Onam
This intricate floral design, made fresh each day and growing bigger throughout the ten days of Onam, is laid at the doorstep.
Pookalam
Tony Stark's armored superhero alter ego and the Premier League club that plays at Old Trafford.
Iron Man United
You step out into the year the WHO declared a new respiratory virus a global pandemic, sending most of the world into lockdown.
2020
An overweight feline
Fat Cat
This word for a fighter who spars in a ring is also a short-haired breed known for its square jaw and playful energy.
Boxer
Onam celebrates the annual homecoming of this legendary asura king, remembered as a just and beloved ruler.
Mahabali (Maveli)
Walter White's meth-empire drama and Lady Gaga's 2009 dance-pop hit about a toxic love affair.
Breaking Bad Romance
You step out into the year the United Kingdom voted, in a referendum, to leave the European Union.
2016
An amusing rabbit
Funny Bunny
This word for someone who indicates a direction is also a lean, athletic breed used in bird hunting.
Pointer
This elaborate vegetarian feast, served on a banana leaf in a specific order, can include over 20 dishes including payasam for dessert.
Onam Sadya
Four-time NBA champion often in the GOAT debate and the suave British spy franchise built around a "license to kill."
LeBron James Bond
You step out into the year the first iPhone was released, kicking off the modern smartphone era.
2007
A depressing person you share a flat with
Gloomy Roomie
This large, elegant breed shares its name with a European country.
Great Dane
This dramatic boat race features long, narrow boats called "chundan vallams," crewed by over a hundred rowers each.
Vallamkali (the snake boat race)
The ancient fortification stretching thousands of miles and the ethnic enclave found in cities like San Francisco and New York.
The Great Wall of Chinatown
You step out into the year the Berlin Wall fell, paving the way for German reunification.
1989
A woman whose reputation is a little questionable.
Shady Lady
This informal word simply meaning "food" is also a fluffy, lion-maned breed originally from China.
Chow Chow
Vishnu took this dwarf-form avatar to trick Mahabali into giving up his kingdom in three steps — the story that ultimately sends Mahabali underground.
Vamana Avatar
Duffer Brothers' Netflix sci-fi hit set in Hawkins, Indiana and Chinua Achebe's classic novel of colonial Nigeria.
Stranger Things Fall Apart
You dial all the way back to the year of the storming of the Bastille, the event that ignited the French Revolution.
1789
The 1960s counterculture movement's slogan about peace and love
Flower Power
This breed, built for speed and racing, shares its name with a quick snapping motion — or a tool used to beat cream into peaks.
Whippet