Festival of flowers is here

Yet another ‘Thiruvonam’ is here. Keralites in the city are laying out a grand carpet and preparing a lavish ‘sadya’. Some of these Bengalureans recollect their memories of their favourite festival and what they are planning to do today.

The day is all about spending special moments with family, says Hema Suneil, a homemaker. “Most of my relatives live here. Both children and elders in the family take a holiday today to be part of the festivities. We gather at one place and prepare the ‘sadya’. Sometimes we cook a few dishes from home and bring or we all gather together and cook together,” she elaborates.

“I have a lot of friends who come over for lunch and we include them in our day’s plans,” she says.

The ‘Onasadya’ or banquet includes an array of dishes like ‘naranga curry’, ‘manga curry’, ‘olan’, ‘kalan’, ‘avial’, ‘kootu’, ‘pachadi’, ‘kichadi’, ‘pulissery’, ‘erissery’ and items like ‘sarkara upperi’, ‘pappadam’ and ‘puli inji’. “’Uppu’ (salt) is also considered an item in the spread. We start by serving that as without salt, no food can be tasty,” she adds.

Sumieja Satish, a homemaker, says, “We make different ‘payasams’ like ‘wheat payasam’, ‘ada prathaman’ and ‘semiya payasam’.”

She points out that in large families, often it is impossible to have everyone come together. “Many a time differences arise within the family but this is one day when everyone comes together and let bygones be bygones,” Sumieja adds. “It is also a great day to pass on our traditions to the next generation,” she says.

The ‘pookalam’ or flower carpet is an integral part of the celebrations, points out Deepti Jayachandran, a nurse. “The ‘pookalam’ is laid out on all days during the ten-day long festival. The grandest one is done on ‘Thiruvonam’ day. The carpet brings together culture, purity and joy of the day,” she says. “The best memories I have is from childhood. We used to collect the best flowers to create the most colourful ‘pookalam’,” she adds.

Renju Sajeesh, a homemaker, goes with her family to K R Puram market to shop for flowers every year. “We shop for flowers like asters, marigolds, blossoms. and some jasmine flowers too. The flower carpet is a big part of the day and is laid out to welcome King Mahabali to one’s home,” she says. “We always look forward to ‘Thiruvonam’ and buying ‘Onakodi’ (new clothes). This is symbolic of new beginnings,” she says. “This is one festival which isn’t based on religion. It is about being one as a community and celebrating the harvest season,” she adds.