For Kavya Ramachandran, who returned to Chennai from Kochi after the city opened up due to work-related reasons, this is an opportunity to host her own Onam celebrations. “I’m looking at this as a chance to try my hand at Onam celebrations at home. I will be inviting three close friends for a sadya. I love to cook, so I’ll be making a small sadya for them. It’s going to be small because it’s difficult to make a typical lavish sadya, but I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

From small sadyas made at home to lavish feasts prepared by family members, Onam sadya is a staple that many Kerala natives are looking forward to. A few have also placed pre-orders of sadya from local restaurants.

One of the other celebrations is purchasing new clothes, which is a little difficult during the shutdown, said George Kandathil. “It’s a little difficult to buy clothes for ourselves and our family members at this time. In the case for older family members, we have decided to buy it for them, because we don’t want them to go out. We even tried online shopping for saris and shirts, just to stay on the safe side,” he said.

However, there are feelings of being apart from the family, especially amid the pandemic. With inter-State travel not as simple as before, many locals who would typically go home for a few days cannot do so this year.

However, this is exactly why people should celebrate in whatever way they can, says Ramachandran. “Because of all the things we’re going through and the things we read and see on the news every day, this is the perfect time to celebrate, in a safe and cautious manner. It’s at times like this when festivities become all the more important for our moods, and hey, if we have cause to celebrate, why not?” she said.