anjali makaram 2011

From Editors' Desk
This issue of Anjali comes out to coincide with the arrival of
Makara Sankranti, the auspicious occasion of Sun’s passage to the
Northern hemisphere. Makara Sankranti, a Hindu festival celebrated
through out India, signifies change. The southern sojourn
(Dakshinaayanam) of the Sun ends on this day and the Sun’s journey
to the northern hemisphere (Uttaraayanam) begins. The religious
significance of Makara Sankranti is explained in the beautifully narrative
article of Shri Mannady Hari Ji appearing elsewhere in this Anjali
issue
Hindus always cloaked complicated religious thesis not easily
understood by the common people in traditions and rituals that
needed no deep understanding of the religious books or discourses.
‘Makara Sankranti’ is thus observed as an auspicious event that
brings in brighter days and prosperity to the world.
KHNA that attempts change is a remarkable vehicle for change
and unity in the Kerala Hindu society of North America. As the Home
Page of the KHNA website shows, ‘the organization provides a
platform for all Hindus in North America to get together without any
social divisions of caste and creed’. As we all know, the bane of
Hindu society has been its structural defects that crept into the
system through ages. When started, the system was perfect for
every member of the faith. But in course of time, when narrow
personal gains and narrower caste divisions perpetuated the
decadent system for profit, the structural degeneration started.
This slow degeneration has seeped into the Kerala society so deep
that even in writing the history of Kerala, objectivity was affected
lamentably and grievous distortions occurred.
KHNA’s laudable scholarship program has been acclaimed as a
great success by the Kerala community as a whole. Those who
thought of starting the program did a yeoman service to the
community back home. It would be a pioneering effort on the part of
the KHNA if a chair is established in any of the Universities in Kerala
to do scientific research into the ancestry of the land that we call
Kerala. The research will also provide an opportunity to critically
examine the various legends surrounding Keralolpathi including the
story of Mahabali’s reign when society was egalitarian and the people
were virtuous, Parasurama’s retrieval of the land from the sea and
others. The ‘Vadakkan Pattukal’ of North Kerala depicts the social
set up of 14th and 15th century Kerala and the stories of the valor of
Thacholi Othenan, Aromal Chekavar, Unniarcha and many others.
All these could be rich sources of information for historians to
rewrite history of Kerala objectively. They could also compare and
winnow the numerous writings of Kerala history currently available
and discard the chaff and adopt the kernel where ever they find
them. We wish the present President of KHNA, Shri M.G. Menon,
who has been our guiding light be the beacon to guide us along to
the goal of success in this effort also.
The Editorial Committee of KHNA takes this opportunity to wish
all Malayalees a Very Happy and Bright Future.
Editor : P. Balarajan, Joint Editor : Chandran Pillai
P. Balarajan Chandran Pillai
KHNA - 2011
Anjali January
3