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MCOPS celebrated Onam on 29 August 2023, the exact calendar day for onam this year. The preparations which started off three weeks back, met a glorious culmination on a vibrant evening, with more than 500 students in attendance. The event named Aaravam 2023, completely organised by the students, was backed by strong support and ideation from Dr Angel Treasa Alex, Faculty Advisor. Athapookkalam, the traditional flower rangoli was arranged in the front of the college added with coconut leaf decorations to welcome all to this festival celebration.

The Chief Guest of the event was Dr Vinod V Thomas, Registrar Evaluations, MAHE. Dr N Gopalan Kutty, former Professor, Department of Pharmacology, MCOPS and Dr K K Srinivasan, former Professor & Head, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, MCOPS, were Guests of Honour at the event. Dr Ullas Kamath, Dean of MMMC, was also an invited guest. The Principal of MCOPS Dr C Mallikarjuna Rao, and Vice-Principal Dr. Krishnamurthy Bhat, were amongst the eminent members present. Holding true to the event started off with welcoming Mahabali to MCOPS, the legendary king whose visit is the very reason for the 10 day long onam celebrations. This was followed by a mini procession accompanying a Chendamelam, starting from MCOPS, moving all the way to MMMC. The official lighting of the lamp was done by the Chief Guest, and other honoured guests at the event. The traditional ‘thiruvathira’ dance followed this. Students and teachers together formed this 20-member performance, which was witnessed by a giant crowd seated on the steps of MMMC. Moving back to MCOPS as another procession, the crowd let loose to a heart thumping chendamelam performance by Dhumavati Chenda. This was followed by games, starting off with ‘Uriyadi’ or breaking the pot. 6 pots tied high over-head, found 6 enthusiastic participants from different batches including professors, trying to break them with a stick. This led to a very energetic friendly competition, with massive crowd support. ‘Kaserakali’ or musical chair, was the next game, and had 30 participants. The songs had the whole crowd grooving to it as the participants competed for the chairs with much enthusiasm. Tug of war was the final game of the evening, and the most crowd demanded one. Seniors of 4^th year reigned superior, as the juniors flexed their strength trying to overcome them.

Following this, were the cultural events inside MCOPS class room. In this formal ceremony, The Chief Guest, the Principal and the other eminent members, shared their memories and thoughts on onam. This was followed by energetic dance performances by different batches. Musical performances by the first years, and staff were also highlights. The event concluded by 9:00 PM and payasam was served to everyone, as a part of the celebrations. Onasadhya, the traditional onam feast too was arranged on Sunday, 27 August to cherish the delicacies of the festive season.?

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