(Trumbull, CT: September 11th, 2017): Over 300 people from across the state of Connecticut came together to celebrate their culture, traditions, and fellowship during the 9th annual Onam celebrations organized by Malayalee Association of Southern Connecticut (MASCONN) at Madison Middle School, Trumbull, CT on Saturday, September 9th, 2017.

Men, women, children and youth dressed in traditional attire, were welcomed with a colorful Pookoalm and the traditional lamp with a sandalwood tilak on forehead at the entrance of school, giving them a warm traditional Indian welcome.

Onam celebrations at the Madison Middle School auditorium began with the lighting of the traditional Nailavilakku or lamp by honored guests of MASCONN and the executive committee members. Legendary King Mahabali was welcomed to the stage with “Pancha Vadyam” and a warm traditional welcome by a dozen beautiful women dressed in traditional attire, who later on performed Thiruvathirakkali, a folk dance, typically a Keralite dance, well known for its essence, grandeur and simplicity.

Aparna Bijoy Namboodri, Aswathi Rajesh, Amy Lolyd, Sabitha Ranjit, Mahima Hardy, Veena Ramesh, Mia Wilson, Teressa Joseph performed the Thiruvathirakkali to the delight of the audience. In this traditional dance form, women clad in traditional Kerala attire with gold brocade attached to it and wearing jasmine garlands on their heads, rhythmically moved around a lighted Nilavilakku, singing and clapping their hands, to the tune of a particular genre of songs called Thiruvathirappaattu, which is meant solely for this graceful dance.

“Onam awaits one very special visitor, Kerala's most loved legendary King Maveli. He is the King who once gave the people a golden era in Kerala. The King is so much attached to his kingdom that it is believed that he comes annually from the nether world to see his people living happily. It is in honor of King Mahabali, affectionately called Onathappan, that Onam is celebrated,” Unni a young child on stage explained the story behind this cultural festival of Kerala, a southern Indian state.

The cultural events began with a prayer recital in Sanskrit invoking Lord Ganesha for His blessings by young Tejas Puthiyaveetile. The multicultural programs by the young and the old ranging from ages 3 to 60 were a testimony to the love and affection for Indian culture and how the old strive to pass on their traditions and culture to the 2nd and 3rd generation of Indian Americans in this country.

The over four hours long cultural extravaganza consisted of several live dances, classical Bharatnatyam, fusion, Bollywood, folk and contemporary dances, live music and songs, sung in Malayalam, a language spoken by Malayalees around the world. Each and every young artist delighted the audience with one’s melodious voices, and several dances both cinematic and traditional, showcasing the rich variety of dance forms prevalent in India.

“MASCONN an offshoot of the natural growth of the Indian-American especially Malayalee Community in the southern Connecticut region,” said Unni Thoyakkattu, President of MASCON, in his welcome address. “In a very short period, we have grown by leaps and bounds and we strive to meet the growing needs of our community. He praised the Masconn YOuht group who have successfully organized a picnic and have now brought out their maiden issue of their own magazine, which was launched by the President as he received the first copy from the Youth Group President, Mia and the editorial team.

The whole ambience was filled with nostalgia since it was an occasion for all the Malayalees in Connecticut to cherish their childhood memories, especially everyone enjoyed the sumptuous Onam Sadhya (meal), the most important and main attraction of the day with different traditional dishes and ''payasam'' that was served on banana leaves. Participants were dressed in their traditional attire. The most traditional costume for the men of Kerala is the “Mundu” which is mostly white in colour. It is worn tightly at the waist with a knot and comes down till the feet. Women following Hinduism wear a blouse and mundu known as “Mundu neriyathu.” Children were seen elegantly in mundus, shirts, sarees and salwar.

In his Onam message, Mahabali told the audience that the “beauty of the festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve. Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of various team sports organized on the day,” he added. Tijo Josh proposed vote of thanks, while thanking all the organizers for the great event they had worked so hard to put together.

Living in countries that are far away from their homeland, in the midst of different cultures, busy with the day-to-day mundane work and home tasks, the Non Resident Indian (NRI) community made this "land of opportunities" their home, have brought with them these cultural traditions and have sought to pass them on to their children, who are often born and raised here.

Onam is a festival celebrated in the south-western state of Kerala, India. The Keralites or the Malayalees, the illustrious people of the beautiful state are known around the world, celebrate the festival of Onam wherever they are.
The celebration of Onam festival provides them with a perfect opportunity to encourage the new generation of children of Indian origin to witness, learn and appreciate these rich traditions, even while it offers the first generation NRIs to stay connected and cherish the rich cultural heritage they hold so dear to them.

Malayalee Association of Southern Connecticut (MASCONN) which was formed less than ten years ago, the cultural extravaganza was in many ways “reliving the culture and traditions” and “cherishing the past with a view to pass it on to the future generation.”