Expats opt for quiet, simple Onam festivities in UAE

Dubai - Families got together for a simple lunch.

Onam, Kerala's harvest festival, was celebrated in the UAE this year on a low key, and expatriates offered silent prayers for the flood-ravaged state. Over 400 people were killed and thousands still remain displaced by the worst floods in the century.
Families got together for a simple lunch instead of an elaborate sadya (feast consisting a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes usually served on a banana leaf) and restaurants downplayed their celebrations. Except for low key celebrations and wishes, not many organisations such as the Indian Associations in Sharjah or Ajman held events to celebrate the festival.
"The entire state is in mourning. How can we celebrate when people back home have lost so much," said Devika Vinayak, a Dubai-resident and events specialist. She added: "It's my son Ved's first birthday. So, we had a get-together at home with our immediate families and close friends."
Every year supermarkets and retail outlets offer bundle offers on vegetables, clothes, and other festival-related paraphernalia. This year, except for the sale of few banana leaves and vegetables native to Kerala, there hasn't been no such sales. Rasheed Ahmedkutty, a salesman at Al Madeena Supermarket in Sharjah, said: "We didn't put up any sales or special offers for Onam this time. Our decision to not to celebrate is in solidarity with what happened in the state." There was no sale for flowers, an integral part of Onam celebrations, in supermarkets either.
The same can be said for tailoring shops and retail outlets that usually sold special Kerala-style sarees and blouses. Tailors at Reeta Tailoring in Abu Shagarah, Sharjah, said: "Except for orders that came before August 14, there was no Onam rush. We usually have a lot of customers this time of the year. People didn't seem interested in decking up this year."
Vishal Vinayak, a Sharjah-resident and marketing professional from Ernakulam, said: "A part of our home was completely gutted in the floods. No one is in the mood to celebrate. My wife cooked rice and some basic curries and that was it. We didn't even decorate the house with flowers. Some friends and cousins came home." 
Some families decided to completely call off Onam celebrations and contribute money to the Kerala chief minister's distress relief fund instead. Jyoti Sreedharan, a homemaker in Ajman, said: "I donated some money in daughter's name to the relief fund. No celebrations at home, or even back home. I am thankful to God that no one in our family got hurt."
Restaurants such as Calicut Paragon, Calicut Notebook, and Venus Restaurant had offers for Onam lunch, however, the orders for takeaway were far more than dine-in. A restaurant manager at Calicut Paragon said: "We are serving lunch, however, there are more orders for takeaways than dine-in. We didn't do any kind of advertising for the lunch either. People from other states in India also visited. But celebrations were overall low key."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai