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As a kid, she would wake up early in the morning, set out with her flower basket along with her friends, jump over walls and fences of compounds to pluck flowers to adorn the traditional pookkalam for Onam. And later in the evening, after having a delectable sadya, that tickled the taste buds, she would sit on the couch, watching movies starring her favourite actors, eating payasam.
Years later, even after becoming one of the most popular south Indian actresses, Amala Paul still manages to find time to immerse herself in the festive fervour of Onam just like she did as a kid. This year, as she gets set for a special Onam, her first after marriage to director A.L. Vijay, the actress shares, in an exclusive interview with DC, the significance the festival holds for her, her indulgences and more.
Despite being born into a conservative Christian family, Amala has always celebrated the harvest festival as a major event. She says, “The best thing about Onam is that it transcends the barriers of caste, creed and religion. We all leave behind our religious beliefs and come together as one community; the 10 days of Onam are absolutely magical.” She recalls, “Once, I created a fake pookkalam with grated coconut, salt and added colour to it. Everyone, bought it for being a traditional flower carpet, except my father! Then he found the ants feeding on the coconut and burst out laughing and I was caught red-handed.”
Cut to high school, she realised her dream of donning the nine-yard off-white sari, tastefully embroidered with kasavu. She wore it and roamed the streets with her friends.
While she hasn’t been able to celebrate Onam at home for the last few years owing to her shooting schedules, this time around, she will do so with her husband A.L. Vijay and her family in Kochi. “It’s our first Onam together and I’m going to make it truly special. I’ve handpicked a traditional silk shirt and mundu set for him,” says Amala.
“Close friends would be coming over. And Vijay is super happy as he is finally getting to eat an extravagant vegetarian meal at our house. It’s very rare at our place and he, being one, is left with very little choice. So he’s very excited.” She adds with a sense of guilt that she’s not mastered the art of cooking. “All along, my mom had been pampering me with her unbeatable sadya. However, I promise to make up for it next year by cooking the entire meal myself. Also, it’s Vijay’s first sadya, so I wouldn’t want to give him a less than good experience, not that he knows the original taste,” she chuckles. Her favourite dishes include sambhar, aviyal and morukari.
“It’s to die for,” she sighs.Though the cheer and zest with which Onam is celebrated persists, she regrets that it is losing its uniqueness with each passing year; the occasion being viewed as just another public holiday, with ready-to-eat sadyas and instant payasams.
“Little kids wandering around to get flowers for the pookkalams is a rare sight now with the artificial ones taking over,” Amala says. “Eating on a plantain leaf with family, making pookkalams, cooking meals as one community, must be preserved as they remind us of our roots and culture. So, I request everyone to make time for such auspicious occasions from their busy schedules. Ellavarkum hridayam niranja onashamsakal.”
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