Happy Onam / Onam Aashamsagal

A very Happy Onam to all Malayalees out there. In an hour or so, most of you would
be burping after a nice heavy Onam sadya (meal) which is entirely vegetarian and
which would be topped off with a proper Mallu dessert like ada-prathaman or
something like that.

Having spent most of my life outside Kerala, I do not have many memories of Onam.
The only Onam sadya that I really remember is what my friend's Mom used to so
lovingly serve during the 4 years of my college life at Chennai.

In Kerala, the biggest event/festival celebrated is Onam and I guess Christmas would
follow a close second. No Holi or Diwali or Vinayaga Chaturthi etc for us Mallus. The
Onam fever catches up pretty early in Kerala and was quite visible during the last
weekend I was there. Some snaps I took last week.

1) Some kids out playing puli-kali / kaduva-kali (tiger-play). Basically people dress
up as tigers using either masks or body-paint and go around the neighborhood playing
tiger and hunter.

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puli_Kali for more details.

2) A person dressed as King Mahabali goes around the neighborhood.

The story behind Onam is about the good king Mahabali who ruled Kerala long, long

ago. He was a just & good ruler, though he was an Asura (ie Demon - opposite of Deva

/ God) and people lived peacefully in his regime.

As in most Hindu mythological stories, the Gods become jealous of him because of the

love and adoration that his people had for him. So they send Vishnu as a dwarf (the

Vamana avatar of Vishnu) to the king and the Vamanan asks for a boon.

Being the benevolent king that he is, Mahabali asks him what he wishes to have. The

Vamanan replies that he needs land that can be covered in 3 steps that he takes.

Mahabali, like any normal person, not knowing that it is actually God Vishnu, grants

the wish, thinking that after all how much land can a dwarf cover in 3 steps.

But the moment the wish is granted, Vishnu attains his Godly self and with his first

step, he covers all of land and covers the heavens with his second step. Since there

is no other place to take the final step, Mahabali asks him to step on his head.

Vishnu steps on him and pushes him down to patala. But before he is gone, Mahabali

asks for a final wish - to be able to visit his people once a year. And it is believed that

it is on Onam that the king comes and visits his people.

Though I am sure he would be saddened to see the current state of the land he once

ruled. Corrupt and self-serving politicians, bad infrastructure, power-cuts in the land

of so many rivers, goondaism, etc etc. Anyway, a Happy Onam again.