Onam is an annual Harvest festival in
Kerala
According to legends, the festival is celebrated
to commemorate King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.
This year’s Onam began on 1 Sept and ended on Friday 13 Sept.
We celebrated our third Onam at Sobha
Plalladian on Sunday, 15th Sept 2019.
And each year the celebrations have seen
a quantum leap in terms of the participants, their energy levels and the
enthusiasm of the entire residents here!
The quality and the professional level of
execution of the events have been exceptional. The baseline has been set high ,
starting with the Republic day event at the start of this year, and into the
Independence day celebrations last month.
One can only wonder if there is still
opportunity for things to get any better. And I will not be surprised next time.
One thing I must mention..
All the events so far have been dominated by
the children and the women folks. The chorus songs, the wonderful dances –
Onam, Dandiya & Christmas to name a few, the fancy-dress performances
during R Day & I Day. And the skits during Ganesh Chathurthi.
Even during the Halloween evening where
our Men could possibly outperform their fairer partners and their kids, their
involvement was significantly missing. I saw only one lonely pirate caught up
by a clutch of witches, while the entire colony and the top floor of Block 1
especially swarmed with evil looking witches, Banshees,Payees and little devils
and super-brats running all over playing trick or treat!
And only during Holi did I see a few
young men dance around and shake their legs.
Maybe because they had one too many? And at the SP music club I did see
the emergence of our own local Kishore Da, Rafi and Mukesh.
It’s time for our men folks to get more
active and let loose their inhibitions. And they can surely create some good
opportunities as well. We have quite a few athletic bodies, some well-toned
muscles and maybe a dozen or so '6-pack abs' that can be flaunted!!
So how about a Mr Sobha Palladian contest??
I can get sponsorships from Rupa
underwear and Lux Cozi banian!
Check out these potential and eager
contestants flexing their calf muscles!!!
Or a John Travolta/Elvis Prestlley or a
MJ Night ??
Good news. Diny announced that next year
Venki and Arjun have agreed to lead the Onam Puli kali Tiger Dance. Here is a
preview of what you can expect.
Watch out ladies! The big boys are coming!!
Back to ONAM.
Preparations started 3 weeks ahead – the
dance practice. For Thiruvathirai Kali!
Even my wife Jayanthi got reluctantly
pulled into it. And for the first few practice sessions she admitted she had no
idea which way her legs and hands were swinging . However the consistent coaching, and
encouragement of Choreographer Nivedita,
and her motivating calls kept her going .
‘Aunty, intha gumbal ley neenga enna
wrong panna kooda onnu theriathu!” – even if you make a mistake, you will not
get noticed in this melee! – and that was enough to boost Jayanthi’s confidence
!!
And the final result: a superb
performance -nothing less than spectacular!
Two sets of dancers – the young ‘Pink’
group who danced like those professional troupes performing in a Karan Johar’s
film song choreographed by Saroj Khan.
And the Young @ Heart Challengers the ‘Green’ group that kept up
gracefully in pace and tempo of the song.
It was wonderful WOW moment for all of us
to watch. And there was the classical Onam off white sari offset by bright
tops and ornate gold borders. And those
bright red ‘Alta’ painted palms set off the festive mood!!
Check out these wonderful ladies– brightly donning their war paints and armed
with Alta!!
The morning started with
making of the traditional Poo Kolum – Rangoli with flower petals. A wonderful
tapestry of natural bright colours adorning our Clubhouse foyer. Prashiba and
her earnest team started off at 8.30AM.
Shredding flowers to get those bright coloured
fresh petals ..
So bright and beautiful..
Poo kolam in the making ..
L to R: Kalai, Sridevi, Prashiba, Vinaya, Shreya, Aprajita, Anusha.
And finally, A wonderful poetry written
with petals!
Hats off to Prashiba, the chief architect.
And they got some much-needed help from
our Bachha paltan (Kids army) as well. Anandita, Ahana, Mihika, Aarushi &
Elisha.
And They also made their own creation too! –
pretty good for a first attempt!!
Decorating the Fountain area for that
great background.
And the excited kids all smartly dressed
up..
Nivedita giving last minute instructions
to the young performers.
And action started when
our MC (Master of Ceremonies) Diny took over the mike.
“The second half of the year is filled
with festivities… To start with we have the Krishna Janmashtami. This festival
celebrates the birth of Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu. Dance, drama, night
vigil, fasting, dahi handi, are all part of the Janmashtami celebrations. And
how can we miss Raas Lila, which in essence is the devotion of Gopis and Radha
towards Krishna in the form of dance.
Here we have
our little tiny tots aged 2-4, Kahaan, Ashvika, Agastya, Meera, Samar, Gautham
and Varnika performing Raas Lila for us…
Enjoy the enchanting performance…
Check out Krishna and Radha in their
traditional best Brindavan attire!!
And they danced merrily to the lively ‘Radha
kaise na Jale’ number from Lagaan.
Madhuban
mey kanahiya kisi Gopi se miley…..
