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ONAM (HARVEST FESTIVAL OF KERALA)

An important festival of Kerala, the festival of Onam is a very colourful affair. People celebrate by decorating their house with various floral arrangements and woman wear the gorgeous white and golden border sarees. The festival is marked by Kathakali dances and theatrical plays of artist dressed as tigers and hunters. Onam is an ancient Hindu festival of Kerala that celebrates rice harvest. The significance of the festival is in Hindu legends, of which two are more common.  According to the Hindu mythology, Mahabali was the great- great-grandson of a Brahmin sage named Kashyapa, the great-grandson of demonic dictator, Hiranyakashipu, and the grandson of Vishnu devotee Prahlada. This links the festival to the Puranic mythology of Prahlada of Holika fame in Hinduism, who was the son of Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada, despite being born to a demonic Asura father who hated Vishnu, rebelled against his father’s persecution of people and worshipped Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu tries to kill his son Prahlada, but is slain by Vishnu in his Narasimha avatar, Prahlada is saved.

Prahlada’s grandson, Mahabali, came to power by defeating the gods (Devas) and taking over the three worlds. According to Vaishnavism mythology, the defeated Devas approached Vishnu for help in their battle with Mahabali. Vishnu refused to join the gods in violence against Mahabali, because Mahabali was a good ruler and his own devotee. He, instead, decided to test Mahabali’s devotion at an opportune moment. Mahabali, after his victory over the gods, declared that he would perform a Yajna (homa sacrifices/rituals) and grant anyone any request during the Yajna. Vishnu took the avatar – his fifth– of a dwarf boy called Vamana and approached Mahabali. The king offered anything to the boy – gold, cows, elephants, villages, food, whatever he wished. The boy said that one must not seek more than one needs, and all he needed was “three paces of land.” Mahabali agreed.Vamana grew to an enormous size, and covered everything Mahabali ruled over in just two paces. For the third pace, Mahabali offered his head for Vishnu to step on, an act that Vishnu accepted as evidence of Mahabali’s devotion Vishnu granted him a boon, by which Mahabali could visit again, once every year, the lands and people he previously ruled. This revisit marks the festival of Onam, as a reminder of the virtuous rule and his humility in keeping his promise before Vishnu. The last day of Mahabali’s stay is remembered with a nine-course vegetarian Onasadya feast.

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According to Nanditha Krishna, a simpler form of this legend, one without Mahabali, is found in the Rigveda and the Vedic text Shatapatha Brahmana where a solar deity is described with powers of Vishnu. This story likely grew over time, and is in part allegorical, where Bali is a metaphor for thanksgiving offering after a bounty of rice harvest during monsoon, and Vishnu is the metaphor of the Kerala sun and summer that precedes the Onam. According to Roshen Dalal, the story of Mahabali is important to Onam in Kerala, but similar Mahabali legends are significant in the region of Balia and Bawan in Uttar Pradesh, Bharuch in Gujarat, and Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. The story is significant not because Mahabali’s rule ended, but it emphasizes the Hindu belief in cyclical nature of events, that no individual, no ruler and nothing lasts forever, except the virtues and self-understanding that overcomes all sorrow.  The floral carpet, known as Onapookkolam or just Pookkolam, is made out of the gathered blossoms with several varieties of flowers of differing tints pinched up into little pieces to design and decorate patterns on floor, particularly at entrances and temple premises like a flower mat. Lamps are arranged in the middle or edges. It is a work of religious art, typically the team initiative of girls and women, who accomplish it with a delicate touch and a personal artistic sense of tone and blending. When completed, a miniature pandal (umbrella) hung with little festoons is erected over it. The pookkolam is similar to Rangoli which is made of powders of various colors and is popular in North India. 

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Pulikali, also known as Kaduvakali is a common sight during Onam season. This dance showcases performers painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black, who dance to the beats of instruments like Chenda and Thakil.  The Vallamkali (the snake boat race) is another event that is synonymous with Onam. Well-known races include the Aranmula Uthrattadhi Boat Race and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. The Onam sadya (feast) is another indispensable part of Thiruvonam, and almost every Keralite attempts to either make or attend one. The Onasadya reflects the spirit of the season and is traditionally made with seasonal vegetables such as yam, cucumber, ash gourd and so on. The feast is served on plantain leaves and consists of nine courses, but may include over two dozen dishes…

CONTACT US

Madhura Towers 219 – 223, 9th Street, Dr Rajendra Prasad Rd, Opp. Lakshmi Complex,

Gandhipuram, Tamil Nadu-641012.

Phone: 94 88 30 34 92 / 93.

Web Site: www.bogaafoundation.org

 

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This Privacy Policy is entered into by and between Bogaa Foundation on behalf of itself and its affiliates, group companies, related entities, and licensors (the “Organization”).
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PURPOSE
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APPLICATION OF NATIONAL LAWS
This Privacy Policy comprises the internationally accepted data privacy principles without replacing the existing national laws. It supplements the national data privacy laws. The relevant national law will take precedence in the event that it conflicts with this Privacy Policy, or it has stricter requirements than this Privacy Policy. The content of this Privacy Policy will be observed in the absence of corresponding national legislation. In the event of conflicts between national legislation and the Privacy Policy, the Organization will work to find a practical solution that meets the purpose of the Privacy Policy.
SCOPE
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DATA COLLECTION
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g) Sensitive Information: Sensitive information as defined under the relevant national data privacy laws, will be used by us only: (i) for the primary purpose for which it was obtained; (ii) for a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose; and/or (iii) with your consent; or where required or authorized by applicable law.

