Malayalees across the globe celebrate ‘Thiruvonam’, Kerala’s national festival, though with less enthusiasm in contemporary times. The commemoration of a golden era when there were no traces of untouchability, theft, robbery, black-marketing, hoarding or gambling. An egalitarian society a la socialist model under the rule of an ‘Asura’ (demon) King Mahabali, a benevolent dictator. King Mahabali is supposed to visit his beloved land, Kerala, on the occasion of Thiruvonam, seeking the welfare of his ‘Prajas’(subjects)- the Malayalees. I do not think such a benevolent King ever existed in history- must have been something connected with a harvest season when everybody is believed to be leading a life of satisfaction and happiness, heralding the arrival of Spring season with flowers of different hues in a verdant landscape after the lean month of ‘Karkidaka’ characterized by famine, starvation and diseases.
So be it. I am not much overwhelmed with the nostalgic memories related to Onam and for that matter, any other festival.
News streaming in from media or from day to day direct experiences almost on a daily basis from every corner of the world are shocking as also mind-boggling, to say the least. Wailing over the sorry state of affairs, shedding crocodile tears, paying lip service, platitudes or keeping mum like a detached ‘Yogi’ (Saint) calling everything around ‘Maya’ (illusion) or remain a helpless witness with a sort of impotent rage.
Take for example, newspapers carrying small box items with photographs, mostly children from poor families with self-introduction, humbly beseeching the philanthropists among the readers to extend contributions to help them to continue treatment or for undergoing surgeries. How many among us go through such fervent requests or how many of us care to do something for these hapless children? We can very well understand the predicament of those with compassionate hearts with their pockets empty. What about fat cats undertaking pilgrimages to temples, churches or mosques and offering precious jewels, elephants and lakhs and lakhs of money to attain divine blessings from God Almighty and at the same time turning away from those sitting with their outstretched hands or begging bowls seeking the ‘divine blessings’ of these ‘blessed souls’.
I was in Mumbai for a few years- a city of the powerful rich, not so rich and those at the bottom-line like slum-dwellers, beggars pulling on their lives at railway platforms sitting in long queues under blazing sun with begging bowls seeking alms infront of churches, temples and mosques, the underworld-hoodlums, murderers, robbers, thiefs, prostitutes- male and female - , eunuchs for their daily sustenance, the tinsel world of Bollywood- the shining stars in crowning jewels and the behind-the-scene dramas of love, separation, treachery, all happening within split-seconds and here I am reminded of Aravind Adiga in his Booker-prize award winning novel, “White Tiger” for reasons best known to some of us. Mumbai is a cross-section of India and for that matter the world. Even in the posh areas of South Mumbai like Church Gate, Marin Drive, Gateway, to name a few, we can see shabbily clad children who do not know even their roots even not at all bothering to dig deeper into their parentage with no dreams left in their eyes of a bright future playing merrily, wandering through the streets merrily, often falling easy prey to paedophiles.
Even the news of the Premier of a country who is supposed to be accountable to his people- who incidentally is a media-baron also- at present running on 72, is sleeping with teenagers and aspiring models has no qualms about his amorous activities, keeps pouring in. What is so surprising about the goings on in our world? Praise the Lord!
Go deeper into the interiors of India. With a severe drought looming large the farmers have already lost the Kharif harvest and without any irrigation facilities they are engaged in distress sales of their cattle suffering huge losses. These emaciated, starving ones, find their way to abattoirs! Even when undergoing such a pathetic situation, our benevolent rulers keep on boasting about the rising GDP and high growth trajectory. With the coming into the full-scale implementation of the Asean Free Trade Agreement, recently signed at Thailand, farmers across India can have a speedy “salvation”.
Heartening indeed that Mahabali’s annual visit on the auspicious day of Thiruvonam has been confined to the borders of Kerala, his once beloved kingdom. With the sort of ‘equality’ and ‘prosperity’ his stomach must have been full here itself. And if ‘Vamana’ ( incarnation of God Vishnu) had not limited the Asura king’s role to Kerala, and had allowed to spread his jurisdiction beyond Kerala, Mahabali’s enormous paunch would have been…? Hard to imagine even. Let’s wait for another Onam with all ‘gaiety’ and fervour’.
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