Cricketing universe comes together to wish Kerala a very happy "Onam"

The timing of the festival Onam couldn’t have been worse as the state of Kerala faces one of the biggest disasters and is completely distraught. A lot of casualties have been recorded to go with a humongous property loss, which sums up almost to Rs. 20,000 crore. Onam is one of the biggest festivals according to the Kerala traditions and is celebrated universally. The last few weeks have been very tough to digest, but this festival can certainly lighten up the mood up to an extent.

Onam marks the commemoration of home-coming of the King Mahabali. In Kerala, it is the festival is celebrated with the most number of cultural elements such as Vallam Kali, Pulikali, Pookkalam, Onathappan, Tug of War, Thumbi Thullal, Kummati kali, Onathallu, Onavillu, Kazhchakkula, Onapottan, Atthachamayam etc. Onam is reminiscent of Kerala’s agrarian past, as it is considered to be a harvest festival.

Cricketing fraternity comes together to wish Kerala

Despite all the chaos happening in the state, the spirit of Onam remained high and afloat. Although the Kerala government earlier this month cancelled Onam celebration to avoid extra expenditure, the locals didn’t step back from paying respects to their god.

Many houses across the state were adorned with flowers and lamps, but most of the temples were left plain in the view of the floods.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan then announced diversion of the Rs. 30 crore, set aside for the festivity, to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Reports also suggest cancellation of Onam events by Kerala expatriates from the Middle East and other countries. The very famous Ayyappa temple too has not been decorated to commemorate the occasion.

The cricketing fraternity was in awe of the incredible spirit shown by all the Keralites in this hour of grief. From the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who wished a speedy recovery for the God’s own country to all the current Indian cricketers, everyone used the hashtag “Rebuild Kerala”.

Here’s how the cricketing world reacted:

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