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The essence of Onam

It's time to celebrate Onam, the harvest festival

PHOTO:K.R.DEEPAK

FLORAL FEAST Girls decorating the Pookkalam or flower carpet on the occasion of Onam

Delicious aromas waft out from the kitchen. The `pookkalam' or the grand flower carpet adorns the entrance of the houses. And neatly dressed children wait anxiously for `sadya' that comes only after rushing for hurried baths. Everyone is ready to welcome the harvest festival, Onam.

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.

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

If you are a Malayalee and haven't yet booked tickets to head home for Onam, you're probably dreaming of the large feast and family get-together you'll be missing. The Kerala Kala Samithi in the city celebrates Onam every year with a host of activities for the Malayalee families of the city. "We celebrate the festival with different cultural events and the traditional meal of Onam. This year a traditional art form of Kerala, `Chakyar Kooth', will be presented by popular television artiste Vidushaka Ratnam Nambiar of Ernakulam," said C.K. Krishnan, the president of Kerala Kala Samithi.

The Naval officers' families get together to recreate the spirit of Onam through their own informal celebrations. "We have been celebrating the festival for the past five years. The children present various cultural events on this day," says Cdr. Rajiv Maroli.

Nostalgia is a recurrent feeling among the middle aged and the elderly when they describe the fun and frolic they had during Onam during their youth. "We used to help our mothers and aunts to prepare the `sadya' and play around with our cousins who would gather at our ancestral place to celebrate the festival," says Bina Ramdas, a housewife who has been staying in the city from the past 20 years. For many others like her, the festival remains a faint recollection of their yesteryears. "Life has become very mechanical these days and the meaning of festivals has changed," says Sudha, a housewife. Nobody has the time to prepare the traditional dishes and we see very few `pookkalams' kept outside houses here. Instant payasams have replaced the authentic taste of the delicacy, she adds. The colour of Onam used to be the traditional cream and gold, while now many prefer to add a dash of colour to their wardrobe.

The legend of Mahabali

Kerala was once a land of prosperity and plenty when the demon king, Mahabali, ruled it. The kingdom spanned the Earth, the Paathalam or the netherworld and was threatening the skies. Indra, king of Devas, threatened by Mahabali's growing might, approached Lord Vishnu for help.

Lord Vishnu took the form of Vamana, a short Brahmin boy, went to Mahabali, the generous giver, and asked for three steps of land. The King agreed. With the first step, Vamana covered the Earth and the second spanned the skies. With no land remaining for the third, Mahabali being true to his word, asked Vamana to put it on his head and the ruler was pushed down into Paathalam.

Traditional practices

There are several traditional practices associated with this harvest festival. In many parts of Kerala, women and children take a go at the swing made out of tying ropes in branches of trees while singing Onam songs. "The `Thiruvathirakali' is a dance form in which women participate and dance around a lighted lamp kept in the center," says Mr. Krishnan. The `Pulikali' and `Kummattikali' are folk dances that are performed as part of Onam festivities.

The festival is incomplete in Kerala without the famed boat race (Vallomkali). The air is filled with excitement as the splashing sound of water is heard when hundreds of oars touch the mystic backwaters to the rhythm of the drums and cymbals.

Culinary delights

The delicious `Onasadya' is the essence of the festival. The smell of crispy banana chips lingers in the air and a variety of delights dished like koottu curry, olan, kalan and the sweetened with jaggery syrup (sarkaravaratty) forms the best part of the meal. The sumptuous feast is laid out on freshly cut plantain leaves, making it appealing to the eye as well as the palate.

NIVEDITA GANGULY

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