Trendy Keralites opt for a 'Virtual Onam'

By Anand Parthasarathy

KOCHI AUG. 29

The traditional Onam sights -- families where every one including men folk, pitch in to prepare the raw materials for a grand feast or `onasadya', while children lay out the flowery decorations for a `pookalam' -- may soon become a rarity. Trendy Malayalis this week, are eagerly embracing a host of new services, which promise to take the hassle out of hoary ritual -- and deliver an `instant' Onam for the Internet Age.

When raw bananas or `nenthrakkaya' have shot up to nearly Rs. 25 a kg, many Malayalis now prefer to buy the obligatory banana chips fried in coconut oil, for Rs. 90 a kg (up this week from the normal Rs 75). That other `must have' element of the main feast on Thiruvonam day -- the `palada prathaman' or `payasam', is another preparation that seems to be too much of a bother for many families: across Kerala, enterprising agencies, led by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) have opened kiosks, where they provide multiple varieties of paayasam in take-away plastic containers at prices starting from Rs. 50 a litre.

Virtually every hotel and restaurant in the State has announced special Onam lunches on most days from Thursday to Saturday at prices that are around Rs. 150 a head. Many have already received `bookings' in advance for the Thiruvonam Day. But the new trend this year, is for upwardly mobile Malayali families to opt for an `instant' solution to the `onasadya' -- and to depend on well known home caterers to deliver the complete Onam lunch for the family. For between Rs. 40 and Rs. 50 a head, these caterers promise the full course: rice accompanied by `pachadi', `kichadi', `avial', `erissery', `kaalan' and `olan' with `sambar', `rasam', curd and at least one variety of `payasam' -- either the `palada' or the `kadala pratham'.

Enterprising web sites are leveraging the Internet to provide some of these Onam related services. At the Netsite of Fast Finder Kerala (www.ffkerala.net) you can order banana chips and varieties of Kerala silk `mundu' online. If you are in the Kochi area they will also deliver `palada prathaman' on the designated day. Many of the Kerala-based e-commerce sites are doing brisk business with the State's vast expatriate population in the `Gulf' countries, delivering `onakkodi' or gifts to families back home.

Why sing -- when Mr. Jesudas does it for you -- on special cassettes and CDs of Onam songs? The International music company BMG-Crescendo, which has a marketing tie up with a State-based music publishers has just released `Ennum Ee Ponnonam' a compilation of new Onam songs by Mr. K.J. Jesudas and his son, Mr. Vijay; as well as another album `Chithirapattu' by the singer, Ms K.S. Chitra. At least three other labels have come out with Onam specials featuring Mr. Jesudas and Ms. Chitra. Most of them can be ordered from the Net.

The Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram-based Internet company, Red Waters.com has launched a special website for the season: www.onam.org, which a total data base on the festival. It also provides surfers with a free Onam e-greetings e-mail service, providing a choice of ready-made art work.

Onam is the time of the year when Keralites flush with their annual bonus, can be most easily parted from their cash. Upcountry vendors of white goods, textiles, entertainment electronics are said to do almost 40 per cent of their annual business in Kerala during the ten days preceding Onam. Customers in the State are estimated by Surya TV in a programme beamed today, to have spent Rs 500 crores in their pre-Onam shopping spree. At least a small chunk seems to be going to canny entrepreneurs who are making this, Kerala's first experience of a `Virtual Onam'.

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Section  : Southern States
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