Bhavans Middle East, consisting of Pearl Wisdom School, Dubai, Bhavans Pearl Wisdom School, Al Ain, Wise Indian Academy Ajman, Bahrain Indian School, Bahrain, Al Saad Indian School, Al Ain, Private International English School, Abu Dhabi, Smart Indian School, Kuwait, Indian Education School, Kuwait, Jack and Jill Pre-School, Kuwait, had its ‘family time’ virtually celebrating Onam, an iconic South Indian festival of unity, harmony, and harvest, with all its majesty and charm on August 29, 2020.

The virtual fiesta grandly unfurled at 11 a.m. with the welcome note by the coordinator of the event, Ms. Meenakshi Nayyar, the Vice Principal, Middle Wing, Bhavans Indian Education School, Kuwait. She welcomed Mr. N.K Ramachandran Menon, the Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, Mr. Sooraj Ramachandran Menon, the Vice Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, Ms. Divya Rajesh Ramachandran, the Director, Bhavans Middle East, the Principals and the Vice Principals, and the teaching fraternity of all the Bhavans schools in the Middle East, to the grand virtual Onam celebrations of the academic year 2020-2021.

The cultural event was hosted by Mr. E. P. Prasad, the Subject Coordinator, the Department of English, IES and Mr. Shylesh V., a member of the same department, who played the key roles of Mahabali and Vamana, respectively. The virtual auditorium witnessed a mindboggling melange of various colourful dances and lovely songs when the gurus of Bhavans Middle East turned out to be brilliant dancers and gifted singers. The popular Onam songs by the teachers of Pearl Wisdom School, Dubai, Indian Education School, Kuwait, Bahrain Indian School, Bahrain and Private International English School, Abu Dhabi, and the dances and ‘Thiruvathirakali’ by the lady teachers of Al Saad Indian School, Al Ain, Private International English School, Abu Dhabi, Smart Indian School, Kuwait and Indian Educational School, Kuwait, thoroughly entertained the virtual spectators. The participation of the Director, Ms. Divya Rajesh in ‘Thiruvathirakali’ was indeed the icing on the cake of the virtual cultural fiesta. The most impressive part of the celebration was the grand virtual feast, the ‘Virtual Onasadya’ – a recorded video of serving a nine-course meal consisting of 11 to 13 essential dishes by the members of the staff in plantain leaves – by the teachers of Bhavans Smart Indian School, Kuwait. The curtain of the programme that amalgamated fun, frolic and feast was dropped at 1.00 p.m. with the expression of gratitude and the exchanges of Onam greetings between the staff and the Senior Leadership members of Bhavans Middle East. Once again, Bhavans Middle East proved that it is second to none in actively promoting and promulgating the varied and vibrant Indian culture among the diaspora of Indians living in the sands of Arabia.