ONAM: CARNIVAL OF KERALA

Late August or early September marks some high-spirited celebrations down south. People in the southern Indian coastal state of Kerala go crazy over the state festival of Onam, with ten days of feasting, boat races, song, dance and merriment.

THE ORIGIN OF ONAM

Onam or Thiruonam originated as a joyous annual reminiscence of the golden rule of King Mahabali, a mythical king, who ruled Kerala a very long time ago. It recalls the sacrifice of the great king, his true devotion to God, his human pride and his ultimate redemption. Onam welcomes the spirit of a great king, and assures him that his people are happy and wish him well.

THE LEGEND

Facts and fables blend as Kerala celebrates this royal return, year after with the festivities of Onam. Legend has it that the Gods plotted against Mahabali to end his reign. For this they sent Lord Vishnu to earth in the form of a dwarf Brahmin. But before being trampled down to another world, Vishnu granted the King’s sole wish: “To visit his land and people once every year.”

THE CUSTOM

A flower carpet called ‘Pookalam’ is laid in front of every house to welcome the advent of the vanquished King, and earthen mounds representing Mahabali and Vishnu are placed in the dung-plastered courtyards. Traditional rituals are performed followed by a lavish feast called ‘Sadhya’. Onam also means new clothes for the whole family, sumptuous home-cooked delicacies on plantain leaf and the lingering aroma of the sweet ‘Payasam.’

ONAM IS FOR ALL

Although this festival has its origin in Hindu mythology, Onam is for all people of all class and creed. Hindus, Muslims and Christians, the wealthy and the downtrodden, all celebrate Onam with equal fervor. The secular character of Onam is peculiar to this land where unity had always co-existed with diversity, especially during festivals, when people come together to celebrate life’s unlimited joys.

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROPEROUS ONAM FROM CENT TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LTD, INFOPARK, KORATTY....

FRIENDSHIP DAY: HONORING THE BOND OF FRIENDSHIP.....

Friendship Day is all about celebrating the bond of friendship. It is an occasion to turn the pages of life and reminisce the wonderful moments that you have spent with your pals in the school, college or workplace. 

A get-together with your pals or sending fancy gifts undoubtedly are great ideas to express your affection, but apart from these you can also consider a few innovative tips to make them feel special on Friendship Day. 

Friendship Day greeting cards: Typical, but still well-liked by people who find it hard to express their feelings loud. Choose a fascinating Friendship greeting card carrying inspirational quotes or messages that relevantly express what your heart wants to say in a lovely and impressive way. The market is flooded with multitude brands such as Red Roses, Archie's, Hallmark and more to choose from which are also popular as memento. 

Friendship Day SMS: SMSes (Short Message Service) are quite popular among all ages in the contemporary times because they are short, precise, expressive and instantly delivered to the recipient. Sending a lovely SMS on this occasion is a wonderful way to send Friendship and make your friend feel elevated. 

A surprise party: Throwing a surprise party for all your friends on Friendship Day would be much fun. But the truth is, when friends catch up celebration come calling. So, just make phone calls and drop an invitation to all your pals to be at your abode. Such surprise parties on the occasion would refresh the bond in this busy life. 

If you are looking for some innovative gifts or gift ideas, then take the advantage of the internet and you could easily find one that would bring smile on his/her friend. 

Personalized gifts are also a great gift idea to amuse your friend as it also signifies as a token of love and friendship for the years to come. 

Friends have an important role to play in everyone's life. They stand aside you at times when you feel lonely and seek support to recuperate from bad times. So, to express your appreciation and celebrate the joy of being friend Friendship day 2011 is just the perfect occasion. 

FRIEND INDEED....!!!

I am sure that as soon as you hear the word “school” or “college”, most of us would have a slide show of their friends' faces in mind. Friends have played a major role in moulding me into whom I am today.

Though we have a lot of people around us everyday, there are only a few who can be called ‘friends'. And I was fortunate to get one such friend when I was in the half of degree 2^nd year. It all started when we had our first conversation; it lasted for more than an hour. To my surprise I found that we were on the same wavelength about most of the issues we discussed.

Intimate bond

She has been with me in my craziest, happiest and worst situations. I cannot forget the way we chatted for countless hours about the most useless topics in the universe.

She's the only person with whom I can share anything stupid or meaningless without the fear of being judged or making an impression.

Some clever people have said that ‘change is the only thing that doesn't change'. But fortunately that has not been applicable to our friendship till now. Most of the time when I feel like talking to her or when I am thinking about her, the phone rings. And, to my greatest surprise, it would be her. I used to wonder if it was some sort of telepathy but it's not that.

It's the fact that we both feel like sharing things that happened that day with each other. No matter how far we are, we have always been in contact, and the conversations would be the same as the first time when we spoke... with the same kind of enthusiasm and interest. I hope it stays like this forever…!!!

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