Onam Carnival of Kerala-2

“ the problem with Equality is that we desire it only with our superiors” “Equal were all and happy they all were, Deceits and falsehoods were unheard of there, Free from all illness, cares and infant deaths No one came to harm and none spoke untruths” This was what obtained in a strip of land Called Kerala flanked by mountains and sand Gifted to ‘Nakas’ by the God of Sea Cornucopia land it grew to be Under a demon-king’s fair and just reign Who, to do things unrighteous, did not deign ‘Maaveli’ his name and revered by all In wisdom and charity he stood tall. Gods grew jealous as his fame spread thick The poor king lost to a Lord-Vishnu-trick; Banished to ‘Paathal’, but with a reprieve He could, a welcome, in his land ,receive On Thiruonam day once in a year Whose festivities last for ten days clear. Feasts for all and dances and swings for gals All rough sports for lads as the big day calls By patterns made of blooms are courtyards decked To laud the trickster and welcome the tricked. ‘Brotherhood and Love for all’ is its theme Classless, contented society its dream. U.S.P. now to make tourism sell, An epicurean splurge does it spell. Some go hungry even on ONAM day, To remove starvation, is there no way? Inspired by: Dr. Ram Mehta’s Shadormas on Kerala’s ONAM carnival. Notes: 1. The first stanza is an approximate translation of the most popular Onam song. 2. Nakas: Local Chieftains , pious, righteous and warrior-like, who ruled the littoral hilly regions when the sea ( sea God, really) withdrew some distance and gave the land thus born ( Kerala) as a gift to them. 3. Paathal: One of the fourteen worlds, according to legend 4. Lord-Vishnu-trick: The Lord came to the king in the guise of a short statured priest asking for a piece of land, small enough for him to take just three steps. As the charitable king agreed, the guest grew in stature and covered all earth with his first two steps and stood asking him for space to take his third and final step. The king, rendered landless by now , offered his bowed head for the Lord’s third step which He duly took and in the process pushed the king down to Paathal 5. Thiruonam: A day that comes annually in the month of Chingam, which extends from mid-August to mid-September. 6. U.S.P: Universal selling proposition Contest : A Poem please Of Constance La France~A Rambling Poet By: S.Jagathsimhan Nair, 30-8-2011