Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy to celebrate a working Onam at Cliff House

Thiruvananthapuram: While most politicians have headed for home to celebrate Thiruonam, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is an exception.

Mr Chandy, who had his ‘Uthradapaachil’ in his Puthuppally constituency in Kottayam district on Saturday, will be back in the capital by late afternoon on Sunday.

Another leader who is missing the Onam festivities is state BJP president V. Muraleedharan who is in New Delhi for the 152nd birth anniversary celebrations of dalit icon Ayyankali on September 8.

Mr Chandy told Deccan Chronicle that he had not decided from where he would have his Onasadhya. But his wife Mariamma has planned to give Onasadhya to some 40 staff members at Cliff House.

Except for their younger daughter, Achu and family who are in Dubai, elder daughter Maria and family and son Chandy Oommen will have the feast with the Cliff House staff.

“We hope that ‘Kunju’ (CM) will also come on time. We don’t have large utensils to make sadhya for so many people. So I did some last-minute utensil shopping today,” Mariamma told DC.
KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran normally goes to some exotic destination in the country during Onam season along with his wife Latha.

“This time, we have decided to stay back at home during Thiruonam. We were in Mumbai for a few days coinciding with my wife’s nephew’s marriage,” Mr Sudheeran told Deccan Chronicle.

CPI leader Pannyan Raveendran, who is recuperating after the thigh bone surgery a few months back owing to a fall in the bathroom at Kerala House in New Delhi, is staying put at his Kakkad home in Kannur district for the last several weeks.

“Except for my younger son, Ratheesh who is working in the Gulf, my other two boys and their wives and our three grandchildren, Abhay, Nivedh and Ashitha are all here at the Kannur home. My wife Rathnavally is a bit disappointed that Ratheesh couldn’t make it,” said Pannyan.

This is the second time Mr Muraleedharan has been unable to join his wife Dr. K. S. Jayashree, Sanskrit Professor at S N College, Chelannur in Kozhikode district.

“During my earlier days at Nehru Yuva Kendra in the early 90s, we couldn’t be together for Thiruonam. Normally we celebrate Onam at her house at Pandalam and Vishu at my place at Thalasserry,” said Mr Muraleedharan.