COMA

Hope my readers had a delightful Valentine’s Day with family, friends, and happy moments. February is American Heart Month. This is a great time to get to know your heart better and focus on your cardiovascular health. Preventive measures to reduce the risk of heart disease can also help improve your overall health and well-being – a win-win approach to wellness!

COMA is gearing up for its inaugural event of 2024 – promising a full day of fun with tournaments, games, cultural performances, dinner, and culminating in an electrifying glow party and DJ night. If you haven’t secured your tickets already for the Kaliyattam event on March 2^nd, please do so through the COMA website. Tickets are available for both the daytime tournaments and the evening dinner event:

• Morning event (games)
• Evening event (dance, trivia, magic, dinner)

Congratulations to Nijith Zacharia for winning the COMA Kaliyattam poster design contest. Here’s the prize winning poster:

Invest in your heart – Dr. Niju Baby Narakathu

(Niju is an Internal Medicine Physician who works as a hospitalist at Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, and Genesis Health system, Zanesville. He is from Perumbavoor, Kerala who completed residency in New York and moved to Columbus in 2017. He lives in Powell with his wife Katherine and two beautiful daughters – Joella and Qianna.)

I believe there is no month other than February, the month of “love”, to think about our heart, but in a “different” way. Understanding heart health allows us to recognize and reduce the risk factors for heart disease. By educating ourselves we can make healthier lifestyle choices. Additionally, it also helps in early recognition of the warning signs, seeking medical help, and potentially preventing serious complications or fatalities. Heart Health Awareness empowers us to take proactive measures to protect our cardiovascular well-being, leading to a better quality of life and longevity.

What does heart attack mean and why is it important to know about heart attack?

Heart attack happens when the blood flow which brings oxygen to your heart muscles gets cut off, causing damage to the heart muscles. Commonly confused, heart attack is not the same as cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating suddenly and is most likely an electrical problem of the heart.

According to the American Heart Association, about every 40 seconds someone in the United States suffers from a heart attack. Learning that you have coronary artery disease or a heart attack can be scary or overwhelming. But understand that everyone’s situation is different, and many people can live a full productive life after an event. With proper treatment and lifestyle changes, further damage can be prevented or limited after a heart attack.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

• Pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest, especially with exertion or activities, or at rest
• Pain or discomfort in other parts of the upper body, shoulders, arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea, vomiting, burping, or heartburn.
• Cold, clammy skin
• Fast or uneven heartbeat
• Feeling dizzy

It is important to understand that a heart attack symptom is not always as we typically see in the movies where a man clutches his heart and collapses. It can be subtle and confusing, especially in women, where you can mistake this as “acid reflux” or “flu” or sometimes even “normal aging”. Please note that heart disease is the No. 1 killer among women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.

It is particularly important to understand that chest pain does not always mean heart attack, but it is important to see a health care professional right away if you experience any of the above symptoms.

What puts you at risk for a heart attack?

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• High cholesterol, more specifically high LDL, low HDL

Your risk is even higher if you:

• Smoke or vape
• Eat a diet that is high in red meat, sugar, and fats, low in fruits and vegetables
• Do not get regular physical activity
• Obesity
• High stress levels
• Have a parent or sibling with heart disease
• South Asian ethnicity (yes, that is all of us!)

What can you do to lower your risk?

• Quit smoking/vaping
• Eat a healthy diet and maintain healthy body weight
• Limit alcohol intake
• Regular activity – Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (such as jogging), or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week. It is also good to include moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weight training) at least twice a week
• Find ways to manage stress – yoga, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises
• Take prescribed medicines as recommended by your doctor
• Healthy sleep habits – adults should aim at 7-9 hours a day

What is considered a heart healthy diet?

The specific amount of each food type that you should eat depends on your age, weight, and sex. But your eating pattern or the types of food in your diet is important.

