Andhra Pradesh: Tradition comes alive for ‘Onam Utsav’ on NSU campus

Students dressed in traditional attire celebrate the festival after a gap of two years

Girls dressed in traditional white saris and boys in ‘Mundu’ bid ‘Onam Ashamsakal’ (Onam greetings) to one another as celebrations for the auspicious Malayali festival began at the National Sanskrit University (NSU), the erstwhile Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha campus, in Tirupati on Monday.

The university is known for its vibrant cultural diversity, with students from all the southern States as well as from Odisha, Maharashtra and north India studying here. As such, major festivals of all the States are celebrated on a grand note by all the students.

The campus was tastefully decorated with flowers of all hues for Onam. At the academic building’s central lobby, the students arranged a massive floral decoration called ‘Pookkaalam’ and performed the typical Onam dance and other cultural forms representing Kerala, marked by enchantment as well as elegance.

Commander’ Challa Venkateswar, the varsity’s Registrar, formally declared the festival open by lighting the inaugural lamp. A sense of festive cheer pervaded the campus as students danced to their heart’s content at the festival, which was observed after a two-year interruption owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Girls dressed in traditional attire participated in the ‘Tiruvathira Kali’, the community’s traditional dance form. The dance numbers marked by ‘Kummi’ (clapping of hands) and ‘Vanchi paattu’ (rhythmic folk song on boat race) turned out to be a highlight.

Dean (Student Affairs) Radha Govind Tripathi and Jyotisha professor Unnikrishnan Nampiyathri guided the students in conducting the event.