Most festivals celebrate the victors

note · LinkedIn

Most festivals celebrate the victors. Onam is different.

While much of the population aligns with the devas in myth, Malayalees choose to remember the asura. Mahabali wasn’t perfect; he was a rakshasa king. But he was just, generous, and deeply loved by his people. His only “fault” was growing too powerful, and for that, he was deceived and dethroned by Vishnu himself.

Kerala never rewrote the story to glorify the gods. Instead, we sided with the fallen king. Every year, during Onam, we welcome him back. Not with shame. Not with denial. But with flowers, food, and festivity; because history may bend to power, but memory aligns to truth.

That instinct to back the maverick, the contrarian, the underdog runs through history. Socrates silenced for asking questions. Jesus crucified for new ideas. Today, even Google face the same suspicion of too much monopoly power. Systems often punish not just the corrupt, but the inconvenient.

Onam reminds us; revolutions don’t always roar. Sometimes they bloom in flowers and feasts. Others chant for the victors. Malayalees, quietly, whisper inquilab for the king who lost.

In boardrooms, in markets, in teams; the Mahabalis are still around. Don’t just celebrate the status quo. Stand with the challengers, the misfits, the underdogs who dare too much, too soon.

This is a reminder that we can all be slightly against the grain. And, always stubbornly, for the truth. Tag your mavericks - Benil, Joyce, Dain

Happy Onam. 🌼