Jayaram: Noted Malayalam actor known for his comedy roles. He has also acted in many Tamil films with Kamal Haasan.
As a child, I had celebrated Onam in a village in Kerala and the memories are still fresh in my mind. As Onam approaches now, what I feel is that I am in a world that is totally different from what it was yesterday. I belong to a generation that has passed by, and to my children Onam is totally different from what it was for me.
But I try to at least tell them what it was to be growing up in a village in Kerala and celebrating Onam with all your family members. Those were the days!
The celebrations started in those days with quarterly exams getting over and Onam holidays starting. By then, the entire village was full of flowers ready to be plucked to make pookkalam.
The funniest thing was, even if all of us kids had lots of flowers in our own yard, we stole flowers from the neighbours' compounds. That was the fun part of Onam. All the kids would get up early in the morning and go hunting for flowers from the nearby houses! When I told this to my children, they were horrified, 'What! You stole flowers? Were you a thief? Didn't the police arrest you for stealing flowers?' I could only laugh at their innocence.
The movie (in colour!) from Udaya Studios that got released for Onam was another memory I still cherish.
We also had many arts clubs in our village and we had many competitions during Onam. We also used to perform skits and mimicry and the entire village used to assemble to see us. But today, after 7 at night, nobody comes out of their homes; they would be watching a TV serial at home.
I saw equality in Onam. Even during my childhood, everyone celebrated Onam and had an excellent sadya in the afternoon. That is the greatest achievement of this festival -- all are equal.
Ours was a joint family and even those who stayed away used to come home to celebrate Onam. So, it was a reunion of all our people, which I miss a lot today. I had lots of very, very sweet memories of Onam of my childhood.
Today, when I go to my village, I see no flowers, no swings, and no gaiety. I see only concrete structures and instant Onam celebrations. Though I am sad about missing the Onam of yesteryear, I am happy to be celebrating it today with my wife and kids.
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