The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : All ready for Onam festivities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 27, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

All ready for Onam festivities

Staff Reporter

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

POOKALAM: Participants at a competition at Kerala Samajam in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: There is an unmistakable whiff of fresh coconut oil and Malabar spices emanating from many a kitchen in the city as the estimated 10-lakh strong “Bangalorean-Malayali” population prepares to feast on Avial, Kalan, Koottu and Payasam — the irreplaceable elements of the Onasadya (Onam Feast).

It is hard to spot a frown on the faces of the Malayalis as they revel in the 10-day long festivities and customarily throng the many Onam Chanthas (Onam Carnivals) around the city.

At the Onam Chantha organised by the Kerala Samajam in Doorvaninagar, there was absolute warmth as the revellers were in an irrepressible mood. And smile they did, at just about anybody and everybody.

Muraleedharan Nair, a member of the organising committee, said, “This annual Onam Chantha is being organised for decades now and is one of the oldest in the city,” even as he showed off the many stalls at the Chantha.

Everything quintessentially Malayali was on sale — Kerala Rice, Kerala Chips, crisply starched Mundus and pristine off-white saris, Nendrapalam or Kerala Bananas, Kerala Halwa and sweets, coir and jute handicrafts and even home appliances.

The political zeal of the Malayalis was also on display at the Chantha, as young and old alike formed little groups and discussed the state of the nation over steaming cups of cardamom chaya (tea); India’s nuclear deal seemed to be the searing topic in these hotly contested debates.

Talking about some of the various customs of the festival, Mr. Muraleedharan Nair said, “The religious customs aside, Onam can never be complete without Pookalams (floral arrangements), Onasadya, Onakodi (new clothes) and a cultural show.”

In another part of the city at Sudhagunda Palya, near Christ College – an area with many Malaylis, the restaurateurs were busy adding last minute touches to the decorations in their eateries ahead of the big day, August 27.

George, a helper in one of the many Kerala restaurants in the area, who could not go back to his native State for the celebrations, said, “I wanted to go home for the festival but I don’t really see it as a big loss, this place has also become like home to me. I am as much Bangalorean as I am Malayali.”

Making a similar point, M.K. Soman, joint secretary of the East Cultural Association, Indiranagar, said, “The acceptance of the community in an alien State speaks volumes about the resilience and affable nature of the Malayali. A Malayali works hard not only at his workplace but also at being accepted by the people in whose land he works.”

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