Kalpetta: The annual harvest festival of Onam is celebrated wherever there are Malayalis, be it on land or in the sea. The grand Onam celebrations on board a huge freighter in the middle of the Pacific Ocean prove that Malayali is closely attached to Onam and its vibrant celebrations, no matter where he or she is.

The Onam celebration on board the 184-metre-long Solar Cheryl, an oil chemical tanker ship, was led by its captain Midhun Raj, who hails from Wayanad in Kerala. All the crew members, irrespective of their nationality, took part in the Onam celebrations.

More than 20 mariners from various Indian states wore Kerala’s traditional kasavu mundu and prepared the colourful athapookalam (floral carpet). Besides, a sumptuous sadya consisting of 21 dishes too was served to the crew members. Games like tug-of-war that send Kerala youth into frenzy during the Onam celebrations too was held on the deck of the ship. The celebration was conducted on board at 10 pm on the day of Thiruvonam (morning in India).

Midhun had made headlines in 2020, when he celebrated Onam with mariners from Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam and China on board a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The videos of the celebration had become viral on social media then. Midhun is the son of T Mani, who is a senior lawyer based in Mananthavady, and Shanti.