Mini Kerala At KIAMS During Onam Celebrations!

Online, October 2, 2012 (Newswire.com) - "This Onam was special for me. Our institute turned into a mini Kerala. It felt like home to me and I enjoyed my favourite festival with my friends," expresses Lakshmi Warrier of KIAMS. It was Lakshmi and another student, Nishant Joseph, who were crucial to the planning of Onam celebrations at Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS). "On the 29th of July 2012, after 7 p.m., no one could say that we were not in Kerala. All our mates from the institute got to eat payasam, a special sweet delicacy, and all other goodies of Onam right here at the campus. I will have fond memories of this Onam all my life," smiles Joesph.

The evening was filled with fun and frolic. All the students were strictly asked to come in ethnic Indian wear. Triangle Rotunda, the venue, was vibrant, as all the students were in their traditional clothes. While the clothes added colour to the mood, the real works of beauty were the floral rangolis. "We took real care to make the floral rangolis. We had our fellow students from Kerala to guide us. We bought flowers by the kilos to make these rangolis. Our team consisted of the most creative and technically sound students. For me, this was the best part of the Onam festival," says Priyanka Sharma, a student of Batch 15.

The place was resonating with happy energy, especially when the juniors and seniors got down to a tug-of-war match. Priyanka laughs, "All of us were supporting our respective teams and the camaraderie filled the air with joy." The evening's highlights were the special performances of traditional Onam dance and drama. Through this, the students were able to understand the cultural and historical importance of Onam.

No festival is complete without the delicacies. Sudheer Devalla of Batch 14 recalls, "The best part was the food, and what made it authentic was that it was served on banana leaves. Sitting on the floor while eating together was a unique cultural experience for me and many others friends." The unanimous feeling among all students was to make it a gala evening and all of them worked hard to replicate the traditional celebrations. "The celebrations generated a feeling of togetherness among all of us. We shared jokes, giggled and worked together. We are now actually looking forward to the next Onam," says Kumar Abhishek.

KIAMS students, despite their busy schedule, do not miss a chance to celebrate any festival, whether it is Janmashtami or Eid. Students of all faiths are represented at the institute and celebrations of all cultures are encouraged here. Students are also excited about sharing their cultures and traditions, and participate in full strength. Shruti Jain, Batch 14, excitedly shares, "All of us are high-spirited and we make every effort to follow all the traditions during festivities. After all, we are Indians and such programmes fill us with a feeling of unity in diversity. We feel proud to be a part of such a diverse country."