Onam

Today is Thiruonam (Tenth day of Onam). I could never think of missing Onam, it was very special for me but fate has changed everything. Last year we had celebrated Onam with my mother. This year’s Onam, I'm going to miss my mother’s cooking and the joy we used to share with our dear ones on that day! Staying so far away in Malaysia, I can only dream of it! Today I had the same lunch from the nearby bank canteen when everybody was celebrating Onam back home. Those were the golden days which are just memories now! Onam brings back found memories of my childhood. The memories of tying Oonjaal (swings) to the nearby trees, Athapookalam (floral decorations) for the 10 days of Onam and also the adoring memory of my mother giving me an Onakodi (New Cloth). Onam is an occasion for celebration and gives one an opportunity to revisit and fulfill one's responsibility toward his roots, his family, his culture and his soul.