And the audience turnout was at its peak.
Everyone came to watch, and many armed with their cameras and phones and they
stood all over ready to click !!
From 5 year old girls to 93 year old
defence & industry veterans!!
And enthusiastic hubbys perched on a
ledge waiting to catch their wives in action!!
And then the stage rocked
The earth shook
The loudspeakers blasted out ..
And then the kids rolled in !!
Diny : Ganesh Chaturthi with all the
festivities was celebrated in Palladian last week.
Now, hold
your breath for a dance performance by our very talented kids of Palladian
celebrating Ganesha in all grandeur. We have Aarna, Saachi, Gauri, Akaisha,
Zaynah, Mansi, Diya, Dyuthi, Riya, Ayush, Adrish, Vishwak, Bibaas and Virat
bringing Ganesha celebrations as a feast to your eyes.
Be ready to
roar with your claps and whistles….
The kid’s performance, as expected stole
our hearts! Such bursts of energy, Young hands and legs swinging in
coordination and keeping with the fast beat.
Check out those wonderful expressions!!
And the intensity with which they danced.
And the grand finale. Ganapathy Bappa Moreya !!!
And this ‘pro’ group is well poised to
win the India has talents contest!!!
Thiruvathurai Kali !!
Thiruvathirakali or Kaikottikaliis is a unique dance performed in Kerala on the auspicious day of Thiruvathira, the birthday of Lord Shiva. It is performed by women who seek blessings for eternal marital bliss. As per Hindu mythology, this dance is what brought Kamadeva (God of Love) back to life when he had been burnt to ashes by Lord Shiva's fury.
The graceful movements of the dance are
both enchanting and elegant. The white saris with colourful borders along with
fresh jasmines adorning their hair make for a wonderful sight. Fidelity and the
power of female energy are the crux of this ancient practice. (Ref: Kerala Tourism.)
Here we are
presenting to you, Thiruvadirakali with a twist, as a dance off between the
older and younger generation Palladian ladies. We have Jayanthi, Jayashree,
Sangeetha, Chandra, Pratibha, Mohana, Gayatri, Nalini and Sudha and Anuradha
who has graciously accepted to lead them as Team Green vs Swetha, Vijetha,
Vini, Prasheeba, Freeda, Dhanu, Sruthi, Nikitha, Supriya, Niveditha, Yojana and
Vinaya representing Team Pink.
Sit back and
enjoy the captivating performance…

Meet the family that made all this action happen.
Mom, Mohana (middle), sons Sundar(left)
& Venkat(right): Daughter in laws, Nivedita & Supriya: And grandkids
, Chanakya & Dyuthi !!
While Mohana danced to the tunes of her
daughter in law, it was Nivedita who made all action happen. Nivedita was the
main choreographer for all dance sequences (Saroj Khan & Farah Khan rolled
in one)..
She taught all the steps to the kids,
spent endless hours making them dance in coordination – coaxing, encouraging
and driving this unruly young group to
gear up and deliver such a stupendous performance . She designed the costumes
and selected the songs as well.
And she encouraged and egged the senior
folks to participate and taught them to dance without inhibition and fear.
And she directed the dance sequences for
the younger elegant ladies and taught them perfection and grace!!
And all the family members
enthusiastically joined in the performances.
And on the day before the show, the
entire family was working late into the night making the props - the golden colored dholaks , the cymbals
and other props that was used in the dance sequences.
A Mega THANK YOU folks!! We are lucky to have such a wonderful family
amongst us!!
Onam Sadya – Fine dining Kerala style!!
For some folks who have read my last
year’s blog, pl bear with me for some repetition..
Onam Sadya is very unlike a fine dining
in a Five Star.
While the quality and variety of food
competes with the world’s finest cuisines, the style and ambience are radically
different.
For traditional Sadya, you squat on the
floor. (Thankfully our cultural committee provided us steel tables and plastic
chairs. Much appreciated !!)
There are no silver ware / no stone ware
/ nor fine china.
One large Banana leaf – Ashtey!!
No spoons, no knives. Use your god given
hands folks!!
And you might have to use both hands
dexterously. Right hand to eat and the left, to manage the flow of piping hot
rasam and other fluids on your leaf by alternately lifting the various edges of
your banana leaf. And if you are not quick enough, you run the risk of that
piping hot gooey stuff rushing straight into you and on to some sensitive part
of your body. And you do not want that – you bet (speaking from my experience).
Thankfully nowadays our modern caterers have
made these dishes ‘non-keralite’ friendly. For example, the traditional Avial
that comes with vegetables floating in spicy and hot coconut milk gravy now gets
served as a lump of mixed vegetable.
And the cooking is less chilly and spicy,
served at ‘baby-bath’ warm temperatures and with manageable viscosity! And even the sweet Ada Pradaman is diabetic friendly!!
And the traditional warm Jeeraga Vellum
(Jeera water) served in tall tumblers is replaced by a small sealed plastic
water bottle!
