Onam Celebrations 7th September 2019

aum namah shivaya

AMMA says that all celebrations are meant to bring people together so that forgetting all miseries in life, they lend a hand to each other and are happy (even if for the short period of time). Though our scriptures have debunked the notion that Mahaabali (Maaveli) wasn't from Kerala, still the various ancient stories are beliefs meant to put forth certain ideas which when implemented in life would lead to happiness for everyone. It is believed that Maaveli ruled Kerala and he comes back to "God's own country" every year to see how the land is and how people of the land are doing. Therefore we celebrate to show Maaveli that we are happily enjoying our lives (and on a lighter note,  he isn't really required to return back to rule Kerala :)). 

AMMA says that Onam is a festival wherein everybody sets pookkalam, plays games and has the best sadhya ever possible. When a person sees onapookkalam outside in a house, he is bowled by the natural beauty of flowers. Nature has its own beauty but it is when we try to possess it that we tend to spoil its beauty. AMMA says that AMMA is very happy when AMMA's children all get together and celebrate festivals like Onam - AMMA often says that seeing the smiling faces of children makes AMMA visualize it as various blossomed flowers. In short, Onam is a very special festival which breaks down barries and brings everybody together to celebrate (even goes beyond religious borders). 

Enough of the lecture I guess? :). The Onam celebrations was yesterday, 7th September 2019. It is when we have a challenge in front of us, a goal to be achieved that we see ourselves going beyond our limits - or in other words, it is during those times that we truly realize our limits (till then we are like birds whose wings have been tied, put in AMMA's beautiful words). The preparation for the celebration started a day before itself, from the late evening of 6th September. Though I wasn't a part of setting up the pookkalam, almost the entire project was there staying up till 2, 3 and 5 to celebrate. So much so that Mani who keeps daily by 10 pm (without any fail), remained awake till 2 in the morning. It was in the wee hours of 7th morning that pookkalam was finished and it was truly remarkable with AMMA's face in the middle. The pookkalam was so good that Krishnashree chechi wanted to take a photo to show to AMMA!!!

It is only closer to 10 am that the programs could start as everybody had to come in and set things ready (mind you, they all slept around 4-5-6 am in the morning). After the lamp was lit and AMMA's 108 names was chanted, the programs started. Deepu and Kiran set up the mic system. Thereafter it was Deepu coordinating (albeit with help from all others - if names are mentioned, it would be almost the entire project :)) and Kiran using the mic to lure people to sing songs in between programs. Though he was hugely successful in making many sing including Chithra, Jayalekshmi, Meera, Athira and others. His skill of persuasion (strange enough) was so successful that he even made Amritavarshini (Shiju chettan's daughter) to sing jeevamshamaayi. 

Rare are those who are without any stagefright whatsoever. Majority of people will experience stagefright even to a little extent. Maybe as a result of this (and fear of something going wrong) that the girls from ABDF/AD2 decided to have their dance upfront in the programs (rather than at a later time). The dance was a fusion of songs and it was well performed. There was good coordination and the steps were also good. Put in Kiran's comments "is this what you guys said took just two days to practice?" (meaning that it was quite good considering that it took just two days to practice). 

In parallel, settings for the games were taking place. Names were put in a box to be chosen as participants for the games from the youngest person in the group, Vidyut (Aparna's kid). It is really interesting that the statement of "comes the time, comes the man" or in this case, comes the men/women is valid. It is when programs have to be conducted that talents of people are exposed (which we wouldn't have any idea whatsoever). 

Games started with balloons which had to broken after they are pumped air. Then started flipping of the bottle from the table in such a way that the bottle has to land properly on the table. Three people participated. This was continued with three more participants. It was fun to see some getting successful and some not getting succesful. Next game was keeping a uncut pencil straight on the table and stacking coins on top of it without the pencil falling down. Again two sets of three participants partook in it. All the while there was claps in the background, scores being noted down (all mentally) and everyone having fun. Meanwhile, Shiju chettan and his daughter, Amritavarshini, too arrived. Amritavarshini too partook in the next game of keeping a straw extended outside on the table and flipping it to fall into the nearby glass. This game also continued with two sets of three participants. Then the big game of biscuit eating ensued. 

Lastly, musical chair involving everybody in the project was conducted in multiple rounds. There was huge laughs when funny incidents happened in between -- normally such funny incidents is with people not getting seat to sit and being out of the game but strangely the most funny incident (of the day itself) was two people sharing one seat. Neethu and Kiran both sat on the same chair and sorry for the chair that it broke and had to be replaced :). Luckily neither Neethu nor Kiran was hurt (unluckily the chair was due its life:)). Kiran was so shaken up as to what might happen to him (on a lighter note) that he gave up the winning position to Neethu :). 

With the musical chair, all games ended and it was time for the sadhya. Again it could be seen that everybody in the project were setting up things for others to eat; so much so that there were more people ready to serve and lesser people to eat:). And therefore many had to be told to eat first itself than waiting for the second and last round of sadhya. It was really nice to everyone having food like a family (which is one of the main features of Onam). Though banana leaves to eat were less at a later time and some food items were on a lower quantity, still it is all eating together and celebrating the matters. On a lighter note (yet again), it was really funny to see Bimal (the body builder second only to maybe Vinod and Mahesh :)) eating in a small banana leaf (small for his stature, not appetite pls :)). All in all, the sadhya also was nice to eat and all to be together.

There will always be a twist to life. That's how life is set up that it will not go smooth or as per planned. Therefore come the time for a group photo, Jithu went missing :). Luckily for him, he knows photoshop to add his photo to the group photo. Setting up everyone for the group photo, few sitting on the diaz, few on chairs and rest all standing was really fun and took a while to find somebody to take the photo so that Vinod wouldn't escape from it (by saying that he has to take the photo). By the time group photo was taken, we had already taken a few selfies from the back :). 

All that begins has to end as well, even if something good, beautiful and nice. Therefore the celebrations also had to end with all cleaning up the hall. Meanwhile so many selfies, groupies and normal photos were taken in almost everybody's phone (whoever could take). Though it was a short period of just 4-5 hours of celebration and in total maybe just a day of preparation and all being together, still what counts is all coming together, being happy and understanding the value of relationships in life. AMMA says that we are all not isolated islands but we are connected to each other by love which expresses itself in various forms like from a mother to her child, between friends, between brothers, between relatives etc. It is this love, caring and understanding for each other that makes us different from almost all other species. And it is what makes us the most precious of all beings - humans :).

Though the next Onam might not have the same set of people celebrating it, still prayers to AMMA that we may have many more such Onam celebrations that brings us all together, makes us forget all miseries and lets us get swept by the tides of the ocean of love.

Last but not the least, if you have read till here, kudos to you and don't come to beat me tomorrow for the long essay :). 

aum namah shivaya