Happy Onam

I didn't know I was part of some Mallu mailing lists until this email made its way to my inbox. Hmmm I wonder who could have added me in? The only Mallu I know is RM aka Mathiachins but I doubt if he would be celebrating Oman. RM professes to have been born a Mallu Syrian Christian and does not necessarily prescribe to the views of one.

That's so true for a lot of us! I too am a Hindu by birth and not by choice. I say "not by choice" because I was never given that choice. But in my case if I was given the choice, I'm sure I would still have elected to be a Hindu again.

I like Hinduism because it is not rigid. It says there is no one path to God, there are beaucoup . Hinduism does not suffocate the soul with endless, pointless laws that prohibit this or that. I don't have to go to the temple to proclaim my faith. It gives me the freedom to worship as many Gods as I so choose, or none at all. It is more "accepting" and "inclusive" in nature, than "rejecting" and "exclusive". It does not make demands that I lead my life based on rules framed centuries ago.

I hate religious fanaticism. My heart breaks each time I hear about people breaking up for the singular reason of being born into different faiths. How can a silly thing like believing in different forms of the same God hinder the blossoming love between two passionate souls?

Two of my friends had to go through the ordeal of leaving their true loves simply because their families were opposed to the idea of them marrying outside their faith. They had to make the difficult choice of being selfish and standing by their love or giving in to the rationale of their families that religious differences do come in the way of a happy married life.

I am the selfish sort and would have rebelled, but it's easy for me to say so as I've never actually been in such a situation and knowing my folks they would 've never opposed to my marrying anyone if they were convinced we were truly in love.

Well, one of my friends has moved on and has just started seeing someone else (so much for "true love"), but the other is still in love with his ex and is desperately trying to convince himself that he is strong enough to sacrifice his love to familial pressure. I feel terrible when I see him living this lie. I can only hope he's strong enough to listen to his heart and stop fooling himself and the people around.

-----Original Message-----
From: The Mallu Club
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 6:56 AM
To:
Subject: Onam Celebrations

Hi

We invite you all to celebrate Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala. The "Mallu Club" has arranged for a special dinner tonight at "The Bangalore Club", as part of Onam celebrations. Later, there would also be a tug-of-war competition in association with Onam celebrations. Be there at 7:00 pm sharp!

A brief Intro to Onam:
Onam, the popular harvest festival of Kerala is a happy blend of myth and reality. The ten-day Onam festival falls in August-September, coinciding with the beginning of the harvest season.

The Legend :
The celebration of the festival of Onam is based on the myth of Mahabali, a celebrated emperor of the asuras. Onam is celebrated to welcome Mahabali back to Earth and relive a period of peace and prosperity in the mythical past when Mahabali ruled over mankind. According to local belief, in a war that took place between the gods and the asuras, the asuras won. Deeply hurt by the defeat of the gods, Aditi, their mother, prayed to Lord Vishnu to destroy Mahabali, the asura king.

Consequently, Lord Vishnu, in the guise of a Brahmin boy, Vamanan, went to Mahabali and asked to grant him three steps of land. As soon as the wish was granted the boy grew into an awesome giant. With the first step he covered the whole sky, blotting out the stars. With the second he straddled the nether world. One more step and the earth would be destroyed. At that moment, Mahabali bowed his head and offered it for the last step. Vamanan pushed Mahabali deep down into the earth. However pleased by his honesty and generosity, the lord granted him a wish that he could he could visit his kingdom and people on a particular day once a year.

The Festivities :
Preparation of a floral carpet called "Athappookkalam" in front of houses, from the first day of 'Atham' to the tenth day of 'Thiruvonam' is part of the festivities.This is a symbolic gesture to welcome King Mahabali.

One of the important event of 'ONAM' festival is the vegetarian feast (ONAM SADYA ), lavishly served ,as it used to be during the glorious period of the rule of King Mahabali.

Other events include kaikottikali, pulikali (the leopard dance) and the famous boat races.

Cheers,
Mallu Club
"We Aim to Entertain!"