Mythology states that the Asura king Mahabali visits Kerala during the ten-day festival of Onam.
But now he has more reasons to visit Chennai and stay here longer as the celebrations in the city are spread out over many days.
There are over 10 lakh Malayalees and over 64 Malayalee associations in Chennai. With the festival fast-approaching, Onam chanda (market), selling traditional Kerala dishes like kaalan, olan and erisheri in satchets, and Kerala weaves, have started cropping up across the city.
However, it is not just the Malayalees who throng the markets.
“Non-Malayalees too come looking for Kerala fare. Most of them relish the banana chips and pal ada payasam, especially the North Indian communities. Some even purchase the readymade sadhya, ” says P.R. Smitha, Chennai chapter president of Akhila Malayalee Mahila Association that has opened an Onam market near the Ayyapan temple in Anna Nagar.
The Madras Kerala Samaj too has set up a market off Poonamalee High Road. Its general secretary, Kumblengad Unnikrishnan, said there are 20 stalls at the venue.
“We have everything, from garments to chips, and they are sold at nominal prices,” he said.
Over 2,000 people visit such stalls every year. “All the packed dishes, such as kaalan, olan and erisheri , are homemade. Around 2,000 kg of chips and 8,000 kg of plantains are brought to the stalls from Palakkad. They get sold out fast,” he said.
M. Nanda Govind, president of Confederation of Tamil Nadu Malayalee Associations, said folk arts such as pulikali , seen in Kerala during Onam, will be performed at Avani Poovarangu, to be held in Chennai next month.
“In Chennai, Onam is nearly as grand as in Kerala,” he said.
P.N. Balamuralikrishnan of Aynavaram, who was at one of the markets, said, earlier, family members would get together and prepare Onam dishes. “Now, everything is readymade,” he said.
