From the Desk of your PCA Team .....
Being in India, this weekend is a big weekend in a religious context. There are three festivals that hold value in the Indian subcontinent this weekend.
Raksha Bandan
In the Northern states of India will celebrate Raksha Bandan. "[This] is a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters; the festival is also popularly used to celebrate any brother-sister relationship between men and women who are not relatives or biologically unrelated.1 " Sisters will tie a bracelet, called a Rakhi on their brother's right hand. The rakhi is a symbol of moral and emotional protection by the sister for her brother. She is his "inner voice" to guide her brother in times of need. She cannot protect her brother in any other manner, as she is not the breadwinner. Brothers will give their sisters a gift, which can be some token monies or a dress or any other items they choose. The gift is a symbol of the brother promising his sister to protect his sister and her family in their bad monetary times.
Onam in Kerela
Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated in a state festival celebrated in Kerela, which is for four days which starts from Onam Eve (Uthradom) to the 3rd Onam day. There are two stories behind Onam. The first is that it is the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali, who is considered the King of the Malayalee people.
The story goes that the beautiful state of Kerala was the capital of the Asura (demon) king, Bali. However, he was very religious, was respectful to priests and performed Vedic Aswamedha ritual to enlarge his kingdom and like his grandfather (Prahlada), was one of the greatest devotees of Lord Vishnu on Earth as he sacrificed his kingdom for the Lord. The king was greatly respected in his kingdom and was considered to be wise, judicious and extremely generous. It is said that Kerala witnessed its golden era in the reign of King Bali. Everybody in his kingdom was very happy, there was no discrimination on the basis of caste or class. There was neither crime, nor corruption. People did not even lock their doors, as there were no thieves in that kingdom. There was no poverty, sorrow or disease in the reign of King Bali and everybody was happy and content. Banan was the only son of Bali. However, because he was a Daitya (descendant of Diti), he was viewed by the Devas as unsafe. Otherwise, as the Vamana Purana reads, the rule of Mahabali was righteous.
Onam celebrations are marked in Thrikkakara, a place 10 km from Kochi (Cochin). Thrikkakara is said to have been the capital of the mighty King Mahabali. A temple with a deity of Thrikkakara Appan or Vamanamurthy who is Lord Vishnu himself in disguise is also located at this place.
This fascinating legend is artistically depicted at the Suchindram Temple in Kanyakumari district, where Lord Shiva is believed to have slain Banasura, the evil child of the holy Mahabali.
Onam is observed by all Malayalees as the return of the pious Mahabali to Kerala. Colorful aquatic festivals (e.g., boat races) are held on this occasion on the banks of the river Pampa.The celebration occurs all over Kerala and in the Malayalee diaspora. Mahabali is worshipped even in Tulunadu which consists of coastal region of Karnataka and northern Kerala. There are many pad-danas or folk songs which describe Mahabali and his deeds. Even today, during Diwali people go to their field and call Bali Chakravarthi. It is said that Bali will come and rule this world again if some conditions are fulfilled, which are impossible in real world.
Varalakshmi Vratam
Varalakshmi Vrata is a festival to propitiate the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity. Varalakshmi is one who grants boons (Varam). It is an important pooja performed by many women in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and North Tamil Nadu. The Hindu festival going by the name 'Vara Lakshmi Vrata' is celebrated on the Second Friday or the Friday before full moon day - Poornima in the month of Śravaṇā, also called Śawan in Hindi and Aadi in Tamil which corresponds to the English months of July–August.
Varalakshmi Vrata is performed by married woman for the well being of all the family members, especially husband, to get progeny etc. It is believed that worshiping Goddess Varalakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshiping Ashtalaksmi – the eight goddesses of Wealth, Earth, Learning, Love, Fame, Peace, Pleasure, and Strength. Because of the popularity in some states of India, it is declared as an optional official holiday in India. 3
Apart from the festivals this weekend, the week was relatively light in the school, but busier in the community. This week was our second UN Planning meeting. As we draw closer to the date, I request our community members to please join in to assist. You can work with the country that you want to represent, or else, assist many of the other countries where there is less families. Thus, we need auxiliary assistants. If you are able to give your time, please email us at pca@aisch.org. Notes from our UN Day planning meetings are on the side pages of this blog. Please do take a read as to what things are being planned for the event by our wonderful Country Coordinators.
In the community events, we do hope you were able to visit Tryst Cafe for the OWC Flea Market this past Thursday. To those who were able to join, the OWC gave a great big thanks! They were able to raise nearly Rs.30,000+ from the flea market. They will be able to purchase much needed provisions for the charities they support. Much much thanks for all of AISC community's support.
Next week will be filled with a flurry of activities. Look forward to the next month having a new set of cooking demonstrations at different locations around the city which will be reasonable priced. We will be trying different cuisines from around the world, so do look forward to joining us on these excursion.
Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to a wonderful week next week. And then..... US Labor Day holidays!
Signing off this week....
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New Discounts
Nando's Restaurants - 10% off with a cover of Rs.1000 +
- Phoenix Mall
- Cathedral Road
Design Hotel, Phoenix Mall, Velachery
a) Breakfast from 7:30-10:30 a.m. daily - Net Rs.500/each
b) Morning Tea - from 11:00 - 12:00 a.m. - Net 200/each ***
c) Lunch - from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Net 900/each **
d) Afternoon Tea - from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. - Net 200/each ***
e) Dinner - from 7:00 - onwards - Net 1200/each **
**Lunch and Dinner's have to be scheduled in advance by two days, with a set menu. Menus vary based on guest choices.
*** Plain coffee and tea service with light cookies for snack. Additional snacks are chargeable at Net 75/snack.
---------------------------Upcoming Events
20/21 Learning Dialogue
Last week was a busy for the 20th Anniversary! We ate cake and sang "Happy Birthday" on the 18th, the whole school took the 20 photo on the 20th and the Gallery Walk, Wishing and Memory Tree, and Then and Now were up at the Picnic.
Our next 20th Anniversary event, the 20/21 Learning Dialogue, will be on Thursday, September 3 from 5:30-7:00pm in the Hall of Light. Doors will open at 5:00pm.
As a 20 year old learning organization, we want to continue to explore trends, issues, stories, conversations, and topics that are relevant to our community. We want to look ahead to the next 20 years.
To help us do this, we will have a series of dialogues that are open to parents, alumni, MS/HS students and faculty.
We will be discussing what it means to be successful in a rapidly changing world.
We will be having a blended format that will include a panel, world café, and whole group sharing.
If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Advancement, Kirsten Welbes at wkirsten@aisch.org.
From our Librarians
---------------------------World Language Book Preview!
Date and Time: September 1st, 10:00-4:30
Location: ES/MS CIC and HS CIC
We have a lot of great new books in other languages for pleasure reading and content support. We've added lots of new languages this year also, including: Greek, Thai, Turkish, and more! Come browse and see what we have on display!
Language Book Committee Start-Ups!
Date and Time: September 1st, 4:00-4:30
Location: Inner Courtyard Conference Room (near the nurse's office)
Are you interested in increasing books in your language in the CIC? Kids love finding books in their home language! Come find out ideas and tips from two language groups who have formed teams to increase their collection.
Open Positions
There are still open positions on the PCA. We are looking for energetic persons whose goal is to enrich the lives of their kids through parent sponsored activities. We have open positions for Vice President on the Executive Team.If you are interested, please do give us an email at pca@aisch.org. To see all open positions, please see the side bar link of PCA Volunteers.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raksha_Bandhan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabali
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varalakshmi_Vratam
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