‘Whistle podu’: TVK merchandise steals show

Madurai/Tirupur: Come elections, and shops make a killing of selling merchandise like party flags, symbols, badges, and mufflers. And no prizes for guessing which party's wares are dominating the market this time — of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.In Madurai city, shops at East Avani Moola Street have been selling all kinds of merchandise. One shop owner said sale of TVK-related merchandise had begun weeks before the announcement of election date. "We sell party flags of various sizes and types, including cloth and paper flags. Festoon flags are purchased for party events and conferences," said Kumar T, who has witnessed four elections and has been in the business for 26 years. Metal chest badges engraved with party symbols and flags are the latest arrivals. Products such as ID tags imprinted with party name and colour of the party flag are also being sold, he said."Usually AIADMK and DMK merchandises will record good sales. Demand for MNM merchandise has dropped significantly and they are sold occasionally during party functions. Sales of BJP flags and festoons have also dropped," said Kumar, adding that BJP wares recorded good sales during K Annamalai's tenure as state president.Manikandan S, another shopkeeper, said they have seen children pressuring parents to buy TVK merchandise. He cited an incident in which a man stopped his car and bought lots of TVK merchandise. He said this year they have ordered a customized whistle sporting the colour of TVK flag, and its sale has been skyrocketing. Other party symbols such as Lotus, Rising Sun, and Two Leaves are sold mostly as handheld plastic placards.With small-scale 3D printers coming into vogue, creating TVK-themed articles including whistles, printing them, and selling them online has been big business in Tirupur and other districts, including Chennai. Clothing and silk sarees exclusively designed with TVK flag theme in Salem district were exported to countries like the United Kingdom and Malaysia."Generally, I do customised 3D printing products with a single piece. This is the first time I chose to go for a bulk order on a single design," said Vinoth Kumar of Tirupur who recently posted the customised whistle with embossed letters ‘TVK' and with colour for the party flag. "The very next day, when TVK was allocated the whistle, I designed and created samples and posted the video. Since then, for the past five days, at least 400-450 bulk order enquiries have been received a day, and half of them have turned into actual orders. They are being sent to various cities, including Bangalore," he added.