This weekend, I attended two back-to-back Onam celebrations. And while I am not from Kerala, I’ve decided I’m spiritually aligned with any tradition that involves a 26-dish meal served with love and care.

On the surface, Sadya is just a thali. But ask anyone who’s ever experienced one, and they’ll tell you - it’s a celebration, a ceremony, and a community ritual all rolled into one banana leaf. The first spoon of avial. The second serving of sambhar. The sticky sweetness of payasam on your fingers. The perfectly placed banana chip that someone insists you must try with the lemon pickle. It’s not fine dining. But it is soulful dining.

So this Monday, still full and very happy, here are my nine musings from this beautiful meal that I look forward to each year:

1. The best things aren’t meant to be solo.
You eat Sadya shoulder-to-shoulder. Same food. Same leaf. No fancy plating. No dietary customisations. Just full plates and full hearts. Honestly, more things in life should be served this way.

2. Culture doesn’t have to be explained to be felt.
You’re allowed to feel something without fully understanding it. That’s not ignorance. That’s being human. So at Sadya, you just eat. You experience. You belong.

3. Not everything has to “go” together to work together.
There’s a banana. There’s tamarind curry. There’s jaggery. There’s five kinds of crunchy things (don’t laugh at my lingo). It’s giving "this should not work"... but it does. Note to self.

4. You don’t need much to feel a lot.
No cutlery. No tech. No “activations.” Just people, food, music, and joy. I feel we’ve seriously overcomplicated events, relationships, and life.

5. Food is love. Period.
Sadya isn’t trying to be perfect. It’s just trying to be enough - for everyone, with whatever it’s got. That’s love. That’s effort. And if more things (and people) in life showed up like that, we’d all be better fed (stomachs + hearts).

6. Your presence matters more than your post.
Traditions aren’t just for our IG content. They’re connection. It’s not about getting the best sadya flat lay. It’s about who you shared it with and who insisted you eat more.

7. Dress the part. It changes the mood.
A little effort in what you wear does something to how you show up - for Onam and in life. Because kootu curry deserves our respect.

8. It’s not just the festival, it’s the feeling.
Onam might be the occasion, but the real celebration is everything around it. The language, the laughter, the chenda melam. We bring the festivities, the energy, the connections. During festivals as well as in the meeting room.

9. And finally, carbs are underrated and underutilised therapy.
Your body needs them. Your wellbeing loves them. I said what I said.

M.

xx

Manuja

Not for everyone. Never was.