Keeping the festive spirit alive…

RM wore a festive look on 5th September... being Onam, it was an occasion to celebrate!

You were welcomed by RM’s colourful Athapookkalam as soon as you stepped out of the elevator on the second floor. An ‘Athapookkalam design competition’ was held in the run up to the celebrations and the best design was chosen to grace RM’s doorway. And what a grand sight it was! Testimony to the efforts put in by the volunteers the previous evening.

One of the most pleasing sights of any Onam is men and women dressed in the traditional kasavu-mundu attire, and it was great to see everyone in their traditional best. The women were simply splendid in their kasavu saris and traditional jewellery and the men looked dashing in their mundu. Even our UK guests came in mundu-kurta, albeit in sneakers!

The festivities at the club organised by SPACE, RM’s Sports and Cultural Committee, had an auspicious start with a medley of time-honoured Onapatukkal. The spirit of Onam is infectious – before long it was karaoke time with the audience singing along to the immensely popular kuttanadan punjayile… oh thi thi thara thi thi they thi thai thaka they they thom…!!!

It was raining gifts for the ‘Onam Lucky Dip’ that followed; a number of prizes and gift vouchers were given away. And thereafter, it was time for the pièce de résistance of Onam 2008 at RM - Vadamvali or the Tug of War! And what an event it turned out to be – urged on by the spectators, the competing teams put in impressive performances. The winning teams walked away with the customary prize for Vadamvali – a bunch of bananas!

Vadamvali did manage to work up everyone’s appetite for a sumptuous Onasadya. What a delicious way to wind up an action-packed and vibrant day for all of us at RM...