Onam 2024: How Mumbai’s Malayalis celebrate the Onasadhya in different ways

Sanju Shibu is busy getting ready for Onam which will be celebrated on September 15 this year. Being a Malayali from Mumbai, the Mumbaikar says their celebrations are often within their house's four walls, unlike Kerala, where it is a larger celebration. However, that doesn't stop them from celebrating the festival in a big way. He explains, "We celebrate Onam by first going to the Ayyappa temple closest to us. After that, we make the pookalam. Then the most chaotic and beautiful ritual of making the Sadhya starts. More than eating, it's how everyone chips in to take over one or the other chore is what feels the best. Sadhya, of course, served on a banana leaf wearing 'Onakodi', new clothes you get for Onam, is the most wholesome moment of the day."

Every year, Keralites all over the country and the world celebrate Onam during this time of the year. This year, it falls on September 15 and the celebrations are going to be bigger and better than always. While in Kerala, Shibu says they also play games like Vadamvali (Tug of war) and Lemon Spoon race, which gets bigger in his hometown. He explains, "In Alleppey, there are tourists from all over the world, who join us for these games from their homestays. The day ends with dance, songs and prize distribution for the winners."

Celebrating Onam in Mumbai

While the celebrations are smaller in Mumbai, the sense of community permeates through small gatherings too. Primarily celebrated by the people of Kerala, the annual harvest and cultural festival brings every member of the state together and even extends to their friends from other communities to join the celebrations. That is Shibu's favourite memorable while growing up as a child. He shares, "While growing up the most fondest memory is all the non-mallus assembling at home to eat on a banana leaf. Not many of my friends know it is called sadhya, but the fact that they get to eat good food on a banana leaf used to excite them."

The Onasadhya or Onam Sadhya as it is more popularly called is more than just a celebration of food, like the 26-year-old creative professional shares. It is a sense of togetherness that goes beyond the meal. He expresses, "For me, the Sadhya represents how all kinds of food assembled on a banana leaf, relates to how all kinds of people assembled to eat Sadhya. I remember telling this to a friend and laughing about how my home is a big banana leaf and all the people eating Sadhya are a part of the Sadhya. When I look back at it, it sounds very stupid. But as a child, it taught me an important life lesson, togetherness."

More realistically, Shibu says the sadhya made in his home by his mother contains different kinds of dishes. He adds, "It has rice, sambhar, dal with ghee, aviyal, ginger chutney, pickles, pappadam, thoram, kalan, banana chips, jaggery banana chips, payasam, banana and a few more items."

Dishes in the Onam Sadhya

The celebrations are no different for Ashwin Nair and Marian D'costa, the duo behind Aiyo Patrao, a Bandra-based home delivery kitchen. While they celebrate Onam with family, the Onam feast has always been grand, and that is how they have extended it to people who order from them.

So, what is on the Onam Sadhya? He explains, "It includes flavour principles about salt, spice, sourness, bitterness, sweet and astringent." While the number of items, order and type of dishes on a sadhya vary between regions, communities and even households, Nair says there are some main players

He explains, "Kaya upperi (Raw banana chips), Shakara varratti (Jaggery coated banana chips), Manga achar (raw mango pickle), Injipuli (Ginger and tamarind pickle), Pappadam, Parippu with ney (Yellow daal and ghee), Sambar (Mixed lentil stew), Olan (Red gram and white pumpkin curry), Pulissery (Yoghurt and coconut based dish with a gourd), Erissery (A mix of red pumpkin and red grams), Avial (Mix vegetables), Choru (rice), Kaalan (Raw banana and mixed veg dish), Sambaram(buttermilk), Rasam, pachadi (yogurt based dish), Pazham ( Elaichi banana), Ada pradhaman (milk and rice pudding) and Parippu payasam (pulse and jaggery based sweet dish)."

However, Nair reminds us that since Kerala is a state with different communities co-existing, there are multiple variations of the beloved sadhya. "The Hindu community keeps it purely vegetarian, while the Syrian Christian and Muslim communities include seafood and meat," he adds.

Sarada Krishnan, another Mumbaikar, who runs a catering kitchen, in South Side Mumbai, says there is more because the Sadhya has as many as 21 dishes in her home. She explains, "The Ona sadhya is always served starting with two different types of payasam. Pal ada pradhaman and chakka payasam or pal payasam will be found on most sadhyas. Once the paysam is served all the condiments like the papadam, banana chips, jaggery upperi, erisheries, kootukari, thoran, kalan, olan, patchidi, injipuli and narangai are served."

Visibly most of this will look quite intimidating, especially to people who are not used to eating some large meals, but Krishnan believes you end up finding the space to eat all of it. However, she helps out by explaining, "While you lick your finger taking the first taste of all the condiments, the rice is served, and then comes the main three. Your sambar, rasam and curd. One can relish each dish with different condiments and wipe the banana leaf clean ending with curd rice. When you think it's just done, a big serving of the paysam comes on again and you burst anpapadam and wipe your leaf clean again."

If this still seems complicated, Krishnan has a pro tip. "Always start with the Payasam and then the sadhya will hold your hand and take you through its whole journey," she adds.

One that takes the Mumbaikar back to her childhood, when Onam festivities meant a complete celebration that saw the children wake up to the smell of beautiful flowers from the trees in front of her ancestral home. They would take them to make a grand rangoli.

She reminisces, "During Onam, I am immediately transported to my small little village in Parakkadu, where my grandfather's tharavadu (ancestral home), is located in this small town called Chalakara. There is a 200-year-old temple, where my whole family gathers and by the presence of God, freshly prepared Ona sadhya was served."

It is no different for Nair, who says Onam for him has always been cheer and laughter echoing through the house as each family brought over designated sadhya items, as everyone sat down to enjoy the meal, and this year will be no different.

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