KOZHIKODE: Gone are the days when children went out to fetch flowers from plants in the village and create floral carpets in the courtyard of their homes and ask elders to make swings on the branches of trees in the compound for them. When everything is just a click away, the celebrations of Onam have got a different meaning for the generation-next.
Foreign or domestic leisure trips have replaced the habit of going back to the native place to get the taste of what is ‘lost’. Vacations have also become a time for watching the newly released movies. More than anything, students seem to be engrossed on the mobile device, rather than feel the rustic charm.
From purchasing attires or Onakkodi for the festival to buying Onam ‘Sadya’, everything has gone online these days and recently techies have come forward with their idea of online flower sales for onam pookalam or flower carpet. This option has been 'discovered' for the elders by the children themselves.
“These are the latest happenings in Onam celebrations of the children who find busy parents around,” says writer U.A. Khader. He lamented that the nostalgia surrounding the festival and the message of togetherness above religion or caste have all vanished.
"We praise the technological advancement that makes life easy, but on the other hand, the values such festivals have been reinforcing in us have all turned meaningless now," he added.
On her Onam plans, Savitha Nair, a student of Anglo-Indian Girl’s Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode said, “We have ten days of vacation starting on Saturday. Hence the family has made a short five-day trip to Malaysia, especially to watch the KL bird park and the Terengganu- the kids' beach”. "Since we live in the city, it’s difficult to get the native flowers. Hence we have ordered for some through an online site."
Aditya Menon, a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kozhikode said, "Onam was celebrated in a grand manner till my mother’s grandparents were alive, after which we never had an Onam of that sort. Instead of laying floral carpets for ten days of the festival, the celebrations have been restricted to last two days. In addition to that, I have been given a choice to pick any of my favourite brands of clothes and shoes from any online sites available, which will be delivered at my place soon."
Will you be glued to your mobile phone during Onam, playing a game or engaged in the similar online activity? "Surely I cannot miss my mobile. I am also sad that the life in a flat has changed the dimension of Onam. Our generation doesn't have a whole village open to play. We are restricted, We don't have playgrounds or other spaces. So the world of mobile is a relief for us," said Sarath Kumar, a teenager in Kochi.
One of the techies running an online site to sell flowers said, their motto was to allow clients order whatever flower they require without leaving the comfort of their homes.
"People's habits have changed. We are also putting forward an option for the customers to make custom-made flower carpet designs for our clients," he said.
"It is a well-known fact that with the passing of each day and the life getting busier students are not getting a chance to feel Onam. Hence our school gave a detailed lecture-demonstration on the festival first," said Rajasree M.M., faculty of Achuthan School, Kozhikode. “On Friday we will be celebrating the festival with all the traditional games and competition associated with Onam and the food.”
