Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 (IANS): On the eve of the mother of all festivals in Kerala, Thiru Onam, which is the second day of the three-day festivities on Sunday, is keenly awaited all across the state, irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
But, had it not been for two happenings, Onam would have certainly shone brighter. On July 30, four villages in Wayanad district were washed away leaving more than 350 people dead and around 90 still missing. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave a call for cancelling the single most popular event -- the grand pageantry to be held on the last day of the Onam festivities in the state capital.
And just when Kerala was settling into the Wayanad tragedy, came the explosive Hema Committee report which brought out the ugly side of the male dominance in the otherwise ego-filled Malayalam film industry.
It revealed the untold miseries of the women in the industry and it has come as another dampener because it is the film stars who are the most important group making the Onam festivities a happy occasion when more than a dozen TV channels have special shows and make the Onam a truly homely affair.
However, this time, with the stock of the film stars taking a nose dive, not only have the otherwise Onam film releases taken a back seat, the TV channels also appear not too keen to have them in their shows, unlike in past.
But irrespective of these, two things that will happen as always and with increased fervour is the traditional 26 dish Onam 'sadhya' (feast), a must in all homes.
The sadhya, especially during Onam, has to be served on the banana leaf and in some places, the lunch is had while sitting on the floor, like the olden style.
The 26-dish lunch includes chips, papads, various preparations of vegetables, a good number of pickles both sweet and sour, the traditional aviyal, sambar, dal curry served along with a small quantity of ghee, rasam, two different preparations of buttermilk, a chutney powder prepared from grated coconut and not to mention a series of mouth-watering payasam eaten either straight or mixed with a small ripe plantain.
The only difference in the traditional lunch is that while in the northern districts of the state, there are non-vegetarian dishes, while in the central and southern districts, it is all vegetarian.
As in the recent past, with life becoming more hectic and women preferring to spend Onam in comfort, hotels make a killing as they get ready with packed Onam lunch which starts from Rs 250, and at certain plush hotels, it could be even as high as Rs 1,500.
The traditional Onam sadhya is had on the three days of Onam, starting from Saturday.
Another thing which will happen with equal fervour is the Malayalee’s habit of gulping down two, three or more pegs of their favourite liquor brand and over the years, the sale of liquor on Onam has increased. Last time, the sale had touched a staggering Rs 759 crore and the question this time is if it is going to reach the Rs 800 crore mark.
On Thiruvonam, the state literarily is closed for all practical purposes and gets back to routine only next Monday.
However, for the CPI-M, with the passing away of their top most leader Sitaram Yechury, the rank and file are also in a sombre mood and that too, will affect the regular Onam festivities.