Muted Onam festivities in Kerala's relief camps

Thiruvananthapuram: The 82-year-old Kumari just stared on as other inmates tried to lay a floral carpet on the courtyard of a flood relief camp in Alappuzha district.

“I had never ever imagined that we would not celebrate another Onam at that house in the same way,” says the homemaker, overcome with memories from last year's celebrations with her family.

“Today is Thiru Onam, but we are in this relief camp. Unprecedented rains and floods have flattened our home.”  

Kumari is among the over 8 lakh people who were displaced by the deadly floods and are now living in thousands of relief camps across the state after losing the savings of their lifetime.

The devastating deluge, which has so far claimed 265 lives, has taken the sheen out of the state's most awaited harvest festival, Thiru Onam, which falls on Saturday.    

But, Onam feast was prepared in schools, colleges, convention halls, mosques and churches which are serving as relief camps in various districts.

Floral carpets were also laid at the camps to soothe the worried minds of flood-hit people. In worst-hit Alappuzha district, Onam was celebrated at a mosque, which has been turned into a relief camp.

The doors of the mosque were opened to accommodate people of all religions on August 18, a mosque committee official said.

“As we saw several houses destroyed, people being displaced, we opened our hall used for offering namaz (prayers).

“This is in true sense religious harmony. The floods have brought people of all religions together,” he said.

Bakrid was celebrated here last week and in the same spirit, Onam was being observed today and the feast was prepared by the people in the camp.

“Delicacies like aviyal, sambhar, payasam,.. All have been prepared,” the mosque committee official said. In Chengannur, a relief camp inmate said the Onam festivity may be a low key affair this time, but we will overcome and definitely celebrate next year in our homes.

Young Nandana, who returned to her home from a camp in Kochi, is busy drying her textbooks and notes as the sun came out this morning. “There is no pookalam due to floods,” she said.

Many in the camps, sang Onam pattu (songs), laid out flower carpets and prepared sadya (feast) in an effort to bring some joy into their lives mauled by the unprecedented rains and floods, the worst the state has faced in a century. Women were busy cutting vegetables and men unhesitatingly pitched in to help, to prepare the feast in many camps.

In the Aluva UC College camp, children and Muslim women joined in making the pookalam. In the famous Thrikakkara temple at Kochi.