Making a point with a ‘wedding’ and a ‘funeral’

Event management firms’ protest in Thrissur highlights crisis

The residents of Thrissur in Kerala were treated to a novel protest on Friday. A decorated bus, accompanied by a percussion ensemble, carried a ‘wedding party’ through the town, but closely followed by a funeral procession. The unusual combination was a protest organised by the Event Management Association of Thrissur, to present before the government the crisis gripping the event management sector due to COVID-19 curbs. The Association’s demands include permission to conduct wedding celebrations based on the capacity of the auditorium while maintaining COVID-19 protocol; access to loans at lower interest rates; moratorium for existing loans for at least six months; and inclusion of workers in the event management sector in employees’ welfare schemes and permission to pay electricity bill arrears in instalments. The event management sector should be given the benefits granted to small industries, the Association said.