Onam season ushered in with traditional 'pookalam'

With moderate showers making the weathwer pleasant, the Malayali community in the capital gathered here today to usher in the festive Onam season with the traditional colourful floral patterns of 'pookalam'.
A week ahead of the festival, the pookalam contest, saw participants joining in from several parts of the city.
Pookalam is the traditional design done using flowers of different varieties and hues, which heralds the onset of the Onam season in Kerala.
Organised by the newspaper group Malayala Manorama, the 10th edition of the contest saw participation of nearly 30 teams.
"Malayala Manorama group has been organsing this event for the last 10 years mainly to keep this rich tradition alive especially among the young generation of Malayalees," D Vijayamohan, Delhi Bureau Chief of the newspaper, said.

"It's a fiercely contested competition which sees large participation every year from communities all over the national capital region," he added.

The intricately designed patterns, made of flowers like jasmine, roses and shatavari, were judged by an eminent panel of judges.
"We judged the designs on the basis of their adherence to the tradition of using ten different flowers and minimal usage of artificial elements," said a judge.
A team from Mayur Vihar, which was adjudged the winner, received a cash prize of Rs 20,001 along with a trophy.