The LeLi Gang is out there on social media trying to put a “Secular Spin” on Onam. Every year, as the pookkalams bloom across Kerala, families prepare the grand Onam sadhya. However, this year, a parallel campaign also blooms – the secularization of Hindu Festivals. The LeLi toolkit is working overtime with the Conversion Enthusiasts to strip Onam of its Sanatan soul.
Onam is not just a harvest festival. It is not merely about pookkalams, sadhya, or snake boat races. At its heart, Onam is deeply rooted in Sanatan Dharma. It celebrates the legend of Lord Vishnu’s Vamana Avatar and King Mahabali. Yet today, the secular ecosystem is busy repainting Onam as a “festival of crops and unity,” celebrated equally by churches, mosques, and temples. This deliberate whitewashing strips Hindus of their cultural memory, erases the spiritual essence of the celebration, and reduces a festival of faith into a mere display of food and flowers.
The Secular Spin on Onam
LeLi Secular version posters, advertisements, and social media forwards now describe Onam as a “harvest festival celebrated equally by Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.” They proudly claim that churches, mosques, and temples all take part. As if mere participation proves the festival has no religious roots. But scratch the surface, and the strategy is clear: by branding Onam as “secular,” they turn it into a cultural buffet but only after removing the Hindu puja, the Vishnu avatar, and the spiritual context.
For Hindu society, this is more than a game of semantics in the name of festivals.
When you erase the dharmic essence of a festival, you erase civilizational connections and memory. The LeLi ecosystem denies the story behind the rituals to help convertees deny their Hindu identity. And once a festival is reduced to mere “food and flowers,” it becomes ripe for hijacking. Case in point – CM of Karnataka denies that Maa Chamundeshwari’s Shakti Peeth’s celebratory mela is not a Hindu festival. In LeLi’s mind – No Dharma today, means No Drama during conversion!
The Real Story of Onam: Vamana and Mahabali
The heart of Onam is not the banana leaf feast or the Vallam Kali boat races. It is a story of Dharma, humility, and divine grace. The Asura king Mahabali, grandson of Prahlad, was no ordinary ruler. He was a just king, beloved by his subjects, so much so that even the Devas grew insecure. King Mahabali’s kingdom flourished with prosperity and equality; his people lived in abundance and peace.
Lord Vishnu then took his Vamana Avatar and approached Mahabali during a yajna.
Vamana asked for just three paces of land. The generous Bali agreed. In an instant, Vamana grew to cosmic size: one stride covered the earth, the second covered the heavens. With no space left, Bali bowed and offered his head for the third step. That act of surrender became his redemption. Lord Vishnu made him King of Patal Lok, but as a boon for his devotion, allowed him to return once a year to visit his people.
That annual return of King Mahabali to Earth is what Kerala and Malayalis celebrate as Onam.
However, the three paces also have Dharmic symbolism of Shravana Nakshatra. The three paces represent Learning, Contemplation and Surrender to the Divine. King Mahabali learnt about Vamanas Yachana, contemplated on it and surrendered to Sri Vamana. Thus, the floral carpets, the festive meals, the joyous reunions – all echo the spirit of welcoming their king, blessed by Bhagwan Vishnu’s grace. Strip away the Vamana-Mahabali story, and Onam becomes nothing more than a harvest party. But with the story intact, Onam remains Sanatan – a living reminder of devotion, humility, and Dharma.
Why the Secular Whitewashing of Onam Hurts
The danger of secular spin is not innocent. It is a calculated attempt by the ecosystem. When Onam is branded as a “harvest festival,” it detaches generations of Hindus from the spiritual backbone of the celebration. Children grow up thinking the festival is about crops and unity. However, they never relate to Lord Vishnu’s Vamana avatar or King Mahabali’s devotion.
Thus, deracinating Onam from Lord Vishnu’s Dashavatar legend helps pave the way for future conversions – because it shows Indians that one can celebrate “culture” while rejecting Sanatan Dharma!
This tactic works especially in Kerala, where Christians and Muslims hold significant numbers. For decades, missionary groups and Kerala majids promoted the idea of “Onam for all,” presenting it as a festival of “communal harmony.” Meanwhile, they quietly plant the idea in the minds of converts that Onam can still be their festival, even if they lose their Hindu identity. By erasing Onam’s Hindu origins, they clear the path for the rejection of Hindu Dharma in the hearts of future converts. Even some Islamic organizations now encourage participation, but only in the stripped-down, de-Hinduised version: flower carpets and feasts, without the deity, without the dharma.
It hurts because Hindus are not possessive about their festivals- anyone can join and participate.
But what wounds is the denial of its Dharmic roots. To erase the Hindu identity of Onam while still enjoying its joys is like enjoying someone’s home while denying they built it. Worse, it recasts every Hindu ritual as mere folklore. Consequently, it makes it easy to brand pujas as superstition and to later discard them entirely.
Festivals Are Faith, Not Just Food
A festival is never just about its outer symbols. Diwali is not just lights; Holi is not just colors; Raksha Bandhan is not just threads. Similarly, Onam is not just about sadhya and snake boat races. It is about the eternal bond between a king and his people, blessed by the Lord Himself.
Reducing Onam to a secular harvest event is not inclusivity – it is cultural erasure.
It is an attempt to strip Sanatan Dharma of its festivals one by one until Hindus become participants without roots, celebrators without stories. When a society forgets why it celebrates, it becomes vulnerable to narratives that deny its very existence. Onam is a reminder that devotion is stronger than power, that humility is greater than pride, and that Dharma always prevails.
To call Onam a secular harvest festival is not just ignorance – it is an insult to both King Mahabali and Lord Vishnu.
