Amma says, “In the evolutionary order of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, we find that Vamana is the first incarnation with a human body. By now, the animalistic features are discarded and the Human Being is born. Here we have to note that Vamana is not born outside, but in the mind of the asura or demon King Mahabali, who has changed his asuric nature and sticks to truthfulness and charity. He rises prepared to sacrifice everything he has. To Vamana, he not only gave all the three worlds he possessed, but also allowed the boy to place his foot on his own head. Thereby Mahabali made the greatest sacrifice – the absolute sacrifice of his own ego”.
Onam is the colourful festival of Kerala. The celebration of Onam begins from the very first day of the Malayalam month, Chingam. The very thought of Onam fills our minds with nostalgic memories. It is a season which fills our hearts with joy and contentment. Regardless of the religion we belong to, Onam is a festival for all Keralites.
It is indeed a pleasure to say that with our beloved Amma’s blessings, we Amritians were also able to celebrate Onam in our school. On 21st August, 2015, we celebrated Onam with great pomp and show. Various competitions were held among the 4 houses. To add to the charm, different cultural programmes were also presented by students representing the various houses. A floral carpet or Pookkalam was designed and laid out. A tug of war or vadamvali competition was held for boys and girls in which Jyothirmayi house and Chinmayi House won respectively. ‘Vanchipattu’ competition was conducted in which Amritamayi house bagged the first prize; Chinmayi house took away the second prize and Anandamayi house grabbed the third position.
After the competitions, various cultural programmes were presented by the students. Thiruvathirakali, Onappattu with visuals, a skit and Thumbithullal were performed by students as house-wise presentations. In addition to the entertainment, a brick walking competition was held in which sports captains and house captains of different houses competed with each other. The programme wound up by 3.15 pm, and dispersed with the National Anthem.
