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Onam is a big festival for Malayalees across the globe, but non-Malayalees who are married into Keralite families aren’t lagging behind their spouses when it comes to adding colour to Onam, as they would for the festivals that are important for their own community.
When Sangeetha, hailing from a Chennai-based Anglo-Indian family married Rajeesh who belonged to Tellicherry in Malabar region of Kerala, she knew little about lighting a lamp or make the ada pradhaman (a sweet dish).
Today, 15 years later, she says, “I am happy I learnt the tradition behind observing Onam. I will definitely pass on the tradition of celebrating Onam to our kids.”
Talking about her early brush with Onam, she recalled the first two years of her marriage, when she had accompanied her husband to Kerala to celebrate Onam with his family. “The first couple of years, I was trained by my in-laws. My mother-in-law taught me the traditional Sadya dishes, while my father-in-law showed me how to make the pookolam,” she said.
Since Rajesh’s family was from North Kerala and they weren’t too traditional, they had less of rituals. “Luckily, we had a few non-vegetarian dishes along with the Sadya,” recalls Sangeetha.
However, this year, due to her busy work schedule, she is going to keep it simple, and cook a scrumptious meal with a fish platter. Sangeetha is planning to keep pookolam only for three days, instead of the traditional 10 days.
Parvathavardhini, a Chennai-based Tamilian whose husband is from Kochi, had a low-key Onam for the first two years of their marriage since they were in the US.
When they moved to UAE, also known as ‘mini-Kerala’, they celebrated Onam in the real sense. “I didn’t have my husband’s family around to teach me the traditional dishes or to make the pookolam, as we were always abroad. I learnt it all from the net.” As Onam falls on a working day, Parvathavardhini says she plans to keep pookolam only on the day of Onam and make a Sadya spread of seven dishes.
Though a Tamilian, Pravathavaradini completely loves the Sadya, as she finds it very healthy and fresh and enjoys celebrating Onam.
Neha Nigam and her husband Vivek are a classic example of the North- South connect.
Neha is a Delhiite, while Vivek is from Calicut. After being married for three years, Onam has become a family affair for this couple. Neha says, “My mother-in-law gave me recipes of all the traditional Sadya dishes. Over the years, I have learnt to make the dishes we both enjoy.”
Neha loves South-Indian food, including the Onam sadya.
Being a banker, she plans to celebrate Onam over the weekend, prepare Sadya at home and invite friends for lunch after offering prayers at the temple on Saturday morning.
For Neha, Onam, like all other festivals is an occasion to dress up, cook a grand meal and enjoy the time with family.
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