Onam: Waiting 30 years to celebrate Malayalees' beloved festival in Kerala

I have waited 30 years. And I only need to wait another few hours.

This Thursday (September 4), I’m catching a late night flight to Thiruvananthapuram – for my first Onam in my hometown in three decades. I have waited long for this moment, and I intend to celebrate each moment of every Malayalee’s beloved festival.

Now, it’s only because I take my annual holidays each July that I never managed to be in Thiruvananthapuram in Onams past (OK, those from 1994 onwards, to be precise). In fact, there is a saying among Kerala expats that Onam celebrations in the Gulf tend to play out over 4 months and not just the 4 days of Onam.  

This year, I decided to change the script – be there in Kerala to be part of something beautiful, something cherished. That with the passing of the years, I wanted to do more than refresh memories of Onam.

This time, I have to experience it where the Onam vibes all started for me. Because Onam is not just about an annual festival – it’s also the occasion Malayalees go back into their pasts.  Back to their childhoods and school holidays. Of memories resurfacing of loved ones and good friends – especially those who are not there anymore.  

So, that’s why for me, there can’t be any place better to mark Onam than Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the south Indian state of Kerala.

Of course, anyone not from there will have their own favourite places – But Onam is about being passionate and parochial, in equal measure.  

This year’s Onam, with the big day being September 5, is all that I care for. And what I crave for when the many ‘sadya’ meals land up in front of me. I literally intend to get my hands dirty savouring them. That’s what Onams do to you.      

Trust me, it won’t just be about meals that must be savoured. Kerala changes during Onam, puts on its best for the world to see. It’s a time for markets bustling with shoppers, a time when everyone decides to forget political affiliations and just live for the moment.

Or at the very least, just bask in those 4 days of Onam. Because after that, everything returns to status quo ante.

Not that any Malayalee will mind that. Because for us, the rest of the year can take care of itself. For now - and for ever - Onam is all that we care about.

In a few hours, I will be able to join in.