BENGALURU:The city’s Malayalis who were unable to make a trip home for Onam celebrated the harvest festival with a tinge of nostalgia on Friday.
Jomy Sibi, a homemaker, said, “Celebrating Onam in Bengaluru brings back memories from back home. We miss our festival and the enthusiasm attached to it. The vacation, pookkalam (floral carpet) and meeting friends here is not like how it used to be in Kerala. But we celebrate nonetheless because the festival is very close to our hearts.”
For Malayalis, Onam holds a special charm that transcends religion. It is a day of feasting and fun, marked by cultural games such as vallam kali (boat race) and puli kali (leopard play).
Nitish V N, a PESIT student, said, “For me, celebrating Onam is being with my cousins, making pookkalam to the best of our abilities and feasting on a nice lunch with 21 dishes.”
Onam falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam (August-September) and marks the Vamana avatar of Lord Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the mythological king Mahabali.