The Malayalis in Tirupur knitwear cluster have geared up to celebrate Onam on Wednesday making last minute shopping though the charm of celebrating in their native towns will not get replicated in its full here.
“Be it at home or away, Onam will be celebrated by all Malayalis as it brings back the memories of one’s childhood in the case of older people and a respect for traditions in the case of younger generation,” said V. Pankajakshan, a businessman and treasurer of Tirupur Kerala Cultural Centre. However, people like Mr. Pankajakshan added that the festivity have some limitations in cities like Tirupur.
“Here much of the celebrations are confined to within the households exchanging dresses and hosting ‘Onasandhya’ (feast) for friends on the Onam day. But in Kerala, Onam is filled in the air across the State as one can see people rejoicing in the open with activities like ‘Puli kali’, ‘tug-of-war’, and sports events for children,” Hari Narayanan, an export consultant and native of Shornur in Kerala, pointed out. The Malayali population was seen in large numbers in the commercial areas across the city during the last few days purchasing clothes, flowers for ‘Pookalam’ and ingredients for preparing the Onam feast. “But unlike back home, some of the traditional dishes prepared for the feast here will not have the taste and flavour as certain constituents are not readily available in the Tirupur markets,” pointed out some of the revellers.
