Everything changes with time. Everything. We change. Our friends and relatives change. Buildings and Land change. Continent and countries change . So inevitably our celebrations have to change and Onam is no anomaly.
This Harvest Festival of Kerala has long-lost its zeal and honestly resides only in the money minded advertisements of Silk Saris and Jewelries . I really wish the actual Onam was as grandeur as the "husky Mohanlal Voice-over" wants us to believe . But all those who have nothing to sell remain silent amidst all the hyped celebrations. The only two customs of Onam that have stood the test of time is the Traditional Dressing and the Food, that too because of the onam celebration in offices, schools and colleges, that one day when people get to wear their glistening Kerala Saris/Dhothis and eat a 18 course Sadhya complete with two Payasams. You could argue that the Flower carpet is yet another strong survivor but then since all the flowers are imported from either Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, as opposed to plucking your local fragrances, it celebrates the harvest of the neighboring states.
But with the exponential increase in Nuclear Families this drift was apparent and unavoidable. All the customs are so altered to fit the whims and ease of people that they are just a distorted reflection of what existed in the past.
The ideal Onam exists only in the mind. A picture perfect Nostalgia.
But with the exponential increase in Nuclear Families this drift was apparent and unavoidable. All the customs are so altered to fit the whims and ease of people that they are just a distorted reflection of what existed in the past.
The ideal Onam exists only in the mind. A picture perfect Nostalgia.
True . " Aru chavitti thazhthilum,
ReplyDeleteErulin pathalathilolikkilum,
Etho poorva smaranayil,
Ahladathin lokathethum
Hrudayam"
Achan.