Diwali,also called "Deepavali"(a row of lamps) is one of the most fervently celebrated festivals of India.This religious festival also represents the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.Goddess Lakshmi,the goddess of wealth is also worshipped on this occasion.
People all over the country celebrate diwali with great joy by lighting lamps and decorating their homes with bright and colorful lights.Children in particular await diwali with eagerness for the joy of bursting crackers,wearing new dresses and eating a lot of sweets and savories.
At ELC,Diwali was celebrated with great joy and also conveying a message.
The narrator appeared dressed up as a clown which caught the attention of all the children. A small skit was performed as the Clown narrated the story of Deepavali and the victory of good over evil. The clown took everyone to the ELC Village,where children and people of the village were living happily.One day the "Asura(Evil)" entered the village threatening everyone, forcing them to worship only him.The people of the village were scared and they sought the help of Goddess Amman by offering prayers to her. Their prayers heard, the Goddess appeared in order to rescue these villagers. She fought the asura and chased him out of the ELC Village.The people of ELC Village felt so happy and they celebrated the victory of good over evil.
Click here to see the pictures of ELC village and the skit.
Click here to see a video of the skit.
The second part of the celebration: How Diwali is celebrated all over the country. Apart from showing the children how Diwali is celebrated, the teachers also gave a message to the children to "Move towards a greener environment,minimise the use of crackers". In order to convey this message teachers dressed up as "Cracker" and "Diya" and did a role play.
Cracker was vibrant,moving around and bursting everywhere,producing lot of noise,smoke and dust. The teacher used a placard of cracker pictures, the sound of crackers was done through an audio bit and for smoke they used sambrani. Diya was calm,soothing and spreading light and peace. The teacher used a placard of lamps and torches were used to light up a dark room.
Click here to see the Cracker and Diya.
Finally came a lovely conversation between the "New dress" and "Sweets".Teachers dressed up as "New dress" and "Sweets" using placards. They had a conversation wherein they said that a Diwali party isn't complete without new dresses and sweets. They invited everyone to join the Diwali party.All the children joined and celebrated by doing a group dance with super energy and fun.
Click here to see the pictures the of New dress and Sweets.
Click here to see a video of this fun Diwali.
As burning of crackers results in noise and air pollution,people are becoming more aware and are trying to minimise the use of crackers in the recent years.Lets celebrate this festival of lights with care and responsibility. Lets celebrate a safe diwali with minimal crackers,more lights and more diyas. Lets contribute towards a greener environment.
Wishing everyone a "Happy and Safe Diwali".
Dussehra/Navratri is a festival in India which is celebrated for 9 days. These 9 days are full of pujas, colours, dances, decorations and fun. Both the North and South of India celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm.
At Ekadaksha, we celebrated this festival by doing the various dances that come with it. The first dance was Garba wherein we moved in different directions (right, left, front, back), swayed and then turned round and round. This was followed by the Kummi Kolattam dance done by clapping each others hands and moving inside-outside. The final dance was the Dandia dance wherein children stood in the outer circle and the teachers in the inner circle, the teachers moving around and playing dandia with the children. It was a fun celebration with a lot of movement.
Click here see the photos and dances of Navratri.
Navaratri was also celebrated with the remedial children. They performed the garba, kolattam and dandia dance by following the steps of the teacher. The finale was a performance by each of them, wherein they could choose to dance with the dandia/kolattam sticks or clap and dance. Most of them enjoying dancing with the sticks.
Click here to see our remedial children's photos and dances of Navaratri.
Onam is a joyful festival celebrated in Kerala,bringing people together with its vibrant traditions.It features beautiful flower designs called Pookalam,a grand feast called Onasadya,and exciting snake-boat races.Onam also honours the legendary King Mahabali and it marks the harvest season too.
Onam was celebrated at Ekadaksha with great joy and enthusiasm.Children made beautiful art works and the boards were adorned with the beautiful art works.
Click here to see the Onam decorations.
All the teachers were dressed in their Onam best, lovely off white saris with golden borders. The children were also dressed up and looking cute in their colour dresses. After the introduction, the children an teachers walked the ramp to show case their Onam outfits. Each class had to carry a prop and walk the ramp. Charts were arranged on the floor to make a ramp. Each prop was something that is used during Onam for the festivities - An umbrella, flowers, Lamp, pot of raw rice. As each child walked the ramp with Onam festive music in the background, everyone cheered. All the children were so excited and did the ramp walk beautifully in their own ways. The teachers too got a chance. Click here to see the ramp walk pictures. Then there were group photos with the Onam set up. Click here to see the group photos.
After a small break, an Onam dance was done by everyone at Ekadaksha to the famous Onam song 'Parvanendum' and a favourite 'Jimiki kamal'. Click here to see the dance performance.
The children enjoyed yummy banana chips, a delicacy of Kerala. It was a fun celebration.
Click here to see a video of the Onam celebrations.
Click here to see the ramp walk of our teachers.
Festivals are celebrated for the feeling of unity and oneness to be felt by everyone.Through folk dances and activities,the festival promotes unity and cultural pride,making it special for everyone. Happy Onam.
Vinayaka chathurthi or Ganesh Chathurthi is a festival that pays homage to Lord Ganesha,the remover of obstacles and celebrates the day of his birth.People from different communities and backgrounds come together for the widely observed celebration of Ganesh Chathurthi in India.Children love Lord Ganesha and consider him a friend and enjoy celebrating his birthday with joy.
Idols of Ganesha are brought and kept in a decorated pandal at home, in many temples and communities.People offer sweets,kozhukattai(Modhagams),sundal and perform puja to show their devotion to Lord Ganesha and seek his blessings.
At Ekadaksha,Ganesh chathurthi was celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm.The celebration begun with decorating the boards with art work, paintings and thorans made by the children.The children were divided into groups and made gifts for Lord Ganesha.Each class decorated a picture of Ganesha with Kolam powder,Rice,Leaves and Mustard seeds.Modhagam's which were made by the children, laddoos and fruits were kept ready for Ganesha.
Everyone was now set to welcome Lord Ganesha to the center.The song "Gaja gaja gajapathi..Kula kula kula gunapathi.." was sung by the Teacher. As all the teachers and children sang the song, the positive and happy vibes made Lord Ganesha give a dashing entry. He entertained the children and teachers with his gracious dance movements. Ganesha took his seat. He was garlanded, after which an aarthi was done for him. Then children came one by one to offer Ganesha his favorite "Modhagams" and they took his blessings.To please Ganesha's ears,the favorite "Jai Ganesha deva" bhajan song was sung with devotion which made Ganesha shake his head happily with joy.
Finally, Ganesha was given the gifts for his birthday. Classwise, the children gave the picture they decorated for to Ganesha and took group pictures. Ganesha told the children that he felt really happy and excited to be a part of celebration at Ekadaksha.He loved the gifts and modhagam's. As he said bye, he gave his blessings to everyone.
It was a lovely celebration at Ekadaksha with superb energy.The happiness,joy and excitement spread all over the center.
This auspicious day,reminds us of the values of unity,happiness and overcoming our obstacles and challenges with faith and hope.Lets seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha,the remover of obstacles and lead our lives with prosperity.
Happy Ganesh Chathurthi.