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NOSTALGIA revisited
PRATIMA ASHER
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The spirit of Onam remains unchanged with each passing year.
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ONAM COMES every year. People do almost the same things every year. So what is it that makes people look forward to it ardently, year after year? The thought that hits you then is that as far as this pucca Kerala festival is concerned, it is the spirit that one approaches it with that matters most. Here is a festival whose dominant note is nostalgia, where in spite of the occasional sarcasm about spending sprees and the state of the land and similar matters, people look forward to the celebration of much loved and time honoured traditions.
Agricultural fete
Freedom fighter, and senior advocate, P. Balagangadhara Menon has seen 83 Onams by now. He tells you that the festival, "heralds the coming of the agricultural season. There are heavy rains till Karkkadakam and with Chingam the glittering sun comes out. It is a time when one recollects the glorious days when people lived differently without any want". As a matter of fact, adds Mr. Menon, Onam was once a national festival. "In those times it was celebrated even in Tirupati. Now it has become a State festival. In the old days it was peaceful and glorious. Then nobody was disappointed, nobody committed suicide. Mahabali was a fair ruler, a model king. So one feels happy thinking of a time when there were no murders, no theft. There is a Malayalam saying that nobody in those times told lies. It is a festival when people think of those glorious days."
That a mood of warmth characterises Onam is what George Dominic, Executive Director, Cgh Earth Group of Hotels, feels. Onam, Mr. Dominic believes, "is not a religious festival anymore. It is a celebration of the people of Kerala. We all celebrate Onam. I am invited over by my friends. We receive gifts of payasam. It is a time when everybody greets each other. It is a unique festival in which all the communities participate".
So nobody wants the essence of Onam to change.
It might be stated that many of the trappings that go into setting the tone and creating the mood of the celebrations have nothing to do with tradition. But this is an observation for which an easy explanation can be offered.
Values unchanged
The intrinsic values that have characterised the festival have remained unchanged over the years. It is still a time for family get-togethers, sports and games and rituals practised over a long period of time. In fact it might even be possible to suggest that more and more old Onam traditions are being revived every year even as the Malayali acquires a greater exposure to global culture. As he alters his lifestyle to suit the changing times the style of the celebrations does undergo a change.In spite of this, Onam is one great occasion, which gives him an opportunity to renew his bonds with his own culture and its own traditions.
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