• Grains: Try to eat whole-grain, high fiber foods each day – brown rice, whole grain breads, cereals.
• Fruits and vegetables: Try to eat 4 to 5 servings each day; include as many kinds or colors. If possible, eat fresh. If canned fruits or vegetables are your only option, check the labels and look for products without added sugars or salt.
• Dairy: Try to have 3 to 4 servings each day.
• Protein: Low fat or lean meat that are baked or broiled, like chicken and turkey without skin. Include oily fish twice a week (tuna, salmon, mackerel). Dried peas, beans and lentils are also rich in protein and fiber.
• Fats: healthy fats are monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats – found in olive oil, canola oil, and sesame oil, they are also found in nuts, seeds, avocados. and nut butters.
• Salt and condiments: Always include low-sodium or salt free broths, soups, soy sauce, or condiments.
• Sweets: Avoid in general. Choose low-fat products with no trans fat.

What should you avoid in a heart healthy diet?

• Grains: salted breads, rolls, crackers, quick breads, self-rising flours, biscuit mixes, regular breadcrumbs, instant hot cereals, commercially prepared rice, pasta, and stuffings.
• Fruits and vegetables: prepackaged, regular canned, frozen vegetables with sauce, pickled vegetables, with added sugar or salt
• Dairy: malted milk, buttermilk, chocolate milk.
• Meat products: smoked, cured, salted, or canned.
• Fats: unhealthy fats – saturated fats and trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils, egg yolks, butter, cheese, fried foods, margarine, baked goods likes cookies or cakes).
• Condiments and snacks: salted and canned peas, beans and olives. Miso, salsa, ketchup, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce are all high in salt.
• Sweets: baked goods in general, artificial sweeteners, fruit juices, soda, and other sweetened drinks.

“Try not to shop when you are hungry!”

A Comparative Primer on the Films of Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak – Part 1 – Sandeep Ravindranath

(Sandeep Ravindranath is a student of the audiovisual arts. He has served as a live sound engineer for such acts as Chitravina Ravi Kiran, Nagai Muralidharan, The Carnatica Brothers, Ustad Shahed Pervez Khan and Steve Gorn among others. As an on-location sound recordist, his work on the Lebanese film What Remains was shortlisted for the Student BAFTA in 2018. He holds a Master’s degree in Music Technology from New York University and was a programmer analyst for Sony Music in Manhattan.

His directorial venture The Bookshelf dealt with the subject of growing intolerance in India and was commissioned by Perumal Murugan’s Kalachuvadu and Indira Chandrasekhar’s Tulika. In 2016, Sandeep was offered a full scholarship in the direction program at Columbia College Chicago where his thesis film Diary of an Outsider received Jury invitation from the Directors Guild of America to its Student Awards. To date, his shorts Lullaby, The Bookshelf, Santhana Gopala, Diary of an Outsider and Sub Brothers have screened at over 120 film festivals in 21 countries winning numerous awards along the way. His latest short, Anthem for Kashmir, launched by Anand Patwardhan and T.M. Krishna was censored by the right wing government of India.

Sandeep lives in Dublin, Ohio.)

Mrinal Sen recounts in an interview, his first meeting with Ritwik Ghatak at an Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) gathering – a lanky young man almost his age was reading out his new play with great passion. IPTA, the cultural arm of the Communist Party of India that nurtured many major literary, artistic and theatrical talents of the age would once again sow the seeds that birthed two giants, in an entirely new medium this time – cinema.

That first encounter turned into the frequent meetings at the Paradise Cafe – a cheap tea-shop in South Calcutta where budding filmmakers – young, unemployed and desperate, gathered to discuss films for hours together. It was during these sessions that Sen decided to become a filmmaker, crediting this momentous decision to both the ambiance of the cafe and the infectious enthusiasm of Ghatak. Today, both Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak are iconic names in the annals of Indian Cinema – their names etched along with that of another Bengali auteur Satyajit Ray. They were pioneers who changed the course of Indian Cinema, leaving behind the commercial, spectacle and glamour driven movie-making of Bombay in favour of a new kind of filmmaking that treated cinema as the art form that it is, using the medium to focus on social and political issues – the partition, famine, caste and poverty, communalism, the position of women, the anguish of the educated unemployed, dissent and so on. They would go on to inspire filmmakers in other regional languages to walk their path, thereby firmly establishing the culture of the Parallel Cinema of India.

