Malayalis in the city on Tuesday shared the all-encompassing spirit of Onam festivities on the eve of Thiru Onam, the main festival on Wednesday.
This harvest festival brings natives of the ‘God’s own country’ together annually for collective celebration of this special occasion.
The auditorium of a local multi-cuisine restaurant boomed with high energy as children presentedtraditional and classical dance numbers. Pookkalam, the splendid flower carpet designed by a group of women, grabbed the visitors’ attention. Most men and women were dressed in traditional ‘mundu’ and sari respectively. . “We meant it to be a get-together of Malayali families and friends. But it got bigger with many people joining in partaking in the festivities,” said an elated Sunil, a member of the Malayali community. Unlike the usual practice of engaging cooks from Kerala,members themselves cooked the food, keeping all 24 items of the traditional menu intact, and brought it to the venue.
