The date was picked, the venue was set, the invitation was sent - that is all it took. And the Arizona Malayalees Onam 2017 was off to a great start. the preparations for the harvest festival of Kerala were underway
As soon as we opened the registration for our cultural programs, the entries poured in. Preparations had begun to the extent of learning special classical pieces while on vacation in India, costumes designed and sourced, practice sessions put in place. Our talented and committed members were on a roll.
The big day arrived. Eager volunteers were at hand putting their skills to use. The hall was ready and so was the onasadya.
The doors opened - to a beautifully set stage. A traditional pookkalam decorated the venue and the what followed was a line up of extremely impressive performances. From the first strains of the prayer, to the last beats of the chenda, it was a revelation. The hard work put into each and every program was clearly visible - latest Bollywood songs, Malayalam super hits and even Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran put in an appearance. Cultures mingled as our Malayalees performed exquisitely choreographed classical dances from all states - Bharathanatyam, Orissi, Kathak and of course, our very own Mohiniyattam.
And surpassing our participants in enthusiasm and grace was our chief guest for the evening, Smt Shyla Ganesan of Nrityalaya Aesthetics. She was with us throughout and encouraged the participants every step of the way,
Heralded by chendamelam, Mahabali came and showered us with his blessings. Legend has it that Mahabalian asura (demon) who was the king of Kerala, took over the three worlds by defeating the gods (devas). Mahabali was a just ruler, loved by all and a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. The devas requested Lord Vishnu's help in defeating him. Lord Vishnu took on the avatar of Vamana, a dwarf boy. Mahabali was having a yagna to celebrate his victory over the devas and promised to grant all requests made to him, When Vamana arrived at the yagna and asked for land covered by three steps, Mahabali readily agreed. But Vamana,who was Lord Vishnu incarnate, took one step and covered the whole earth and the nether worlds. In the second step he covered the skies and heavens. There was no place remaining for his third step when Mahabali offered his head. Vishnu accepted and placed his foot on his devotee's head, thus giving him eternal salvation. And as a boon for his steadfast devotion and loyalty, gave him the boon that he could visit his beloved people once every year. This was the day that came to be celebrated as Onam.
Arizona Malayalees is lucky to have a team of volunteers who chopped, stirred and served with great enthusiasm under the guidance of our main cooks. And so we had the traditional feast known as a sadya,complete with all the usual components of olan, aviyal, erissery, sambar, pulissery, and two paysams, to name a few. The food was sumptuous, finger looking good.
Programs had to be applauded and food had to be enjoyed - which is where our Arizona Malayalees family members came in. They clapped,cheered and encouraged the participants. They savoured the food. They are the reason we do this year after year.
Waiting to make it an even better celebration next year - Arizona Malayalees community wishes all a Happy Onam!
