How Malayalis overseas keep the spirit of Onam alive

Nostalgic expatriates recreate a slice of the festival fervour in their more immediate surroundings

Onam is glocal. From Anchuthengu to Amsterdam, Vamanapuram to Virginia, Dhanuvachapuram to Dubai… wherever there are Malayalis, this is a time of festivities. Perhaps more so for nostalgic expatriates, many of whom never fail to recreate a slice of the festival fervour back home in their more immediate surroundings.

Like Thiruvananthapuram native Lekshmi Sasidharan, who works in Amsterdam, for whom Onam is the occasion when she gets to rub shoulders with fellow Malayalis. "We have a collective, Netherlands Association of Malayalees (NANMA), that conducts grand Onam celebrations. Each year, one chosen city in the Netherlands would play host to the celebrations, where Malayalis would congregate," says Lekshmi. This year, it’s the turn of Eindhoven.

However, because of the pandemic, they are spearheading a virtual Onam celebration, replete with cultural programmes and competitions. "There are various contests like dance, music, short films and so on. One highlight is ‘Onam Diva’, which invites photos or videos of us in traditional Kerala attire," says Lekshmi who has been busy with "the photoshoot."

Krishna Prasad (second from right) with his family and friends during Onam last year  
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Special Arrangement

Aju Paul, vice-president of Hampton Roads Malayalee Association (HRMA) based in Virginia in the US, ,says the pandemic is no hindrance to "keeping the spirit of Onam alive" for the small but active community of Keralites there.

"Until last year, the celebrations were vibrant, but this year, it is about risk mitigation. Onam programmes will go online and we have requested the members to send recorded videos of songs and skits that will be screened via Zoom," says Aju, a native of Ernakulam.

Another endeavour under discussion with HRMA is roping in performances artistes in Kerala who have been out of work since the pandemic and show the programmes via online platforms for a remuneration.

"Thanks to technology, the distance is not really a factor any more. Also, we felt that this way, it would be a solace to the struggling artistes as well. You don’t need a visa for this right?" adds Aju, who works with a healthcare firm. But one thing that is a given is payasam. "This time, we can’t cook en masse for the sadya and so the focus is on preparing payasam and delivering them safely," he adds.

Vocal for local

  • Deepa Seetharam, wife of TP Seetharam, former Amabassador to UAE, says that they made it a point to celebrate Onam, no matter where in the world they were posted. “We would make do with whatever was available locally and it would be a community affair. While we were in Thailand and South Africa, floral carpets would be a grand affair as we had plenty of flowers in our garden. In other places, we would had to buy local flowers and make a pookalam with it,” she says over phone from Bengaluru.
  • She recalls fondly how families would pitch in to cook the sadya and serve it. “We would celebrate on all three days of the festival and we have had some really important guests at home. Ingredients for the sadya had to be planned and bought early in some places like Geneva. In Mauritius, the sadya gave a taste of nostalgia to the residents whose ancestors had hailed from India. In China, I had to be really creative and the sadya was served on big leaves of Canna, of which we had plenty there,” she says.
  • Saraswathy Nagarajan

For others like Arjun B Nair in Stuttgart, Germany, though it’s not a "holiday" during Onam, he is still keen on making it a point to have "a minimal sadya of sorts" on Thiruvonam.

"Nothing elaborate but just rice, sambar, kichadi, thoran and so on in addition to semiya payasam. It’s work from home for me and also because of the pandemic, I don’t plan to step out to catch up with my Malayali friends in the city," says Arjun, an engineer. He is, however, looking forward to the Mollywood releases coming out on OTT platforms.

Sadya is also what Krishna Prasad and family in Dubai are pinning their celebrations on this time. "Usually, my friends and their families come over during Onam and we try to make as elaborate a spread as we can for lunch. However, because of the pandemic restrictions, it is going to be just me, my wife, Roshni JS, and our two-and-half-year son, Aarav. Since there’s time, we will be preparing two payasams — ada and semiya," says Krishna, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, who works with an automobile firm in Dubai.

Malayali da!

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