Prophets Day celebrants greet Onam procession in ‘real Kerala Story’
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Onam celebrations in Kerala on Friday witnessed a unique gesture at Yakkara-Murikkavu in Palakkad district when a procession led by a Mahabali-clad person was greeted by ‘Duff' drums by the Madrassa students of a nearby Juma Masjid, an act described as a 'real Kerala story' by many, PTI reported.
The students were celebrating the “Nabi Dinam” (Eid-e-Milad), which coincided with the “Thiruvonam” day in the month of Chingam in the Malayalam calendar this year. The Prophet's Day, Eid-e-Milad, is the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed.
In a display of the real ‘Kerala Story,' the occasion was cheered by television channels.
As King Mahabali reached Murikkavu, where the Eid-e-Milad procession was underway, accompanied by the ‘Chenda' percussion instrument, the children who had come from the mosque greeted them with their Duff drums, bringing cheer to the onlookers.
"It was a great spectacle. I have not experienced such a delight in the last five years," Das Kalasala, who donned the role of Mahabali in the procession, told reporters.
The cross-religion spectacle was described by many as the "real Kerala story", in an apparent reference to the controversial movie "The Kerala Story" that centred around the alleged radicalisation and conversion of young Hindu women to Islam in the state.
The Murikkavu Juma Masjid representatives also said it was a great message from Kerala for the whole world.
Onam is celebrated by Malayalis across the world, cutting across religious beliefs, as a state festival in memory of a glorious era when the land was ruled by King Mahabali, when all people were treated as equals.
