Kerala welcomes Thiruvonam with colour, feast and tradition
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Dressed in traditional clothes, cooking generous feasts and filling courtyards with bright flower carpets, people across Kerala marked Onam, the state's harvest festival, on Friday with colour and cheer.
The culmination of the 10-day festival, known as Thiruvonam, saw crowds heading to temples in the morning, from small villages to busy towns.
Children and young people decorated homes with pookkalam -- intricate floral patterns made from petals in every shade imaginable.
In many villages and housing colonies, tall swings, or oonjal, were put up in courtyards, bringing back the playful spirit of old celebrations.
Families came together as elders handed out onakkodi -- new clothes gifted during Onam -- while women prepared the grand sadya, a vegetarian feast served on banana leaves with an array of pickles, curries and the much-loved dessert, payasam.
Community groups and local clubs staged traditional games such as tug of war (vadamvali) and uriyadi, where players try to smash a clay pot, alongside performances of classic art forms like pulikali (tiger dance), thiruvathira and theyyam, keeping alive the festival's cultural richness.
According to legend, Onam is rooted in the return of King Mahabali, the mythical ruler remembered for a golden age when people lived in fairness and harmony.
As the story goes, Mahabali's growing popularity unsettled the Devas, who turned to Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu, in his dwarf form, sent the king to the netherworld.
Yet before leaving, Mahabali won a promise-- he would be allowed to visit his people once a year, on Thiruvonam, the day that Keralites still celebrate in his honour.
Onam is also one of Kerala's busiest shopping seasons.
In the run-up to the festival, markets stayed crowded late into the night as people rushed to pick up their favourites for the celebrations.
By Thursday evening, malls and high streets were packed with last-minute buyers, while long queues formed outside fair-price outlets run by the State Civil Supplies Corporation, Horticorp and Consumerfed.
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KKR defeat LSG via Super Over
Lucknow (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders edged Lucknow Super Giants via Super Overs in a battle between two bottom-placed teams in the IPL, here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 156, LSG suffered a batting collapse and managed to tie the contest and take it to Super Over with No. 9 Mohammed Shami striking a last-ball six against a wayward Kartik Tyagi, who leaked 16 runs in the final over.
But Sunil Narine bowled a stunning Super Over conceding just one run and taking two wickets to give KKR an easy target.
Rinku Singh then finished the chase with a boundary off first ball from Prince Yadav.
Earlier the KKR were in deep trouble with 93/7 in 15 overs but Rinku smashed a sensational 83 not out from 51 balls including four sixes in a row in the final over to lift them to 155/7.
Cameron Green (34) was the only other batter to reach double-digit scores as KKR suffered a familiar batting meltdown with Mohsin taking his maiden fifer.
In reply, LSG continued their dismal show with the bat to succumb to their fifth loss in a row.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7; 20 overs (Rinku Singh 83 not out, Cameron Green 34; Mohsin Khan 5/23). Lucknow Super Giants 155/8; 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 42). KKR won via Super Over.
