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Indian Legion presents to you Voice of The Wild, an...
Every Indian has seen, at least once in their life, some sort of image or rendering a little old man who marches about in extravagant clothes and carries with him a small wooden sunshade and a wide grin. Every year, when the month of September rolls in, we see large groups of people celebrate and share happiness with each other. We celebrate with food, happiness, and love. Three things that couldn't exist without each other.
Where did this tradition come from?
Once upon a time, there was a king. A benevolent, easy-going, and good king who went by the name of Mahabali. He was a stout, old man who appeared to be in his late 50's, with a dramatic mustache and an extravagant crown upon his head. His smile radiated warmth and seemed to have a sort of charm that brought people together.
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He watched over and protected all three worlds: Earth, Heaven, and the Netherworld. Kerala state, India, was his kingdom's capital and the one country in which he was closest to his people.
His people, were, in fact, very close to him. His popularity among his subjects was so great, in fact, that even the Gods became jealous of him. The gods decided to conspire and plot against King Mahabali, and went to Lord Vishnu, pleading for help.
Complying to the gods' wishes, Vishnu sent an incarnation of himself to Earth, in the form of a dwarf named Vamana. Vamana went directly to King Mahabali, presenting himself as a poor Brahmin.
"Three feet of land is all I ask for," he requested of the King.
"Three feet?!" he exclaimed. "Why, I can give you three acres! Why only three feet?"
Wise Vamana had a wicked plan, however. "No, benevolent king. I ask for only enough land so that I can take three steps with my feet."
"Say no more, dear Brahmin! Give this little man three feet of land!" boomed King Bali ecstatically.
But no longer had these words been uttered when suddenly the young dwarf Brahmin began to grow. He grew taller, and taller, and taller until he was bigger than everyone in the court.
As King Mahabali watched what was happening in a mix of amazement and horror, Vamana only grew bigger. Soon, his head had burst through the roof of the palace they were in... and then he was bigger than the tallest palm trees of Kerala... and he was bigger than the world itself.
It was then that Vamana took his first step, covering the entire surface of Planet Earth.
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. His next step covered the entirety of the heavens.
But before he took his final step, Vamana hesitated.
Vamana still stood in close proximity to King Mahabali. However, unlike before, this time the little Brahmin was the one superior to Mahabali. And when Vamana looked down, he found that the king was on his knees, his hands together, bowing down to Vamana.
King Mahabali had surrendered before anything could have been done.
And just like that, Vamana proceeded to take his last step, placing his foot over King Mahabali's bent head and pushing him down, all the way into the Netherworlds, and banishing him forever.
But before King Mahabali disappeared, he made a promise to his people to always return to his homeland.
And to this day, we believe that if you look closely enough, you can see the pot-bellied, jovial king striding among his beautiful lands, on one day every year - and that is the day we celebrate and love, called Onam.
So, let us join hands in the wonderful celebration with our King! It is a special day for not only Keralites, but everyone who loved and cherished our wonderful king, and tragic hero-
King Mahabali.
Love and hugs. ⚫️⚜️⚫️⚜️⚫️⚜️⚫️⚜️⚫️⚜️⚫️ August 29, 2020 (Saturday)