Common Roots

Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak’s common roots go further back than the meetings at the Paradise Cafe or the IPTA. They were both from villages that became East Pakistan in 1947 (now Bangladesh) and moved to Calcutta during their formative years in an undivided Bengal. These socio-political realities of their time would find its way into their filmmaking – if it was the partition for Ritwik Ghatak, it would be famine for Mrinal Sen. Ghatak’s cinematic world would be a world of exiles where dwell the homeless, the rootless and the child separated from the mother – films peopled with characters who have been driven from their homes, forced to draw sustenance from the vitiated atmosphere of the cities. For Sen, while the physical aspect of famine finds a backdrop in three of his films, it is the ideas associated with famine – poverty, hunger, inequality, and injustice caused by human greed and exploitation that find voice in his narratives. The cinematic medium for Ghatak was the weapon that gave vent to his passionate unrest and for Sen, it was a window through which his keen glance penetrated his surroundings with compassion, humor and sometimes rage.

Early Films

Ritwik Ghatak was the first to reach the milestone of completing a feature film. His first feature, Nagarik (Citizen, 1952) was completed three years before Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali but was released only in 1977, a year after Ghatak’s death. Ray once said that, had Nagarik been released before his Pather Panchali, Nagarik would have been accepted as the first film of the alternative form of Bengali cinema. The story of a lower middle-class family which by force of circumstance, finds itself declassed through poverty, Nagarik makes a political statement that remains valid even today – in a city teeming with people, the common man, the citizen, who will never win and yet, refuses to admit defeat. Amidst the squalor and degeneration of city life, Nagarik’s hero emerges with hope. The repeated blows of fortune, the path of despair from the tenement to the slums, cannot kill his spirit – the young, unemployed hero will continue to fight for his right to live. Nagarik was shot on a shoestring budget, with a cast entirely unused to the film medium and skeletal facilities buoyed up on primitive equipment. The technical deficiencies notwithstanding, Nagarik reveals the unmistakable signs of an emerging style and the unique sensibility that permeates Ghatak’s later films. Ghatak even managed to pay tribute to that little cafe that played an unforgettable role in the development of Indian cinema – the tea-shop that the hero visits after his failed job interview is, the Paradise Cafe.

The melodramatic style which Ghatak imbibed during his years as a playwright, actor, and director in IPTA is channeled into his film oeuvre starting with Nagarik. The variety of both indigenous and foreign theatrical styles that IPTA incorporated, such as the Bengali folk form, Jatra, and Brecht’s “epic” form greatly contributed to the theatrical shape of his melodramatic style. Ghatak’s melodrama in the Brechtian sense detached the audience from the action of the narrative; instead of a willingly “suspended disbelief” caused by an emotional investment in the hero’s journey and his fate, the audience was now prompted to produce a critical, objective response to the socio-political commentary that Ghatak was making. The frequent use of wide angle lens, placement of the camera at very high, low and irregular angles, dramatic lighting composition, expressionistic acting style and experimentation with songs and sound effects, carry on through his entire body of work.

Mrinal Sen’s first film Raat Bhore (Dawn at the end of the Night, 1955) meanwhile, turned out to be such a disaster that he once referred to the experience as “that feeling of disgust which envelopes a man after his first visit to a brothel.” His second film Neel Akasher Neechey (Under the Blue Sky, 1959) was laced with subtle political undertones and had a good run at the box office but Sen in retrospect found it unbearably sentimental and technically shoddy. It was with his third film Baishey Sravan (The 22nd Day of Sravan, 1960), that Mrinal Sen really came into his own. An exploration of a personal predicament that grows out of a larger tragedy outside the boundaries of the home, Baishey Sravan, was the story of a middle-aged village hawker and the disintegration of his relationship with his young bride in the context of the Bengal famine of 1943. Sen had witnessed firsthand the ravages of the famine in which he saw people dying in their hundreds on the streets of Calcutta – walking skeletons begging for a mouthful of rice before succumbing to their horrible fates . An estimated 3 to 4 million Bengalis perished in that famine caused by the Second World War and crop failures, and compounded by the callous colonial administration and its racist masters in London.

