Onam is traditionally a festival of colours , flowers, prosperity, happiness and above all a festival of mind blowing Ona Sadya. But now a days, its basic credibility is questioned. People in olden times get together for Onam, lay Pookkalam, (floral carpet), out of flowers freshly plucked from the backyard. Flowers are bought from market by paying a huge sums in todays Onam. Vegetables no longer, are cultivated in Kerala. It should come from Tamil Nadu to fill a Malayali's stomach. Just like every festival in Kerala, during Onam too, huge amounts of liqour is consumed in Kerala. This Onam , Malayalees drank up liqour worth 110 crores. This estimate is excluding the sale of fake and local liqour. Today, hardly any Malayali get-together for Onam shunning TV programmes. Commercialisation of Onam is also a matter of concern. Multinational brands consumerise Onam with various products and offers. Thus there is a serious change that has happened to the festival of Onam that can , in future , take its toll on the socio-economic scenario of Kerala. We must,by all means, curb the unfavourable infiltration of such factors into the life and economy of Kerala. People must fight against such hornets' nest.
Mukund P Unny
26/9/08
Mukund P Unny
26/9/08