STORAGE OF DATA
a) We only keep your data for as long as we need to in order to use it as described t.in the above section (Use of Data), and/or for as long as we have your permission to keep it. In any event, we will conduct an annual review to ascertain whether we need to keep your data. Your data will be deleted if we no longer need it for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your data.
b) Some or all of your data may be stored or transferred outside of your country of domicile You accept and agree to this by using our website and submitting information to us. If we do store or transfer data outside of your country of domicile, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within your country of domicile.
c) Data security is of great importance to us, and to protect your data we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure data collected through our website.
Notwithstanding the security measures that we take, it is important to remember that the transmission of data via the internet may not be completely secure and that you are advised to take suitable precautions when transmitting data to us via the internet.

SHARING OF DATA
a) We may share your data within the Organization and we may contract with third parties to supply products and services to you on our behalf. These may include payment processing, delivery of goods, search engine facilities, advertising, and marketing. In some cases, the third parties may require access to some or all of your data. Where any of your data is required for such a purpose, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data will be handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the obligations of the third party under applicable relevant law.
b) We may compile statistics about the use of our website including data on traffic, usage patterns, user numbers, sales and other information. All such data will be anonymized and will not include any personally identifying information. We may from time to time share such data with third parties. Data will only be shared and used within the bounds of the law.
In certain circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain data held by us, which may include your personal information, for example, where we are involved in legal proceedings, where we are complying with the requirements of legislation, a court order, or a governmental authority. we do not require any further consent from you in order to share your data in such circumstances and will comply as required by any legally binding request that is made of us.

USER OPTIONS
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b) you may also wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in your country. These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing communications that you have consented to receive.
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RIGHT TO WITHDRAW INFORMATION
a) You may access certain areas of our website without providing any data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on our website you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.
b) You may restrict your internet browser’s use of Cookies. For more information, see our Cookie Policy.
c) You may withdraw your consent for us to use your personal data at any time by deleting your account or by contacting us using the details set out herein below, and we will delete your data from our systems. However, you acknowledge this may limit our ability to provide the best possible products and services to you.

ACCESS TO DATA
You may access your personal data we hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your personal data, please access it through your account.
On request by you, we will not charge any fee for your access request but may charge an administrative fee for providing a copy of your personal data, unless otherwise requested by you, the information shall be provided in a commonly used electronic form.
In order to protect your personal data, we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.

SUMMARY RIGHTS
You have the right to: (i) request access to, deletion of or correction of, your personal data held by us; (ii) complain to a supervisory authority; (iii) be informed of what data processing is taking place; (iii) restrict processing; (iv) data portability; (v) object the processing of your personal data; (vi) automated decision-making and profiling.
To enforce any of the foregoing rights or if you have any other questions about our website or this Privacy Policy, please contact us using the details set out herein below.

AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING AND PROFILING
a) In the event that we use personal data for the purposes of automated decision-making and those decisions have a legal (or similarly significant effect) on you, you have the right to challenge such decisions, requesting human intervention, expressing their own point of view, and obtaining an explanation of the decision from us.
b) The right described in the section above does not apply in the following circumstances: (i) the decision is necessary for the entry into, or performance of, a contract between you and us; (ii) the decision is authorized by law; or (iii) you have given your explicit consent.
c) Where we use your personal data for profiling purposes, the following shall apply: (i) clear information explaining the profiling will be provided, including its significance and the likely consequences; (ii) appropriate mathematical or statistical procedures will be used; (iii) technical and organisational measures necessary to minimise the risk of errors and to enable such errors to be easily corrected shall be implemented; and (iv) all personal data processed for profiling purposes shall be secured in order to prevent discriminatory effects arising out of profiling.

CONTACT US
a) If you have any questions about our website or this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at [email protected]. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data we hold about you.

CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY
We may change this Privacy Policy as we may deem necessary from time to time, or as may be required by law. Any changes will be immediately posted on our website and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our website following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.

LANGUAGE
This Privacy Policy was prepared and written in English. Any non-English translations of this Privacy Policy which may be made available are provided for convenience only and are not legally binding.

APPLICABLE FOR PERSONS FROM THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
a) Legal Framework
It has been concluded by the European Commission that particular countries outside of the European Economic Area (the “EEA” which consists of all European Union member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) require to adequately protect personal data. This can be reviewed under European Commission adequacy decision. Where data is being transferred from the EEA to other countries, we shall comply with legal frameworks that ascertain an equivalent level of protection with European Union law.
b) EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield frameworks
We shall comply with the EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Frameworks as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries and Switzerland, respectively.
c) Model Contract Clauses
The Organization shares personal information within the Organization and to other trusted businesses or persons to process it for us, based on our guidelines and in compliance with this Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures. Your information may be transferred, or stored and processed in other countries outside of where you live for the purposes as described in this Privacy Policy. These data transfers are necessary to provide the services to you and to globally operate and provide our products to you. We utilize standard contract clauses, rely on the European Commission's adequacy decisions about certain countries, as applicable, and obtain your consent for these data transfers to other countries.
d) DPO
If, after contacting us, you feel that your concerns have not been addressed to your satisfaction, you can contact our data protection officer (“DPO”) at [email protected].