Magic of India: Celebrating cultural diversity
With many languages, religions, music, dance, foods, architecture which differ from state to state, the Indian culture is an amalgamation of several cultures.
A long awaited family reunion and a delightful Onam sadya to relish! On Onam, the festival of harmony, actor Malaika Arora posted a picture of her mom Joyce Polycarp, a Malayali Catholic and her sister Amrita Arora on Instagram. “Finally after over five months, we all together at my parents’ home on this very auspicious day of Onam”, wrote Arora. The beautiful festival transcends the boundaries of religion, caste and creed. This is the India we love!
Onam, a 10-day festival, marks the end of a harvest year in Kerala and also celebrates the arrival of a New Year for Malayali Hindus. India has often been recognized as a country of unique and distinct culture. With many languages, religions, music, dance, foods, architecture which differ from state to state, the Indian culture is an amalgamation of several cultures. Keeping this spirit alive, Malaika, daughter of Anil Arora, a Punjabi and Joyce Polycarp, who hails from Kerala, celebrates all festivals with aplomb. Every year, Joyce, a culinary expert serves a scrumptious spread with the traditional meal, Thiruvonam Nakshathram and many friends come over but this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, no guests were called and it was quite an intimate affair.
India is a diverse country, people speak in different languages, dress differently, worship different gods,
eat varied food but essentially everyone is the same. So whether it is a joyous occasion or a moment of grief, people participate whole-heartedly, feeling the happiness or pain. A festival or a celebration is never
constrained to a family or a home, the whole community or neighbourhood is involved in bringing liveliness to an occasion except this time. But soon, all of us will be able to celebrate all occasions together.