today is a special day for the village bellies; a well cherished guest will be making his monthly visit to their remote village. The ladies finish off their household chores in a hurry and send the kids to the main road to see whether he could be spotted. They wait with bated breath for hours together before he makes a majestic appearance. He is a mobile fashion boutique for the villagers in Kerala. He props up a massive display board on his shoulder that features all the bare essentials needed for their make up box. Festive occassions like Onam and vishu would add up to the shopping frenzy of the villagers, making him busy.
Kids also look forward to his visit as he brings balloons of various colors and shapes apart from various toys and indoor games to make their holidays memorable. Unlike their urban counterparts, though they cannot lay their hands on the world famous game packs like Disney and G I Joe, they get more than their fair share in this mobile toy shop. From toy guns to cars and card games, he brings them all and more to their door step. The goggles in garish hues like shocking pink and green are all time favorite among the kids.
The ladies make a beeline to pick up the latest accessories to dress up for the annual temple festivals and fairs. They select from the best of the lot from heaps of glass bangles and strings of necklaces being put on display. The girls will strike a deal by some hard haggling and he gives out these goodies for a song before walking into the next house. Though the mushrooming of ladies stores and fashion boutiques has dampened his business prospects, he still makes it a point to visit this village on the specified day to cater to the diverse needs of his customers.
