hi frds, this is the fourth edition of our fst-In magazine . it is all about onam festival. we added a new section called idhu namma area. I hope you will be like it........ Pls give me your valuable comments........ Regards, Rtr.Premalatha, fest-In chairman RC of Zenith

2. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
1
e
At least onc in my life time want to
cele
ebrate On nam in k kerala wit mallu
th
commmunity, I’m just wa
aiting for th day.
he
I’m hap to edit 4th edition of fest-In.
ppy . Hap Onam my dear R
ppy Rotaractors s.
In our l three editions you would
last e Reggards,
come ac cross about Krishna Jeyanthi, Rtr..Saravanan
n,
Madras Day, Vin
s nayagar Ch hathurti ‘fes
st-In’ Editor, RC Of Zenith.
and Ra amzan. Ou fourth e
ur edition is fully
packed with about Onam fes
t stival.
Genesis of Onam, when it’s celebrate,
s ,
for wha it’s celeb
at brate, by w
whom it’s
celebrat Vamana Avatar, L
te, a Legendry
King MMahabali, Three Steps
T s,
Custom Vamana
ms, amurthy Se ettled,
Onam R Ritual and more. I’m not
m
mallu ((Malayali) but, expeccting
the Leggendry Kin Mahaba to visit
ng ali
my plac and mee me also. I’m
ce et Ona is the l
am largest fest
tival celebr
rates
impress by the King Maha
sed K abali the by t people who are a living in the
the all n
way he ruled his Kingdom, the way he
e K e stat of Keral It is a h
te la. harvest festival
made go to jealo on him the way
ods ous m, and is cele
d ebrate w with joy and
he kept his promis the way he loved
se, y enthhusiasm al over the states in I
ll India
ople. Kerala is the sta of India
his peo a ate a by people o mallu communi
of ities.
will celebrate Onam like tribute Ona is cele
am ebrates in the begin nning
continuously for ‘Ten Days’ ’. of t month of the Chingam, the first
the
Mallu ccommunity from othe states
y er mon nth of Malayala am cale endar
will cellebrate On
nman only f four
for (Koollavarsham
m).
days. Prreparing 34 dishes is one of
4
the customs followed by the em
during OOnam whic I like m
ch most. On the
day o Onam Festival (09/09/11) I
of
celebrat with my Parent Clu
te y ub
Membe (Madras North Ea along
ers s ast)
with som of Zeni Family members.
me ith
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

3. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
2
This co
orresponds between the month
s h
of Augu and Se
ust eptember. This year r
th
Onam f falls on 9 , Septemmber 2011. .
It’s a b
belief that every ye in the
t ear e
month o Chingam the lege
of m endry kingg
The natural beauty state of Ke
e erala
Mahaba will visit every malayali
ali v y i
onc was rule by an A
ce ed Asura (Dem mon)
home a meet the people Visit of
and t e. f
king Mahaba The kin was gre
g, ali. ng eatly
King MMahabali ceelebrates as Onam. In
s n
resp
pected in his kingd dom and was
Kerala, continuou usly 10 da ays this
s
connsidered to be wise, judicious and
o
carnival will cele
l ebrate and in some
d e
extrremely ge enerous. It is said that
t
other st
tates four days only. First day
. y
kera witnessed its gol
ala lden era in the
n
is “At tham” an nd tenth day is s
reig of king Mahaba Everyb
gn g ali. body
“Thiruvvonam”.
was happy in his kingd
s n dom; there was
no ddiscriminaation on the basis of c
e caste
or cclass. Rich and Poor were equ
h r ually
trea
ated. There was neith crime, nor
e her ,
Popularrity and presentatio of rich
p on h corrruption. Peeople did not even lock
culture of the state during th carnival
he l thei doors, a there were no thi
ir as ieves
made O Onam the National F Festival of f in that king gdom. Th here was no
Kerala in 1961. Elaborate f
E feasts, folk
k povverty, sorro or disea in the r
ow ase reign
songs, elegant dance, energetic c of kking Maha abali and eeverybody was
games, elephants, boats an flowers
nd s hap and con
ppy ntent.
all are a part of the dynam festival
t mic l
called Onam. Go overnment of India
t a
has tak due no
ken otice of th vibrant
his t
and co olourful feestival. It promotes s
Onam in nternationa in a bi way and
ally ig d
celebrat ‘Touris Week’ for Kerala
tes st a
during OOnam cele ebrations. TThousands s
of domestic and foreign tou urists visit
t
Kerala t be a part of Onam.
to
Mahhabali was the son o Veeroch
s of hana
and grandson of Prahla the de
d n ad, evout
on of demon king Hi
n iranyakash
huap.
Mahhabali had a son called Bana, who
d
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

4. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
3
became a legenda king in his own
ary n morrning pray and wa preparin to
yers as ng
right an became popular as Banraj in
nd s n gran boons to Brahmins
nt o s.
central Assam. Mahabali be
M elonged too
the Asu (Demo dynasty but was
ura on) s
an arde worship of Lor Vishnu.
ent per rd .
His braavery and strength of character
s f r
earned him the title of “Mahabali i
Chakrav varthy” or Mahabali – the king
g
of kingss.
Looking at the growing popularity
g y
and fam of ki
me ing Maha abali godss
beame extremel ly concer rned and d
jealous. They fe threaten
elt ned aboutt
their ow suprem
wn macy and began to o
think o strategy to get r of the
of y rid e Disguised Visshnu said he was a p poor
dilemm To curb the grow
ma. b wing reignn Braahmin and asked fo a piece of
d or e
of Mahhabali and maintain their own n land The g
d. generous k king said, he
,
suprema acy, Aditi, the mothe of Gods
, er s cou
uld have as much land as he
h s
seek th help of Lord Vi
he f ishnu (the
e wannted. The B
Brahmin sa that he just
aid e
preserve in the Hindu trini whom
er H ity) m wannted as mmuch land as could be
d d
Mahaba worship
ali ped. cov
vered by h three st
his teps. The king
was surprised to hear bu agreed.
s d ut
A learned adviser o the k
of king,
Shuukracharay sensed that Vam
ya mana
The K King Ma ahabali w was very y was not an ordinary person and
s y
generou and ch
us haritable. Whateverr warrned the k king again making the
nst g
anybody approac him fo help or
y ch or r prommise. Bu the g
ut, generous king
requeste for an
ed nything h always
he s repllied that i would b a sin f a
it be for
granted. To test th king, Lo Vishnu
he ord u king to back on his wo
g ords and asked
disguise himself as a dw
ed f warf and a the Brahmin to take t the land. The
poor Brrahmin ca alled ‘Vam mana’. He e king could no imagine that the dw
g ot warf
came to the kin
o ngdom of Mahabali, , Braahmin was Lord Vish himself
hnu f.
just aft Mahab
ter bali perfor rmed him
m
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

5. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
4
plac his fo on the head of the
ced oot e f
king which p
g, pushed him to Patala the
m a,
nethher worl ld. There the king
e
As king Mahabali agreed to grant the
g i o e requuested the Brahmin to reveal his
e n l
land, VVamana be egan to exxpand andd true identity Lord Vishnu then
e y.
eventuaally increa
ased himse to the
elf e apppeared before the king in his
size of comic pr roportions. With his
s persson. The LLord told th king tha he
he at
first ste the Br
ep rahmin coovered the
e cam to test h and the king won the
me him e n
whole o earth and with t second
of a the d test King M
t. Mahabali w pleased to
was
step he covered the who of the
e ole e see his lord. L
Lord Vishn also gra
nu anted
skies. H then asked king Mahabali
He i a bo to the king.
oon
“Where is the sp
e pace for m to keep
me p
The king was so much attached with
e s h
my third step?”
d
his kingdom and with h people that
his
he requested that he b allowed to
be
visi kerala once in a year. L
it Lord
Vishnu was moved b the k
by kings
nobbility and w please to grant the
was ed t
wish. He also blessed the king and
said even afte losing a his wor
d er all rldly
possessions, t king wo
the ould alway be
ys
love by Lord Vishnu an his peop
ed d nd ple.
It is the day of the visit of K
y King
Mah habali to k
kerala that is celebr
t rated
as OOnam eve year. T festiva is
ery The al
The kin realize that he was not
ng ed e t celeebrated as a tribute t the sacr
to rifice
ordinary Brahmin and his third step
y n p of KKing Maha abali. Ever year pe
ry eople
will desstroy the earth. Mah
e habali with
h mak ke elabo orate pre eparations to
folded hands bowed in front of f wel lcome the eir king whom they
Vamana and aske him to place his
a ed s affe
ectionately call Onath
y happan.
last step on his head so tha he could
p at d
keep t the prom mise. The Brahmin n
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

6. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
5
king Mahabal A templ with a d
g li. le deity
of ‘Trikka
akara Appan’ or
‘Vaamanamurt thy’ who is Lord Visshnu
him
mself in dissguise is a
also locate at
ed
this place.
s
They w to plea the spi of their
wish ase irit r
king by depicting that his p
y g people are
e
happy a and wish him well. The last t
day, Th hiruvonam is the bi
m iggest andd
the mo ost impor rtant day of this
y s
Nowwhere else in kerala can one fi a
e ind
festival. It is believed that king
. b g
deit
ty of Vamanam murthy. This
Mahaba visits hi people o the day
ali is on y
fasc
cinating legend i is artistic
cally
of Thiruuvonam.
dep
picted at th Suchindr
he ram Temple in
kan
nyakumari district of Tamil Naddu.
Fammily mem mbers will wake up asp
earl as 4’o c
ly clock in th morning go
he g,
for shower a and offer pprayers in the
n
loca temple o the day of Onam By
al on y m.
clea
aning the house wi begin t
ill their
day in order to keep th place c
y he clean
and tidy. I earlier days, f
d In front
couurtyards we smeare with co
ere ed ow’s
Trikkakkara, a plac 10 km f
ce from kochi
i
dun This cu
ng. ustom is sti followed by
ill
on the edapally pookattupa road is
p adi s
village people whose h
e houses are not
e
said to be the ca apital of th mighty
he y
buil by cemen
lt nt.
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

7. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
6
wellcome the spirit of KKing Maha abali
in w
whose hon nour Onam is celebra
m ated.
Boy play a s
ys supporting role and help
g
Add-On to bliss members of family
n y in g
gathering fflowers. In the follow
n wing
will deecorate theemselves with new w day more flowers a
ys, are added to
d
special dress & je
ewels. Ther is also a
re Poookalam. As a result P
s Pookalam t turns
custom of distribuuting new clothes onn out to be of mmassive siz on the final
ze
Onam. I Tharawads (traditi
In ional large
e day Preparation for the Thiru O
y. e Onam
family consistin ng of m more than n star in a big way and e
rts everybody gets
hundred people) Karana
d ), avar, the e enggaged to mmark the fe estival in ttheir
eldest m
member of the fam
o mily, givess own style. Ho
n ouse cleanning starts on a
new clothes as gifts s, called d mas ssive scale and every
e ything is m
made
Onapud dava, to all family members
a s to l
look neat a tidy. T
and There is al a
lso
and serv
vants if any Other m
y. members of f set breakfast consistin of stea
ng amed
the fammily excha ange gifts amongst
s t bannanas an
nd fired
d pappaadam
each oth
her. (papppad). Thi remains the same till
is s e
the day of T Thiru Onam A swin is
m. ng
also slung on high branc of tree. It is
o ch
decorate wi ith flowe ers and the
youungsters t take grea delight in
at t
Making of Pookk
g kallam or the flower
r swinging an singing that goes
nd g,
carpet starts from th his day. . multaneousl
sim ly.
A d prior to Onam is the ninth day
day o s h
of the festiv
vities and is known as
n
Utradam. On this day tenants and
n y
pends of Ta
dep arawads gi presen to
ive nts
Karranavar. This custom is know as
m wn
‘Onnakazhcha’ Village artisans also
’.
offe a specim of their handic
er men crafts
repared in the front
Attha poo is pr t to Karanavar of Nay
r yar Taraw
wads.
courtyar by gir of the house to
rd rls o
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

8. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
7
They re
eceive grac
cious rewar for this
rds s The tradition of makin clay cones
n ng
courtesy
y. for Trikkakara Appan has its roo in
an ots
myt thology; tthich says that festival
s
orig
ginated at Trikkak
t kara, a p place
10k from C
km Cochin. Trrikkara is also
said to be the capital i the reig of
d e in gn
Kerala appears in its gran
n ndiose bestt
lege
endary kin Mahabal
ng li.
on this day. Cu
s ultural extrravaganza,,
music and feas sts add c colour of f Elab borate pr rayers cer remonies and
merrime and jo to the G
ent oy God’s own n poo are als performed on this day.
ojas so
country There are celebr
y. a rations all
l A ssenior mem mber of th house p
he plays
around the state and everyb
a body takess the role of the priest and conducts the
e s
active p
participate’ Onam ha assumed
’ as d uals. He wakes u early and
ritu up
a secula charact and is celebrates
ar ter s preppares ata; A is prep
Ata pared from rice
m
by peo ople of all relig gious and d flou and m
ur molasses f for nivedy yam.
commun nities. Thiruvonam conical
m l Lam are lit up in front of the i
mps t idols
figures in various forms are prepared
s e d and all memb
d bers of the house joi in
e in
from stiicky clay and are pa ainted red.
. for the cerem monies. Pri iest offers ata,
These are decor rated with a paste
h e flow and w
wers water in the names of the
e f
made of rice-flou and wat and are
ur ter e God As On
d. nam is al lso a har rvest
place in the front courtyard and other
n d r festtival, peop thank God for the
ple
importa places in the hou
ant use. Some e bouuntiful har rvest and pray for the
of these clay figu
e ures are in the shapee blesssing in the com ming year. A
of cone and others represent figures of
s t f peculiar custo is follo
om owed after this,
Gods. T Those in the shape of a cone
t e whe erein male member make loud
e rs
are ca alled ‘Trikkakara Appan’. . and rhythmic shouts of joys. The
d c
trad
dition is
i calle
ed ‘Aarrppu
Viliikkukal’.
Aft poojas it’s time for the fam
fter mily
to g ready f the gran meal ca
get for nd alled
Ona asadya. T
The biggeest and m most
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

9. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
8
promine ent place in the house is s After heavy meal now it’s tim to
w me
selected to lay the meal which is
d s hav fun. Men of streng and vigour
ve gth
tradition
nally serve in a row on a mat
ed w t go i for rigou
in urous spor while se
rts enior
laid on the floor.
. and sober m
d members p pass time by
e
playying indoo games l
or like chess and
card There is a set of traditi
ds. ional
gam to be played on Onam w
mes n which
are collective called, Onakalika It
ely al.
inclludes ball games, com mbats, archery
and kutukutu Women go in for
d u.
danncing activiities as the are spe
ere ecific
dan like k
nce kaikottikali and Thu
i umbi
Thuullal for the festiv of On
val nam.
Wo omen perfo orming the graceful clap
e
The central pla ace in th row is
he s
dannce called Kaikotti
d ikali in t their
occupie by the eldest mem
ed e mber of the
e
trad
ditional go bordere mundu and
old ed
family. In front of them is placed a
o s
neriiyathu preesents a s splendid sight.
lighted brass la amp at a distance. .
Toward the we of the lamp is
ds est e s
placed a small plaantain leaf on which
f h
the food is served This is a offering
d d. an g
made in the name of Lord G
n Ganapathy.
Thereaf fter the meal is served to
m o
everyon The ela
ne. aborate me consists
eal s
of 34 ddishes and is served on banana
a
leaves. There is a fixed order of
s f
serving the meal and a se place to
et o
serve th various dishes on t leaf. A
he the Celebrations a cultura program
and al mmes
lot of preparation and hard work goes
s are conduct all across the state to
es
in ma aking of the sc crumptious
s mar the festi
rk ival of On
nam in whi a
ich
Onasady ya. larg number of peop particip
ge r ple pate.
Prominent amongst them are
Valllamkali th Snake B
he Boat Race and
ente
ertaining events li ike Kumm matti
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

10. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
9
Kali an
nd Pulikali.
. eeyal, To
The omato Rasam, Dudhi
(Ch
horekka) Pradhama an these are
som special d
me dishes of O
Onam.
The oth highpo
her oint of Onnam is thee
dazzling display of firew
g works. The e
state of kerala can be seen e
f n engulfed in
n
light an spirit of merrim
nd ment when n
people bburst crack
kers.
Ing
gredients:
No festiivals end without food. Kerala
w a Dud (bottle go
dhi ourd) - 1 an 1/2 Kg
nd
people mmake man special f
ny food items
s
Milk - 1lt (or M powder 3 ladles)
k Milk
in this h
holy day, onam. Par
o rippucurry,
,
Injithair Sambar, Avial, Ka
r, alan, Olan,
, Ghe -1/4 cup
ee
Thoran, Puliinji, Pineapple Pachhady,
, P , Sugar - 2-3 cups
s
Erissery Koottu
y, ucurry, K Kootukari,
,
Sarkaraapuratty, Kaya V Varuthathu,, Elaichi powder - 1tsp
Pappada am, Pay yasam, P Prathaman,, Gree food colo
en or - few drops
Tomato Thokku, Kheer, Lad Finger
o K dy's r
Mix Dry Fruit
xed ts Cashe
ew, Badam and
m
Kichadi Masala Pesarattu, Coconut
i, t Kish
hmish
Chutney y,Medu Vada, Mas
V sala Vada,,
Idli, DDosas, Mo Kuzham
or mbu, Dry y Method:
Fruit Kesari, Banana Halwa,
, • Wash an peel the D
nd Dudhi, grate, after
Pulisserry, Moothagam, Palada
a discardin the seeds. Keep aside
ng e.
Pradham man, Pesa arattu, Ri
ice Puttu, ,
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

11. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
10
• In a pan fry lightly the m
n l mixed nuts in
n Onio (chopped finely) - 1 n
on d no
2 tsps ghee. Keep aside.
K
• Heat the milk and when hot add the
H k e Method:
gr
rated dudhi to it, allow the dudhi to
o • Soak Mooong Dal for 3-4 hrs.
r
become tende and keep stirring the
er p e
• Grind th soaked m
he moong Dal with
milk.
m
cumin seeds, ginger salt and g
r, green
• Now add the sugar, ghe and keep
N e ee p peppers like dosa ba
atter.
st
tirring until the milk bo and the
oils e
• Make doosas like paancake sprin
nkling
su
ugar melts. It should resemble a
few chop
pped onions on top with little
h
se
emi-solid mixture, fina
m ally add thee
oil.
el
laichi powder, and the mix of nuts s
• Serve ho with cocon chutney.
ot nut
which was fri in a little ghee.
w ied e
• Dudhi pradha
D aman is read to eat or
dy r
sl
lurp like a syrup. Se erve hot or r
ch
hilled after cooling u
r under room m
te
emperature.
Ing
gredients:
Nice chopped ginger - 4 sp
ely poons
Ingredi
ients: Curd - 6 spoons
d s
Whole G
Green Gram - 2 cups Salt - to taste
Cumin se
eeds - 1 tsp Method:
Ginger - 1/4" • Mix all t ingredien and stir w
the nts well.
Thai gree pepper - 2-4
en 2 • The injit
thair is ready
y.
Salt – to taste
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

12. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
11
Happy Onam!!!
Dark monsoon cloud;
Left the sky canvas;
Appeared blue sky and
Again Onam days!!
The greatest MAHABALI and
Our Ancient kingdom brought
Our minds Peace and Harmony.
No theft and lie, no poor and
Charity the pleasant rotation of
Beauty life cycle.
Let us remember again on those good
days with Flower and Songs !
Happy Onam again…….
Wishes By,
Rtr. Monisha Anjali,
Secretary 11-12, RC of Soka Ikeda.
Paintings By,
Rtr. Aparna,
Member Of RC of Zenith.
‘To reach the unreachable ’

13. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
m
12
p u l c n q w e r k y i
a m r j v t y k i o o u
h a a k o a l e k l p m
t h u h n j m r p l j a
r z a j a i o a j a m l
i u t h k b k l n v f l
c p i j a h a a m a x o
h a o
o l l m h l a r v k
u l a k i a l y i s b o
HA
AVE A H
HAPPY & JOYFU
ULL
r a y b k j t o z h s o
a b r y a u l w i a z p ON
NAM…..
v s c l a e m a m c q
g s r t h j i o h g h a
Question
ns:
1) H
Hero of the Onam.
O
2) T is one of the 10 para
This f adises of the
world.
w
3) N
Name of the Malayalam c
M calendar.
4) C
Cultural capit of Kerala
tal a. Rtr. Sarav
vanan
5) T is a colle
This ective name for all the
games played on the occa
d asion of Rtr. Prema
alatha
Onam.
O
6) T place is famous for B race.
This Boat
7) N
Name of the Lord Vishnu
L u’s
in
ncarnation in the story of Onam.
n f
8) M
Making art with flowers i the day of
w in f
Onam
O
By,
Rtr. Prem
malatha,
Joint - se
ecretary of RC of Zenith.
R
‘To re
each the unreach
hable ’

14. ‘fest-In’ Onam Edition
13
‘To reach the unreachable ’