ONAM is just over yesterday.It is a festival of FEELGOOD factor.Ultimate example of a secular popular celebration of people.
I read so many articles in papers and magazines and felt that ONAM is glorified as a Godly, religious event which it is not.
We Indians are very good at mixing history with religion or theology.
So it is better that we (especially the younger recipients of my mail) familiarise ourselves with HISTORY as different from stories that could explain what ONAM is not.I am no expert historian, but a sincere look at information around you from reliable sources can tell facts as different from fiction..

I need to start from a lot behind in time.
Whether people believe it or not Aryans did invade in India a long long time ago.Such invasions or migrations happen even today.With Superior iron weapons and agricultural technologies, it was very easy for the invading Aryans to push back the indo Dravidian original inhabitants of India.Attack on Canaan mentioned in th Bible,Conquests of Alexander, Colonisation of America and India by whites were all no different in concept.Even the Dravidians need not be original inhabitants of India, as they are thought to be of Negroid origin.For the Aryans to reach the full region from Himalayas to Kerala, it would have taken thousands of years.Later the haves created the caste system mainly for exploiting the have nots and did not forget to give it a Godly sanction by creating texts that were to become unquestioned religious authority later.
Like Yahova is the God of Israel, Indra became the God of the Aryans.The Gods of our Vedas and Puranas were actually kings who conducted wars.
INDRA invaded India around 1500 Before Christ.He was the first known Nomadic Aryan leader who invaded India.Rigveda mentions Indra destroying 100 small town in Indus valley.Later we liberally made him a God and incarnation of Vishnu.
Rigveda Ch IX verse 73.5 mentions that Indra hates black skin!

We always talk about our "Bharat" of Bharatha.Bharata actually was a descendant of Kashyapa who is named after the CASPIAN sea, the area where the Aryan race originated.Bharatha's original capital was in Kabul(Afghanistan).He invaded India (1400 BC) and defeated Indra.
War of Aryan races with non Aryan races under Vishwamitra is mentioned in Rigveda.
Then the Mahabharata war takes place 900-500 BC lead by Aryan king Yudhishtira.Battle of Kurukshetra was an epic fight between the conqueror Aryans and the rest of Non Aryan and mixed Indian races.
Aryans moved over to Deccan and present day Maharashtra became a majority Aryan region.
Nakulan invaded western India.Bhim invaded Eastern India and Arjun focused on North India.Sahdev went to South.These may not be individuals, but could be army formations.Later Solar Aryans also invaded India(Suryavamshis) and Ayodhya became their capital.
Parashurama was a brahmin war leader who organised armies against Kshatriyas.
It is interesting to note that while we Malayalis adore our King Mahabali , the Aryans of the north worship Vaman who tricked this popular king.Our remembrance of this native supremacy that once existed is ONAM.
Ramayan is happening in 600BC.It is the 6th Aryan invation on native Dravidians under the King Rama.When he defeated Ravana, the local monkey kings (dark and monkey faced) betrayed their own people.They were rewarded by giving them tributes as Ramabhaktas in the stories that were written later.
Let us keep all this history at the back of our minds when we celebrate our festivals.The festivals should serve as tools to unite people, to find a social secular positive mindset of inclusive humanist existence.
Regards and ONAM Greetings.
Jayanthram