Onam, the national festival of Kerala, was celebrated at Sree Narayana Mandir Hall, Old Subhash Nagar, Bhopal, under the auspices of the United Malayalee Association (UMA).
Varied cultural programmes depicting the rich culture and traditions of Kerala was performed to commemorate king Mahabali’s home coming.
An array of events unfolded after the inaugural session. lighting of lamp was followed by traditional Thiruvathira where girls in their traditional attire danced and Swayed to the song with hands and feet in unison. King Mahabali’s arrival marked with usual beating of drum and Thalapoli.
The celebrations witnessed the presence of many eminent personalities.
During the program children of members of the Association who have scored highest marks in Class X and XII, students got selected for MBBS, obtained Doctorate degree were felicitated.
A floral rangoli (Athapoov) competition was held on 27th August, 2017 as part of the Onam celebration and prizes were distributed to the winners during the function.
The program begun with the arrival of King Mahabali dressed in traditional attire which was followed by Thiruvathira dance choreographed by Malvika Pillai. Raghu Madhavan and troupe enthralled the audience with melodious songs. This was followed by semi-classical dance depicting the ancient Onam celebration in Kerala which is different from the materialistic celebration choreographed by Pradeep Krishnan of Kalanjali and by Natyashree Group led by Shaji and Kavita.
Thomas Kochupurackal, General Secretary, welcomed the guests and the gathering. In his address he stated the activities being undertaken by the Association. C Ashokan, President, gave the message of Onam and thanked all the members for their contributions for the growth of the Association.