LALAJI MEMORIAL OMEGA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 

 
​ HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

10th December 2018

  
 

Christmas: Customs and Cuisine 

Fireworks and lanterns, reindeer and robins, snowflakes and stars, carols and candy. What do all
of these things have in common? Well, they all feature in one way or another in Christmas
celebrations all over the world! It’s no surprise that such a strange assortment of things come out
at Christmas. After all, it is the second most celebrated festival in the world, and different
countries, states, and towns have their own unique ways of making merry.
 
 
One of the main reasons we all look forward to Christmas is the food! Nothing seems to bring
family and friends closer to one another than sharing a great meal. While everyone knows the
familiar foodstuffs prepared around Christmas time, such as Christmas cake, roast turkey, mince
pies, ginger bread and plum pudding, the holiday menu also includes more far-fetched courses.

Let’s start with a drink.

At the first glance, eggnog seems no different from any other brew. Its distinguishing factor is
that it’s actually prepared with raw eggs, sweetened with sugar and thickened with milk and
cream. It’s traditionally served in Christmas parties in Canada and the U.S.

Next, let’s move on to the appetizer.

In Brazil, salted cod, known as ​bacalhau​ ​is soaked, seasoned and mixed with potatoes, rolled
into small balls and fried. This yields a crunchy exterior, with a salty flavorful center - like
savory truffles, one might say. It’s a tasty, melt-in-the-mouth delicacy. The salad tends to be the
underwhelming part of most feasts, but the Swedish prove this assertion wrong with their
rodbetssallad​ made with apples, beetroots, red onions, sour cream, and mayonnaise. The
beetroots lend a vibrant violet hue to the salad, and the apples add a crisp bite to it. The sour
cream and mayonnaise are perfectly contrasted with the sweetness of the beets and apples, and
also make the salad cool and smooth in texture.

The main course is here!

It’s ​lechon​, ​a Filipino Christmas roast that can fill the stomachs of a whole family with ease.
Lechon​ ​is prepared by taking a whole pig, cleaning it, stuffing it with herbs and roasting it on a
spit over hot coals for up to five hours. This takes time, but as the old adage says, good things
come to those who wait. The final product is tender, fatty, savory meat, covered in an irresistible
crackling skin; definitely a good thing!

To cap off our Christmas table tour, a dessert from the Indian state of Goa arrives.
The delightful cake known as ​bebinca​ ​is made with a dough consisting of flour, ghee, egg yolk,
sugar, and coconut milk. The dough is layered and baked, producing a soft, smooth, and sweet
confection that is a fitting end to most Christmas repasts.
 
 
Written by: David, AS Level
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

 
 
With the new year upon us, what better way than to welcome it with a poem 
written by one of our very own students? Shambhavi from IBY1 has written a 
crestfallen poem about the sadness of another passing year. 2018 has been a year 
full of ups and downs, a true rollercoaster indeed. Her poem titled ‘My Time Is 
Over’ perfectly encapsulates the feelings one would have experienced in 2018. 
 
My Time Is Over 
 
I've been here long enough 
I need to go 
 
Promise me 
That you will never forget me 
 
Promise me 
That you will remember me for times to come 
 
Promise me 
That you will remember me for seasons to come 
 
Promise me 
That you will remember me forever 
 
Promise me 
That you will remember me in the new people you meet 
 
Promise me 
That you will look back and smile at all the good times I gave you 
 
Promise me 
That you will not cry over the hardships I gave you 
 
Promise me 
That you will remember what I taught you 
 
Promise me 
That you'll keep all the promises you could never keep 
 
Promise me 
That you'll remember me 
 
The clock has struck 
My time is over 
 
-Shambhavi 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival. It is somewhat similar to Thanksgiving which is 
celebrated in the Western countries. In an agriculture based civilization, harvesting plays a 
crucial role. The farmer cultivating the land depends on his cattle, timely rain and the Sun. 
Once a year, he expresses his gratitude to everything that symbolizes the harvest 
celebration. With the end of the wet month of January, the new Tamil month of Thai 
heralds a series of festivals. The first day of this month is the festival day known as "Pongal 
Day". Pongal means the "boiling over of milk and rice” during the month of Thai. 
  
Pongal, also referred to as 
"harvest festival", is observed 
by the people of Tamil Nadu, 
located in the Southern part 
of India. The idea behind 
celebrating this day is the 
gratification of people towards 
the God of Sun, for bringing 
about the season of harvest, 
which is a boon for them! The 
festival is celebrated on the 
15​th​ of January every year by 
the Hindu community. 
  
As one stand on the threshold of the harvest season, everyone exchanges Pongal wishes, 
hoping that it acts as the harbinger of good luck, good fortune and good cheer. People wish 
each other good times, happiness, peace and prosperity.Tamilians wish each other to start 
the New Year with mutual respect, understanding, trust and sincere cooperation. 
  
 
 
People show their gratitude by offering cooked rice to 
the Almighty!   
Everyone during this season become busy in reaping 
the harvest in the field. 
And on that particular day, they cook rice in the 
courtyard of their houses as the food which is meant 
to be offered to God is considered to be inauspicious 
if cooked in the kitchen. 
  
 
Written by 
Shrinija 
AS Level 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
13th OMEGA OLYMPIAD 
 
 
 
 
The Omega Olympiad has successfully come to an end for the 13th year. Join us as 
we relive the exhilarating moments through the words of Nivetha of AS Level. 
 
The annual Omega sports meet; the day everyone eagerly awaited for was finally 
here on the gorgeously bright yet scorching hot afternoon. The air was filled with 
joy and excitement. A fringe of anxious participants were impending the races with 
eager anticipation, whilst our Kutumba captains arranged the students for the 
opening march past ceremony. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The event began with the march past ceremony lead by the school sports captain, 
NCC, Band and the student council members and each kutumba was lead by our 
passionate and admirable Kutumba Captains. 
 
The Gautama Kutumba lead the march past followed by Atri, Vasishta and lastly 
Kashyapa Kutumba. The array of deserving participants marched proudly with their 
heads high up. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The event started with 100m dash for 
boys, followed by 100m dash for girls 
and then moved on to 4x100m relay for 
girls and boys. The anxious participants 
of the upcoming races, the hot, panting 
bodies of the athletes filled the event 
with joy and ebullience. The event came 
to an end with a closing march past 
ceremony. 
 
 
 
The final moment of euphoria which every young athlete waited for arrived; the 
prize distribution.  
 
 
The whole place was filled with joy and appreciations for the deserving participants 
of each race. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The final trophy for first place was secured by Vasishta Kutumba, the second place 
by Atri and the third place by Kashyapa Kutumba. 
 
The unbelievable scenes of jubilation of the winning team and participants 
completed the memorable day. And this day gives everyone immense pleasure and 
is cherished by every Omegaite.