Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan extends Onam greetings to people of state

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 29 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Onam. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Kerala CM said, Onam is a celebration of prosperity, brotherhood, and equality, and the festival should inspire everyone to strengthen human unity beyond caste and religious division. 
"Onam should inspire us to strengthen human unity beyond caste and religious divisions. Celebrations should be a gathering of minds that are not contaminated by divisive thoughts. Happy Onam with love to all," he tweeted.
Onam is a 10-day festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the state of Kerala. Ideally, Onam is celebrated to mark the season of rice harvest. All ten days of celebration of Onam have their own significance. Also, the celebration marks the beginning of the New Year for the people of Kerala, which is popularly known as 'Kolla Varsham'.
Speaking of Hindu mythology, it is believed that King Mahabali, who was the greatest king of Kerala, was banished from his own kingdom after devas (gods) who were envious of King Mahaballi's popularity. To end Mahabali's rule, Lord Vishnu took the Vaman avatar (dwarf Brahmin) and tricked the king into giving all his land. After the King agreed to give everything to Vaman, King Mahabali was sent to a lower world, but he secured a boon from Lord Vishnu that he could visit his land once a year. The festival of Onam celebrates the homecoming of King Mahaballi.
Across Kerala, the festival is celebrated with great excitement as people take part in dance, parties, and fun activities. Onam is a significant occasion for merchants as well who spend lavishly on shopping, food, and decorations. Various delicacies are prepared by the people at home and distributed among friends and relatives. One of the key food items related to the Onam festival is the preparation of Onasadya, a special vegetarian feast.
Meanwhile, other states are also participating in the celebration of the Onam festival. Visuals shared by Central Railway on X show the populous railway station of Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), decorated with huge eye-stealing flower rangoli, also known as 'pookolam'. 
As per reports, Mumbai's local train also saw men and women commuters donning ethnic attire, singing songs, and performing clap dances. Mumbai's Panvel station also saw similar celebrations, where the premise was decorated with rangoli. Onam is also celebrated with great joy and energy by people in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)