After the first half of the film is spent on a truly idyllic portrayal of the couple, the famine enters silently. There is not a single shot that represents the famine physically – there are no starving people begging for food, there are no vultures and jackals fighting over carcasses and there are no emaciated babies fiercely sucking the breast of its dead mother. The context of the war and the impending calamity is set up with a shot of a passing convoy, the sounds of an airplane and a very long shot of the villagers moving to the city in search of food. As the cry for food becomes louder and louder outside, Sen keeps his camera fixed indoors where the couple, like two animals in a cage, fight each other as poverty and starvation break down the last vestiges of their humanity.

Ghatak’s second film Ajantrik (The Pathetic Fallacy or The Unmechanical, 1958) had a theme that was startlingly new for Indian cinema at the time – it was among the earliest films in India that showcased an inanimate object – a car, as a major character. The story is about a taxi-driver Bimal and his undying love for his battered old jalopy whom he fondly refers to by a human name, Jagaddhal – a run down, 1920’s Chevrolet that is literally falling apart at the seams. Ghatak humanises the car with a comic treatment – headlights that move of its own volition, and the sense of brotherly affection between Bimal and the car with a number plate that reads “BRO 117”. The dialog Bimal establishes with the car – Jagaddhal never “catches colds” or “gets tummy aches” further highlights the humanising aspect of their attachment. Ghatak’s innovative use of sound design that was way ahead of its time further accentuates this anthropomorphising – while Bimal pours water into the car’s radiator, a gulping sound accompanies the action in the soundtrack. Towards the end of the film, as Jagaddhal is dying in spite of the replacement of its parts and the extensive work done on it, a metallic grinding sound becomes louder and louder indicating Jagaddhal’s “sickness”. While there is still some theatricality, unlike his other films, Ghatak has toned down his use of melodrama in Ajantrik in favor of a comedic-drama form. He still retains some symbolism, for instance in the shot where Jagaddhal is being dragged away by scrap-collectors, the frame is composed through the crosses in the cemetery next to which Bimal lives.

As Ghatak’s concerns over modernism and its discontents are well known, Ajantrik could be read as a cautionary tale about man’s obsession with technology in an increasingly material and urban world. While in an article , Ghatak refers to the film as “the story of a crazy man”, and says that “only silly people can identify themselves with a man who believes that that God-forsaken car has life”, the affectionate portrayal of Bimal and his companion in the film certainly does not betray this seemingly condescending tone. In fact, Bimal might well be an extension of Ghatak himself who as an innovative filmmaker, broke all kinds of cinematic rules and regulations. Like Bimal he resisted the fashions of his day, eventually paying the price with an isolation rewarded by a personal vision that goes against the grain. Ajantrik could also have inspired Satyajit Ray to make Abhijaan (The Expedition, 1962) four years later, which had a similar theme of a taxi-driver and his fondness for his car but that film ends on a happier note. This could explain why Abhijaan was one of Ray’s biggest ever successes at the Bengali box-office, while as Ghatak himself recalled, Ajantrik “grossed exactly nothing.”

References

1. Mukerjee, Madhusree. Churchill’s Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II. New York: Basic Books, 2010. Print.
2. Simha, Rakesh K. “Remembering India’s forgotten holocaust.” Tehelka.com. Tehelka, 13 June 2014. Web. 21 March 2017.
3. Ghatak, Ritwik K. “Some Thoughts About Ajantrik.” Cinema and I. Ed. Avik Banerjee. Calcutta: Dhyanbindu, 2015. Print.

Know your EC team – Shyam Mohan (2024 Joint Secretary)

“You are what you Think!” Let me begin my story with this. Something that I realized from the early stages of my life. Something that I’d like to pass on to COMA youth as well. Thoughts lead to Emotions, Emotions lead to Actions, and Actions lead to Outcomes! So in a way you create your own story/future/destiny!

