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| Pookalam arrangement for Onam in Goa. |
-Brian Mendonca
Every year when Onam comes around it is invested with new meanings. This time too we enjoyed the experience reaching out to those who were celebrating the festival. A few people I met, with roots in Kerala, were not wearing the traditional white attire. But I made up for it. I had worn an off white kurti which looked the part.
What is Onam without onasadhya? We ordered a traditional meal one day in advance. One from the capital and the other from the South of Goa.
By a rough estimate there are around 15,000 people from Kerala in Goa. This was revealed by the amiable Dennis. He should know. He is the go-to person at Mallu Republic, St. Inez, on the outskirts of Panjim. I photographed the breathtaking flower arrangement (above) outside his shop yesterday.
It was Onam and he was terribly busy. But he smiled bravely as I waiting in a queue to pick up my Onasadhya which I had ordered the previous day.
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| Onasadhya |
According to Amal, who serves out of a food cart in the South items in Onasadhya include:
-Rice -Beetroot Pachadi - Ingli Pulli -Kaya Varou -Thatu -Salt
-Sambhar -Olan - Pickle -Shankana Vanatti
-Rasam -Kuttu curry -Mathaga Erissery -Pappadam
-Kalao -Avial -Palada Payasam -Pazham
-Parippu -Cabbage Thoran -Parippu Payasam -Banana Leaf
Since the names of the dishes are in Malayalam, they may appear alien to speakers of English. To mask their inadequacies they may joke about the pronunciation. In this process of othering, one culture is lampooned in (tacit) favour of another. A true sharing of the spirit of the festival would take all utterances as equal.
Onam made me reach out to many of my friends from Kerala which I had been out of touch with. It promoted understanding between cultures and cuisines.
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Pic (top) taken by Brian Mendonca on Onam on 8 September 2022. Bottom pic by Amal. Updated 11/9/22.
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