Pappanji to be set ablaze at two venues in Fort Kochi this New Year

In what could be a major shift in the city’s New Year celebrations, Pappanji — a giant-sized effigy of an old man — will be set ablaze at two main venues in Fort Kochi this time.

The Pappanji installed by the Cochin Carnival Committee, which has been traditionally conducting the celebrations with official backing, will be set afire at Parade Ground, while Gala De Fort Kochi, a local charity club, has gained permission to burn the effigy erected by it at Veli Ground.

Though the parallel events were supposed to take place last year also, with the club securing permission through a High Court intervention, the carnival committee had cancelled its celebrations as part of the official mourning following the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The club had moved court last time after the police ordered it to remove the effigy on safety grounds. The High Court, however, ruled that the club, which had obtained the required clearances from government departments, was not to be prevented from burning the effigy.

The time, district officials hope the parallel events will help in crowd management, a key concern during the celebrations. Tens of thousands of people, including international and domestic tourists, are expected to turn up at the beach town for the one-of-its-kind New Year revelry.

“We will impose the same safety protocols at both venues. It would be better to conduct the events at both venues, as the crowd will be split. The Parade Ground is expected to accommodate around 40,000 people and the Veli Ground about 25,000,” Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) K. Manoj said. He added that the possibility of installing big screens to stream the event outside the venues was also being explored to control the rush.

The organisers of both events said preparations were in the final stages. “Various events, including swimming, rifle shooting and bike racing, have been conducted as part of the carnival, and the construction of a 50-feet-tall Pappanji is progressing. A barricade will be erected around the effigy, and around 30 CCTV cameras will be installed at different points in accordance with police instructions. The ground will be divided into four compartments to manage crowd movement,” K.J. Sohan, advisor to the carnival committee, said.

The committee shifted the celebrations from Fort Kochi beach to the Parade Ground a decade ago following severe coastal erosion.

Ancy V.J., president of Gala De Fort Kochi, said the work on the 50-feet-tall Pappanji had been completed. The effigy was inspired by a character seen at the Italian Carnival last year, he said. He added that fencing and the installation of surveillance cameras, in line with safety guidelines, were under way.

The district administration has instructed officials of various departments to ensure that all safety measures are implemented at both venues in a time-bound manner. The instructions were issued at a meeting chaired by District Collector G. Priyanka and Mayor V.K. Minimol on Saturday to review the steps taken by various departments for the smooth conduct of the mega events.