My name is Shyam Mohan Ganesh-bhavan Neena. An ardent Kerala-loving, Malayalam-loving person born in the Malabarian coast of Kerala – Kozhikode. I’m sure at least some of you would have read the name twice and thought ‘what’s the deal with his name!”. Like the long name, the story behind it is also long! Overall people take me as a simple person, but I am also a person who understands Lena (Multiverse! :D) So I can be interesting too 🙂

Born to middle class central-government employee parents, inter-state transfer and school hopping were a normal part of my life. After spending my toddler days in Bangalore, pre-school days in Kannur, and elementary school days in Vishakapattanam (AP), we finally ended up in the land of Anathapadmanabha – Thiruvananthapuram, where I finished my schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom and Computer Engineering from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram (CET).

If asked for a nostalgic moment from my childhood, the memories are not complete without mentioning the load-shedding nights (power-cut) we used to have back in the day, where me and my family used to go to the terrace and lie down facing the sky, our faces lit by the diamonds in the sky. My father was a Meteorologist (Weather Forecaster). Sky watching was his job but he did make sure some of that occupational wisdom was passed on to us. To this day, when I look at the night sky, I can spot many of the constellations or read a few cloud patterns to predict if it’ll rain the following day or not. Well.. almost 🙂 He also taught me to occasionally zoom out and realize that we are nothing but an insignificant cosmic dust in this infinite universe and to be humbled by our mere existence in the grand scheme of the cosmos.

I’ve always believed hobbies are food for the soul. Besides the common hobbies of a 80/90’s kid, like playing street cricket, stamp collection, playing RoadRash etc., I also picked up some new hobbies as an adult – photography, drawing, and cooking. Being a passionate nature lover and growing up in the lap of our God’s Own Country, the urge to pickup photography was inevitable. Starting with my first camera (now vintage), a Minolta 35mm, I slowly moved on to a Nikon DSLR, and I now own a SONY Alpha Mirrorless.

Among all my hobbies, drawing is the one that is most fulfilling, where I lose track of time and feel recharged thereafter. Being a foodie and born in a place that I think is a food destination of our vibrant diverse state, many of the favorite moments of my early life were in the kitchen with my dad, or relatives, or with my grandmother. I picked up cooking during my bachelor days and continue to do it whenever I get time.

Having been born in northern Kerala and having lived mostly in southern Kerala, I had visited most of the districts in Kerala by the time I was of prime age, but the central district of Palakkad had always eluded me. I finally ended up marrying my wife from Palakkad, a place that I visited for the first time in my life on the day I met her. Falling in love with everything I saw that day, rest is history 😉 Well, here we are – a family of four with our two beautiful children, Eva and Milan. Apart from our priceless family time at home, our favorite family destinations include Munnar, Colorado, and the Caribbeans.

After coming to the United States 15 years ago, and having travelled or worked in 30+ states, I finally chose our dear-old Ohio to settle in! They say Home is where you find peace. Ohio is our second home (after Kerala) and this is where we want to come back to, always. Be it the four seasons, the food, good education for children, or the welcoming “Mallus”, I believe there is something for everyone here – in the humble view of a simple guy like me 🙂 And honestly, COMA feels nothing short of an extension of our own kin and clan!

Warm regards!

Shyam

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2024! I trust all of you had a great holiday season and got to spend quality time with your family and friends. January is the time for new year resolutions, and my goal for this year is to eat healthy, stay fit, and complete a half marathon in the fall. I am part of the COMA Marathon group, and the camaraderie of motivated fellow Malayali runners is invaluable in keeping myself on track.

I am really looking forward to the initiatives the 2024 Executive Committee has in store for COMA members this year. My best wishes go out to the 2024 EC for a triumphant year! The success of our organization hinges on volunteer support complementing the enthusiastic efforts from the Executive Committee, so I hope we can all join hands as a team and contribute wholeheartedly to help create another great year for our organization.

I am always looking for member contributions for the newsletter. Should you wish to submit content for future editions, please reach out to the EC team (coma.officials@gmail.com). Content should be 250 words or less.

