Onam greetings in every handout

"Icame here to Sydney in the beginning of 2020 to start uni as part of the Feb intake,” said Adarsh Mohan, a Masters’ student in Western Sydney University. “We have had quite a bizarre journey so far. Contrary to what we were expecting, we ended up staying indoors attending online classes, even before we got to know what Sydney was like.”

Adarsh was a volunteer in Sydney Malayalee Association’s Onam event this year.

He added, “Six months in, we have started lectures at uni, but we still don’t properly know the country that we are in.”

It’s been a very different Onam as well for Adarsh this year – as it has been for Sydney’s Malayalee community of which he is now a part.

Just as the pandemic upturned every other festival, Onam was no different. Instead of celebrating with a sit down sadya

(scrumptious meal) wearing traditional handlooms and finery, amidst flower carpets and heaps of colour, Onam this year was celebrated with grocery kits and pre-packed meals – distributed amongst international students who are facing much hardship during COVID times.

Grevillea Hall in Wentworthville was abuzz with volunteers sorting out rice, atta (wheat flour), chick peas, dal (lentils), pickles and biscuits – provisions for a month for each beneficiary. And the flow of students was incessant for the whole of the afternoon.

Volunteering at the event myself, I was amazed at the stories I heard - riveting and much more intense and saddening as compared to Adarsh’s. A group of nursing students who wished to remain anonymous, said, “It is really challenging for us. We came here to do the bridging course. Once our course finished, we were moved to visiting visa. However we are trying to save up every penny as there