Onam has an unusual budget shape: a small daily cost that runs for ten days, and then one very large single-day cost. Committees that budget the sadya and treat the pookalam as incidental are consistently surprised, because flowers bought fresh every morning for ten mornings is not incidental at all.
The pookalam compounds
The floral carpet grows through Atham to Thiruvonam, and so does the flower bill. Ten days of fresh flowers, at rising festival-season rates, in increasing quantities, is a line that deserves its own budget rather than a share of “decoration”. Fix a daily cap in advance and give the pookalam team a number they own.
Sadya is a per-plate calculation, not a lump sum
The only honest way to budget a sadya is per plate multiplied by a headcount you have actually collected. “About 300 people” is not a headcount; it is a hope. Ask flats to confirm numbers, and budget a sensible margin — never a doubling.
- Cost per plate, agreed with the caterer in writing
- Confirmed headcount from flats, with a cut-off date
- Banana leaves, serving staff and disposables
- A margin for walk-ins — 10%, not 50%
The other Onam lines
Depending on your society’s scale, some or all of these will appear.
- Vallamkali or tug-of-war — prizes and equipment
- Pulikali or cultural performers
- Thiruvathira and stage arrangements
- Sound, and the power to run it
Collect early, because the sadya is prepaid
Caterers want an advance, and they want it before your slower flats have paid. That timing mismatch is the entire cash-flow problem of Onam. Open the collection well before Atham, track the pending list actively, and know your balance in hand before you commit the sadya advance rather than after.