THE UNFORGETABLE TASTE OF ONAM!

 

Onam.....

 It's the biggest nostalgia for any Malayalee, anywhere in this world.
Like most malalyalees lot of my childhood memories are threaded with that festival.

When we were children, Onam was the sweetest occasion in a year which we eagerly waited for. Not only because schools were closed for Onam vacation, but also because of the happiness that festival brings to our small world....

The children gangs makes "pookkalam" in front of our house, in the all 10 days. We never buy flowers from the market (as we see in present times). We pluck the flowers from various places including private properties and nearby houses. For that you need to wake up early in the morning and go around to collect the flowers. You need to climb walls of other people's houses, escape from barking dogs, run away from scolding house owners etc... It was like a police-thief game and we children liked it very much..

Then the grand "Onam Sadya" (feast) on the Thiruvonam day, was the highlight of the festival. Sweets, new cloths, lot of games, music and dance.... It was a festival of joy for us.

As we grow up, those joys of Onam are missing from us, since we lost the innocence of childhood.

What is the best memory about Onam, which you always cherish? What will be your answer?

The most unforgettable memory of Onam for me is my first Onam which was celebrated in a foreign soil. The year was 2004 and place was Abqaq in Saudi Arabia.

In 2003 I reached Saudi Arabia, as Civil Engineer for a small company called Abdullah Al Qatani Est. It was a manpower company which supplied manpower to various companies and charge hourly rates. For me, the first 6 months were really hard, since it was the first time I was living in a foreign country.

In the April 2004, I was mobilized to Abqaq as Site Engineer for a project called Aindar-Shedgam seawater conversion plant project. The Project was to build a Seawater Conversion Water treatment plant at a Place called Qurrayah, which is a desert near the Sea. It was my first Saudi Aramco project and which later turned out to be one of the milestones in my professional life. I was working for the contractor called Salem Saleh Al Hareth company.

Situation was very tough for us in the project. Since our accommodation was at Abqaq, it need one hour travel to reach the site from there. So we need to get on the vehicles at 6.00 a.m. At site you need to work minimum 10 hours and most of the days overtime was there, which extended the hours to 12 or more. Usually after finishing all overtime works, we reached back to our rooms by 9 to 10 p.m. Then daily chores like bathing, washing, cooking, etc will consume another 2 hours, which will make sure that we will sleep only from 11.30 p.m to 5.30 a.m, most of the days.

The conditions at the site was more terrible. It was a open desert without a shadow or shade at the site. We had to start from the level zero. The hot Sun and humid air and occasional sand storms, troubled us without mercy. There were more than two hundred workers were working under me and I need to supervise all these workers single handily, since the miserly company did not provided any formen or supervisor to help me. It was toughest assignment I ever faced in professional career.

But fortunately for me, there were lot of malayalee workers were there among the work force, mostly carpenters and masons. They were highly skilled and hard working. So I selected some of them as per their skill and made the "lead men" for each work group and controlled those groups using them. I never behaved them like a "Mudeer"(big boss), but like a friend, which helped me to get their confidence and love. They were very cooperative with me and with their help I was able to establish a work system at the site and achieve the work targets.

On Friday afternoons, After overtime work, I used to visit the labour camp and spend some time with the workers. Playing cricket along with Pakistani workers at the nearby ground, watching movies with malayalees in their room or playing volleyball with Pilipino workers .... Fridays were always good for me at the labour camp.

As time passed, Onam days arrived.

One day the malayalee workers invited me to the Onam Sadya (feast) they are planning on the coming Friday, which was the First Onam day. On that day, none of the malayalees went to the site for overtime. I went to the labour camp in the morning. There was a festival mood in there and the Kitchen was full of malayalees, busy with the cooking. I tried to help in the cooking, but they did not allowed it, saying that "You are our Chief guest".

People from different part of Kerala are working together to make a Onam Sadya! It was a nice sight. I just feel as if I was in Kerala.

By the afternoon everything was ready. We say on the floor of corridor of the labour camp in one row. Banana leaves were put in front of us and the dishes were served on them. Acharu(pickles), Thoran,Kichadi,Olan, Aviyal, Parippu, Pappadam, Sambar...every dish were there. I mixed Parippu and Pappdam with the cooked rice and started to eat.

Suddenly a sadness filled my heart. I feel like crying. My eyes were filled with tears. The memories of my land, my family, childhood Onam days.... everything flashed through my heart.
Away from everything I love, I feel the pain of separation.
The person sitting near to me noticed this and asked me "what happened?". I cleaned my tears with a handkerchief and told him that "I bite a chilly, which is very hot. that's why my eyes are filled."

After that I eat the sadya. People from different parts, of different religions, different backgrounds, different trades and different mentalities.... But we were all together there... enjoying the happiness of a festival, which connects us to our motherland.

The food items may not got the usual taste which we experience in sadyas in Kerala. But for me, that Sadya was the best ever sadya I eat. It got a taste which no other Sadya ever gave me in my life.
The taste of a feeling. ... a feeling for my motherland.

It made me feel the value of the festival. And value of my dear Kerala....


In the novel "Christmas carol", after the visits by the three Christmas Ghosts, the hero wake up from his sleep. He ask the first person he met "What day is today?". "Christmas" came the reply. then he exclaimed. "Thank God. I did not missed Christmas".


On that day of 2004, I was extremely happy that although I was in another country, I did not miss my "Onam".

And I loved it very much.

HAPPY ONAM TO ALL ......