BANGALORE - The people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala welcomed the traditional new year on Tuesday (April 14) with masks on, hunkering down for a longer lockdown to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

As they greeted each other "Tamil Puthandu Vazhthukkal" (happy new year) ) and "Vishu Ashamsagal" (Vishu greetings), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an extension of the three-week nationwide lockdown that started on March 24 by another 19 days, up to May 3.

April 14 marks the first day of the Tamil calendar, celebrated with sweet treats and visits to the temple or homes of relatives.

But this year, celebrations were muted as the temples were shut and the streets deserted.

Khushboo, a popular Tamil actor and politician who lives in Chennai with her husband, movie director S. Shankar, said it was just another day at home.

"My 76-year-old mother and 86-year-old mother-in-law both live with us, so we have to be extra careful. We have sent all our house help back home, so we'll all be cooking, cleaning, and doing the dishes together. And we'll surely see a movie - that's tradition too!" said Khushboo.

"The world over, the prayer is the same - good health for everybody, not just your own family," she added.

An agent for many top Tamil actors said that the film industry, which usually sees big releases at the new year, had come to a standstill.

But some habits are hard to kick. On Monday, the Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai saw large crowds of mask-wearing shoppers.

As the market was open only for four hours every morning, there was heavy shoving and pushing to buy vegetables, fruits and flowers.

"After weeks of physical distancing, I think people just lost patience. Even the police couldn't handle them," said Mr Samuel John, a wholesaler at the market.

And yet, sales figures were barely half of the usual earnings before every festival.

"All festivals at home, all greetings on the phone - we need to be responsible," said Mr John.

Tamil Nadu reported 98 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, taking the total to 1,173 in the state, said state health secretary Beela Rajesh.

Across the border, Kerala is seeing more people recovering from Covid-19 than any other Indian state, and it had only two new cases on Sunday.

But Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said it was "not time to sit back and celebrate yet".

As Tamils marked their new year, those in Kerala celebrated Vishu, a harvest festival in which people arrange the best vegetable, fruit and grain produce in artistic ways in front of images of deities.

Called the Vishu Kani, it is the first vision of abundance as soon as one wakes up.

But Kerala's markets were far from abundant. Much of the state's produce come from the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where farmers have been unable to access workers and fertilisers, or get their harvest transported to the sale depots under the strict lockdown.

Mr P. Shanmugam, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, said: "Banana, watermelon, jackfruits and grapes are wasted on the ground due to lack of buyers. After the coronavirus pandemic, I think there is going to be an epidemic of hunger."

Under the grim circumstances, festival greetings from the government and public personalities doubled up as public service announcements.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami spent most of his greeting listing the state's lockdown protocol.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Easter and Vishu marked hope, but advised people against public celebrations.

A popular WhatsApp message being forwarded for Vishu shows coconuts, bananas and mangoes wearing little masks to break the chain of infection, with the words: "Wear a mask on your face, and wellness in your heart."

Malayalam actors such as Tovino Thomas and Kunjacko Boban, who starred in the 2019 movie Virus that chronicled Kerala's battle with the Nipah epidemic in 2018, posted photos of themselves on Instagram wearing masks with hashtags #stayhome #staysafe.

Haricharan, a playback singer in Chennai, said he usually toured for music performances during the Tamil new year and Vishu, but this time, he was cooking vada, payasam and mango pachadi at home with his wife.

"The pandemic has handicapped the whole world, and people are asking where is God right now, as the disease spreads.

"But we need to keep spirits up. I see the new year and Vishu as being about a prosperous future. We must learn to take care of nature and pray to eradicate the Covid-19."