KOZHIKODE: His phone rang with an old Christian melody 'Kaalithozhuthil Pirannavane…" and A.K. Sebastian a.k.a. Maveli Sebastian, 70, was being helped by his long-time friend and 'make-up man' Devasya Devagiri to transform him into 'Maveli' for the 20th year. Only last year, he missed the chance to don the costume as he was critically ill and undergoing treatment. Though he survived it, this year was also not favourable for Sebastian as his father had passed away just a month ago. But he decided not to break the 'custom' of 'being Maveli' and entertained the public on Sunday.
Sebastian's is a regular appearance for the Onam celebrations at Calicut Press Club as well as Devagiri College, but only a few know how he dons the costume for free forgetting his personal loss and ailments. He had worked with the college as superintendent and his first appearance as Maveli was in 1995 when the man, who had agreed to do the role, failed to turn up.
"One of the NSS programme coordinators suggested my name and I agreed instantly. Onam is not a religious festival and we should not let the fanatics to add any religious colour to it. This is one of the few occasions when people forget about caste and creed and enjoy the days," says Sebastian. He narrates a funny experience as 'Maveli' when he passed through the town late in the night with the costume and accidentally stumbled over a boozer, who was sleeping on the footpath.
"I somehow managed to get up and the man was surprised to see a 'king' in front of him. He called me 'Thamburaney...' (Lord) and suddenly he came off the hangover," he recollects. If health permits, Sebastian is ready to don the costume any number of times, disregarding his age, he says. Devasya also says that his friend has well-maintained his figure throughout, though the size of the pot belly (an integral part of the Maveli costume) has come down a bit.
