Onam the harvest festival of Kerala is here again bringing with it its own festivities. Being a "Marunadan" Malayalee or a Malayalee who has been staying away from Kerala, Onam has always been a festival which connects me to my roots.
Onam the festival of plenty has always been a very private affair in my family. Being a nuclear family living in Bangalore our Onam has always been different from what Onam was originally meant to be. An occasion for families to get together and cherish the times of plenty.
Onam celebrated in the month of "Chingam" has always been every Malayalees way of paying homage to the great ruler Mahabali. Under whom there was no caste or creed, no hunger, no suffering. Mankind believed in brotherhood and understood each others pain. So much so this ideal land became a matter of jealousy even for the Devas, who send Vamana [an avatar of Vishnu] to humble the great king.
Vamana asked for land that he could measure in three steps. Mahabali the benevolent agreed, only for whole of earth to be taken up by the first step of the magical Vamana, with the second he covered rest of the universe. With no place to take for his third step. The humble king offered himself and Vamana stepped on him to send the king to Patala or the netherworld.
Impressed with the Kings generosity Vamana granted the King a wish. The King who loved his subjects wished for a opportunity to come see his kingdom and its subjects every year. The day which is celebrated as Onam.
Although it may seem that Vishnu punished Mahabali for his good deeds, the fact is Vishnu gave salvation and the boon to be remembered for eternity. He also granted the boon that Mahabali wood be the next Indra [King of Devas].
So every year the whole of Kerala awaits the arrival of its beloved King. His kingdom gets all decked up, with each house decorated with floral carpets to welcome the king into their homes. Even the poorest celebrate this day as a day of plenty, so that when the King goes back he takes back memories of his kingdom as he had left it before.
Even if this whole story is just a myth, the underlying message of Onam is not to be forgotten, it shows us how the world is supposed to be, how the moment needs to be cherished and above all it celebrates the spirit of togetherness.
