Harbinger of joy

IT IS Onam time once again. The festival of cheer returns with all its hues and memories. The Malayalee community of Chennai is all set, as always, to welcome Mahabali, the legendary king, who is supposed to visit his country every Onam.

Although the festival has its origin in Hindu mythology, Onam is celebrated by people of every class and creed. The songs reflect the joyous mood. The ten-day festival falls in the month of Chingam, coinciding with the beginning of the auspicious "Aavani" month of the Tamil calendar. But nowadays, the celebration is confined to the day of Thiru Onam.

The festival is incomplete in Kerala without the famed boat race. The air is filled with excitement as the splashing sound of water is heard when hundreds of oars touch the waters of Vembanadu to the rhythm of the drums and cymbals. There are many other backwater areas too where the races are held like Kochi and Chirayinkeezhu. On the third day of Onam, the non-competitive snake boat race is held in Aaranmula.

Onam is a festival of colours - the auspicious athhappoo, a many- tiered floral decoration, is seen in front of every hut and bungalow. Caparisoned elephants and fireworks trigger the curiosity of children. The special menu, with spicy curries and sweets, served on the traditional plantain leaf, pampers the tastebuds.

In Chennai, though Malayalees may not experience the same kind of fervour, several Malayalee organisations try to re-create the spirit through their celebrations.

The Chetpet-based Malayalee Club is celebrating the festival on August 29, just a couple of days before Thiru Onam. As part of the festivities, the club will conduct a Kaikottikkali competition, a traditional dance form of Kerala where the artistes stand in a circle and move along singing and clapping to a beat. The Thiruvanmiyur Kerala Samajam too is hosting a feast of traditional vegetarian dishes, on September 19.

"For the Malayalee community in Chennai, the celebrations hosted by different associations mean a lot as most Malayalees here work during Onam," points out M. Vijaya Chandran, the secretary of the Thiruvanmiyur Kerala Samajam.

But that does not dampen the spirit of Onam. As K. V. Nair, general secretary of the Confederation of Tamil Nadu Malayalee Associations, says, "We celebrate Onam in a more traditional and elaborate way than it is done in Kerala."

The confederation will celebrate Onam on September 30 with a procession that would have a made-up 'maveli' in the fore and Panchavaadyam.

The Poonamallee-based Kerala Samajam will be running an Onachantha (Onam market) from August 28 to 30, just ahead of Onam. "this is to ensure that Malayalees get all the required things that form the integral part of Onam feast, at reduced rates," says Balakrishnan Maangaad, an office-bearer of the Samajam.

However, there are many like Molly Finny Jacob, a housewife from Annanagar, who feel that there is no substitute for Onam in Kerala. "Schools have holidays, there are grand reduction sales in most shops and people are out on the streets on a shopping spree. All that is missing here."

With no holidays to go home for a while, Malayalees in the city are bringing their home to Chennai, to proclaim aloud that the festival has no geographic boundaries. It is a festival of memories and good will.

LEKSHMY RAJEEV

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Enter the new dragon
Next     : Aqua options