Another Onam
is here; and so are the festivities.
One thing
about litigation, you get your holidays on time. Courts have closed for Onam
holidays – believe it or not, we are getting 10 days off. The week leading up
to the holidays are always celebration-filled in all institutions,
organizations and offices. Once the holidays are here, it is rush, rush and mad
rush. You see crowded streets all around. Needless to say, Onam is a season of
high SPIRITS – both liquid and the feeling. It is during Onam, that the
state-run Beverages Corporation garners the maximum profit J. And it is during Onam that you see
people smiling most of the time regardless of their differences. The smile is
infectious. It radiates so much optimism and positivism that for once you feel
that you are living in a society devoid of all sorrows. This is exactly why you
should never be indoors during Onam. Get out. Go watch a street drama, a dance
program, a music show, or a cultural fest. It is so full of vividness and
happiness that you forget all your worries. Just go with the flow. And believe
me – as a city, Thiruvananthapuram is the place to be during this festive
season. The colorfully lit streets and buildings, the cultural programs, the over-crowded
beaches, the dirt cheap shopping and the week-long celebrations which culminate
with the procession of floats through the main city streets - it gives you
everything. I am not saying that Onam is not enjoyed in other places. It does,
and probably in a much more subtle and traditional way. However, let me not
bring in petty regional differences that have been the bane of our society.
This is the time to be happy.
Many people
would argue that Onam has lost its charm and that it is no longer celebrated in
the way it is supposed to be celebrated. It is true. However, people are
helpless. There are no trees for tying swings, no more courtyards for putting pookkalams (floral carpets), the
countryside which used to host traditional games and other celebrations have
given way to new constructions. These are changes inevitable to a changing
society though.
Through all
these, the spirit of Onam still lives on. Onam may be celebrated differently from
the way it was celebrated, maybe, a decade ago. But then the world we live in is
different too. It is true to say that in the heart of every Malayali, Onam occupies
a special place. It will be celebrated albeit according to changing trends. You
can never take Onam out of a Malayali’s life.
