Dear Maveli

Dear Maveli,

The sight of your beloved Kerala during this Onam will break your heart. There are no floral carpets to welcome you. The air does not resound with joyful songs. The charming thiruvathira dancers are not seen. Where are the tigers of the pulikali?

What you find all over your land is devastation. Hills collapsed in the fury of gushing waters. The waters carried away homes and roads. They carried away the flowers that used to bloom cheerfully for you. Whole townships like Cheruthoni are ruined entirely. Rivers have changed their courses and redrawn the map of your country. What is left is helpless gloom. And our determination to spring back to vitality.

We will bounce back. In spite of the hostility of our present king who calls himself our Pradhan Sevak just to mask his colossal narcissism. He has not only refused to help your country with the required assistance but also blocked the assistance coming from across the borders. So, you see, we have to fight not only the consequences of the deluge but also the hostility of our present king.

In such a tragic situation, you won’t expect floral carpets and nirapara, thiruvathira and pulikali, we know. Give us time. We are not only rebuilding ourselves but also learning some lessons. Lessons like the futility of communalism and aggrandisement. We are learning to cooperate. We are learning lessons of generosity. Maybe, we will rebuild ourselves into another Mavelinaadu. You will be proud of us when you come the next time.

Return to your Patalam in peace, dear Maveli. We shall deal with the new Vamana.