Low-key Onam celebrations amid coronavirus pandemic

Coimbatore: Onam celebrations turned out to be a low-key affair in the district on Monday for many due to the the Covid-19 scare.
The district administration had declared a local holiday on the occasion of Onam, but unlike previous years, most people celebrated the festival at their homes.
At the Ayyappan temple in Siddapudhur, which in normal times is visited by thousands of Malayalis on Onam, a floral carpet was readied for the festival, but visitors were restricted from entering the temple. Since morning, people were seen worshipping from the entrance of the temple.
“Every year on Onam, we gather together for the celebration. We start the day by making rangolis out of flowers and have the Onasadhya together, before having cultural events in a grand manner. But this year, there wasn’t much celebration at all,” said K Rajapogal, president of the Coimbatore Malayali Samajam.
A resident of Ganapathy, Ananya, said that the virus scare had dampened the festive spirit. “Every year, during the festival, either we would travel to Kerala to visit our relatives or they would visit us. But this year due to travel restrictions, we were forced to celebrate it all alone,” she said.