What would India be without her festivals? Imagine our calendars sans them! Inconceivable, without those cheery dates marked in red. They come and go almost every other month, providing respite from most daily grinding routines. A reason to shop, wear new clothes, eat a traditional meal with family, laugh, and binge-watch blockbusters; these special days are what unknowingly bind us all together and give every household something to look forward to. And as if all the colourful ones we have are not enough, urban India has even learnt to import days like Halloween and Black Friday from across the shores to add to the spirit of celebration.
Every festival has its unique charm and a history to call its own. Some are quiet, some come alive with the loudness of fireworks, some are pious and spent in prayer, while some dance to the tunes of nature. Some are a visual treat to the eye, too, and Onam is surely one such. The first thing that comes to mind when one hears the word is the stunning flower decoration that adorns every Malayali household at this time of the year. The years may have taken away the simplicity of this tradition, where designs are no longer impromptu or solely dependent on the colours and quantity of the flowers gathered each morning from the plants in the vicinity.
Today’s celebrations are well-planned, patterns are finalised after an internet search, and the right colours are sourced from flower stalls a day ahead. Nothing is left to chance, and grandeur is the new mantra. With gardens fast disappearing and neighbourhood walls guarded by paid security staff, it is but a natural transition that festivals are curated well in advance, especially with the pressure to present the perfect Instagrammable image.
Pookalam, as the traditional floral carpet is called, started off with simple designs to welcome the mythical King Mahabali on his annual visit to his homeland of Kerala. Traditional flowers, which were a ubiquitous part of every backyard earlier, were used. On the first day of Onam, called Atham, the thumba or Ceylon Slitwort, little white flowers, which once grew in abundance, was used to create single ring patterns. Tiny yellow flowers called mukkutti were also an integral component in any pookalam. Tulsi is another compulsory addition, as well as the trumpet-shaped Hhibiscus, which always managed to grab the limelight due to its usefulness as a centrepiece in any design.
Most of these flowers have lost their significance today with the availability of brightly coloured variants in the market. The yellow kolambi, which once grew in the wild, has now been replaced in most pookalams by the easily obtainable marigold, and the small bouquet of flowers called aripoovu has vanished from most landscapes.
No tube of paint can ever match the hues that nature can offer. Festivals like Onam are reason enough for all of us to unleash our creativity with nature’s palette. We may be alienated from the meadows of yore, but let that not stop us from making these blossoming masterpieces!