But the Onam Sadya dining style and
experience remains fully intact.
You do not leisurely partake a Sadya
meal, slowly eating, striking up conversation with your friends between mouthfuls
and occasionally sipping wine between the various courses of your meal.
No such things happen here.
You gorge food!
And eat really fast!!
And keeping in pace with the never-ending
stream of fresh dishes and refills coming from your left.
And you have just 20 minutes to pump your
stomach with as much as it can hold and a little more depending on the
elasticity of your stomach lining.
Because the next batch of hungry folks
are breathing down your neck, waiting for you to clear the table space.
And if that was not enough, there is
bananas and Paan to follow.
And for the next three hours you are
completely knocked out on your comfortable bed with a soft pillow and your digestive system
leisurely converts those 3500 cals. into pure fat.
And that means burning an extra 600 cals.
per day for the next 6 days. Doable !!
And if you have a vague idea of exactly
what you ate, here is the list of dishes that went down into your stomach .
I am sure you can recollect some of these
tastes.
Salt, Pickle are the first ones to come.
Upperi: The one thing everyone loves
the most - banana chips.
Sharkara Varatti: The sweeter version
of banana chips. Made of jaggery,
Puli
Inji: A must have for Onam, Inji curry is ginger, tamarind and
jaggery. In most malayali households, this is the first thing that is
prepared in the days leading to the 10th day of Onam.
Avial:
Mixed vegetables with grated coconut and made in coconut oil and
milk. Man, this is one tasty mixed vegetable dish you'll ever have.
Ellisheri: A yummy dish made
with pumpkin, red beans and a generous amount of grated coconut.
Pulissery: Made with curd and a
choice of vegetable ranging from pumpkin to cucumber and topped with a gracious
amount of grated coconut.
Kaalan: A signature dish made
with yogurt, yam or raw banana or of course our favourite, grated coconut
Olan: Ash gourd and red beans
splashed with a generous amount authentic coconut milk.
Mangalore cucumber Kichadi: Spicy
yogurt with vegetable like okra, cucumber Add it to your rice and parippu, and
see how you lick your fingers in the end.
Pineapple Pachadi: A delicious yogurt-based
curry made with either pineapple or bitter gourd and, of course, grated
coconut.
Rice (white & red), Dhal, ghee,
Sambhar: An essential dish
of the Onam Sadhya, Sambhar is cooked with every vegetable there is from beans
to potatoes to yam. Everything goes in to making this wonderful dish
Rasam : Spicy tamarind soup,
sprinkled with a generous amount of curry leaves, mustard and tomatoes. Drink
it up in the end for digestion or just add it with your sambhar and rice.
Kootu Curry: Raw bananas and
black chana with grated coconut made into a dry curry.
Palada Pradhaman: The last dish that is served- a sweet dish
made with milk, dry fruits and rice ada. The sweetness is just perfect to
balance all the spices.
Ada pradhaman: Onam celebration feels incomplete without a bowl of ada
pradhaman. Rice ada, a typical Kerala food item made from rice, jaggery and
coconut milk are key ingredients in making this delicious dish and are the
reasons for its signature tropical coconut taste
A round of applause to the cultural
committee for pulling off yet another spectacular event. Thank you, folks, for
such a wonderful Sunday morning!
And special thanks to Manoj, Prashiba,
Jovial, Kalai and their families and of course Srini and Jayashree. Pardon me
if I have missed out a few more.
Manoj, thanks for arranging the Sadya
lunch and capturing all the action thru your lens. SP Onam 2019 : https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNob1XrsE6DLpEmUliMkcIAUZLFTgUgUyLQdMs8xKFaDAUuFot4brYKDeuCVV5rkw?key=N01LMWowazVJVXBFQXMxTVFITXFyc3lkcVU1Rnhn
And to all the volunteers who so
enthusiastically pitched in to get things organised.
And not to mention the little ones, the
young kids, the ladies and the senior ones as well. You all have been just
amazing!! You Rock !!
And now I look forward to next year Onam
2020.
And the men folks here have taken up the
challenge against the ladies.
And here are a set of eager folks who
have signed up for the puli kali (tiger dance) performance next year!!
Cheers,
Krish..
Beautifully compiled and very very informative too Krish! Relived the celebration and the fun moments through your post! Awaiting to see the pulis next year..hope they don't chicken out into iliis!
ReplyDeleteNo Way Vinaya. Do not underestimate our men folks. If they can climb parapets and precariously balance themselves to click pictures of you folks dancing, i am sure they can paint themselves in stripes and jump thru a few hoops. Watch them next year, the tigers are coming !!!
DeleteI'm out of town and missed the event. Reading your blog makes me feel I actually attended it!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written,we missed the Onam celebrations at SP.Thanks for the details. Now its time for the menfolk to dance to the tunes of our SP Saroj Khans.
ReplyDeleteAgree 100% !! remember Elvis Prestley's "Put on your dancing shoes" number ??
ReplyDelete