The Onam Sadhya with over 20 accompaniments served on a plantain leaf is one of the highlights of the festival. The task of preparing all the dishes is too much for one family. Given this, two or more families join and divide the labour of love.
In R.A. Puram, the Sanjeevs follow the method for Onam and Vishu, joining hands with two relatives of theirs.
In Anna Nagar, Shoba R. prepares Ada pradhaman. Paruppu payasam . Cabbage thoran. However, on Onam day, her spread is much larger. It consists of at least 16 items. Thanks to two friends of hers, hailing from the same neighbourhood, who make at least six items each.
“When we were staying at Erode, we used to organise the ‘Onam potluck’ with three families. In Chennai, we do it with two of our relatives. Three days before Onam, we decide over the phone what each family would prepare,” says Rekha Sanjeev, a teacher.
“This time, though, my mother has come home, so all of us are getting together to prepare at one place.”
There are other families that skirt around the task of making food, alone or with friends. They rely on restaurants that have carved out a niche providing Onam Sadhya every year. There are a raft of south Indian restaurants that offer Onam takeaways. However, for the majority of Malayalees, Onam is not complete if the Sadhya does not come from their kitchen or the friends’.
“A minimum of four items is a must for Onam. For me, Onam is complete only if I prepare the feast at home where I have at least eight dishes including olan, eriseri, kalan and inchi thyar ,” says Ammani Parameswaran, a resident of Adyar.
