Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Onam celebrated with fervour

Staff Reporter

Over 2,500 families participate in the gala event organised by Kerala Kala Samithi

TRADITIONAL TOUCH: Girls decorating the venue with flower carpets at the Onam celebrations organised by Kerala Kala Samithi in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. — Photo: K.R. Deepak

VISAKHAPATNAM: The grand flower carpet (`pookkalam') greeted visitors at the entrance. Strings of music came out of the venue and the spirit of Onam prevailed everywhere. Kerala Kala Samithi celebrated Onam here on Sunday with a host of cultural activities.

This is the festival to welcome the adorable pot-bellied Mahabali, whose overwhelming affection for his people forced his vanquisher Vamanan (an avatar of Vishnu) to grant him the wish of visiting his people every year.

This picturesque harvest festival brings in ten days of revelry, grand feasts, boat races, song and dance.

Nationwide popularity

With the Malayali population spreading to every part of the country, it is but natural that Onam has gained nationwide popularity.

Dressed in the traditional cream and gold, women along with their families came trooping in from the early hours of the day to participate in the celebrations. The programme was inaugurated by Pendurthi MLA Tippala Gurumurthy Reddy. More than 2,500 Malayalee families participated in the event.

Rajan steals the show

Popular artist from Kerala Rajan Nambiar enthralled the audience with an impressive performance of the traditional art form of Kerala `Chakyar Kooth'.

Synchronically matching the steps with one another, the women performed `Thiruvathirakali', a dance form in which women dance around a lighted lamp kept in the centre.

Dance performances of Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam were also presented.

Sumptuous feast

The delicate swaying movements characteristic of Mohiniattam were performed with perfect grace and style.

Visitors were treated to the delicious `Onasadya', the sumptuous feast laid out on freshly cut plantain leaves.

The smell of crispy bananas chips lingered in the air and a variety of delights like koottu curry, olan, kalan and the sweetened with jaggery syrup (sarkaravaratty) formed the best part of the meal.

"We have been celebrating the festival from the past 35 years," said Kerala Kala Samithi president S.G. Vijaykumar.

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