Schools hold virtual Onam celebrations

Thiruvananthapuram: Though this year’s Onam festivities were marred by the pandemic, the schools in the district resorted to different ways to lift the spirit of students.
By presenting ‘Onakkodi’ and vegetable kits, Cotton Hill Government LP School ensured that all students of the school celebrated Onam in all its glory. With an aim that no student shall miss the chance of wearing a new dress during the Onam and no student should be left without having the sumptuous Onasadya, the PTA and teachers of the school with 1,206 students rolled out such a programme. “Families of some of our students have been facing severe economic crisis owing to the pandemic. So we thought of providing ‘Onakkodi’ and vegetable kits for students. Many good-hearted parents along with our teachers have pooled nearly Rs 3.5 lakh for the initiative launched as part of ‘Koodeondu Cotton Hill’. Nearly 400 students were gifted with dresses,” said headmaster K Buhari.
Meanwhile, many other schools arranged virtual Onam celebrations. The School of the Good Shepherd (SGS), Akkulam, principal Anitha Rajeshkumar said that they could conduct a grand and vibrant Onam celebration without losing its traditional charm in virtual space. Often Onam celebrations conducted by schools confine to the participation of students, but this time, the parents could also take part in the programmes. “I was so delighted to see the efforts put in by the teachers, students and parents to bring in variety in the programmes. It was exciting to watch the spirit of students from Class I to XII. We have many north Indian students in our school who are not familiar with the traditions behind Onam. For such students, our celebration was indeed a novel experience,” she added.
Government LP School, Kilimanoor, also hosted Onam programmes virtually. “Besides arranging ‘athapookalam’, students were asked to share the myths and stories related to Onam. We are planning to send the best performances to Victers channel,” said M C Abhilash, a teacher of the school.
In fact, these online celebrations have become a great stress buster for the students. Steeve, a student, said that though the virtual celebrations fail to provide the vibe of offline celebrations, they are happy as it relieved the stress of being stuck up at homes without meeting friends and teachers.