Wishing all my readers a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!

— Smitha Nishant

Presidential Address – Nicey Vakasseril (2024 COMA President)

(Nicey lives in Powell, Ohio with her husband Stephen and daughter Anjali. She is from Trivandrum and has been living in Ohio since 2015. Her hobbies are reading, driving on long routes, and relaxing.)

Happy New year to all Malayali families and COMA members! I am thrilled to be part of COMA EC 2024, and excited to share the fun with you all again this year!

I understand that there are a lot of Malayali families who are not part of COMA as I myself was not part of it for some time. And after being part of COMA, I realized how valuable it is through providing a community feeling and fun filled enjoyable events to our Malayali families. Therefore, one of my intentions is to bring more Malayali families into COMA. Also, this year, COMA would like to partner with other Indian associations for cross cultural activities.

I would like to congratulate the 2023 Executive Committee for providing a wonderful and memorable year! In 2024, we are planning some exciting events where we will re-live the traditions of our God’s Own Country as well as embrace the traditions of this nation. With your active participation and support, we hope to make this year a memorable one for COMA members.

As we continue through the year, we will let you know about the upcoming events! I am happy to have a team consisting of Anil Koothoor as Vice President, Pravi Gopalan as Treasurer, Yogalakshmi as Secretary, and Shyam Mohan as Joint Secretary. We are glad that we have the guidance of an experienced team of trustees! The success of COMA is not just with the committee but with all our Malayali families including children, youth, and adults. We request your support by participating in events, bringing more families to COMA, and by volunteering at COMA events. I firmly believe that we are going to have another fun-filled year!

I am looking forward to having this journey with you all in 2024! Once again, I wish you all a prosperous and happy new year on behalf of everyone in EC 2024!

Essential Medical Screenings – Dr. Rajesh Rajan

(Rajesh Rajan is a Nephrologist who also manages Infuse One (an infusion/Botox center). He is from Pandalam, Kerala. He grew up in New York and moved to Columbus in 2022. He lives in Liberty Township with his wife Mauja, kids Devika and Dhinan, and puppy Meeka.)

As we step into the unfolding of the New Year, many of us embark on a journey centered around resolutions for improved health and well-being. Amidst the plethora of aspirations, a dedicated commitment to good health takes precedence, whether achieved through mindful nutrition, regular exercise, or conscientious mental health practices. The dedication to better health undergoes an annual reevaluation.

Despite our emphasis on well-being, the tendency prevails to visit the doctor only when unwell. However, the significance of preventive healthcare cannot be overstated. It is imperative to shift our focus from reactive responses to proactive measures in health management. Regular visits to healthcare professionals can detect issues early on, or prevent their occurrence through routine screenings. Several essential screenings become particularly relevant as we age.

Guidelines and recommendations for screenings are diverse, with organizations like the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) offering valuable insights. Patient preferences play a pivotal role in decision-making, with education about the risks and benefits of screening tests being paramount.

Primary care physician visits constitute a crucial facet of comprehensive healthcare. These appointments involve screening for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, vision health, and more. While recommendations may vary, a biennial health visit for adults under 49, assuming good health without chronic conditions, is generally acceptable. Adults aged 50 and above are advised to have an annual health visit, while those with chronic illnesses may require more frequent monitoring.

Dental care often falls into the realm of reactive measures, triggered by problems. The American Dental Association suggests regular dental visits, commonly interpreted as every six months, for examinations, cleanings, and necessary X-rays to detect issues early.

While eye exams need not occur annually, a comprehensive examination is crucial at some point to evaluate underlying eye pathology. Beyond assessing the need for corrective lenses, eye exams screen for diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, or macular degeneration.

The rising prevalence of chronic health conditions underscores the importance of close monitoring. High blood pressure, a common ailment, prompts screening for adults over 18, with annual checks recommended after the age of 40, particularly for those with high-risk factors.

Diabetes, a global health concern, is screened for in patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or adults aged 35-70 with a Body Mass Index over 25. Fasting blood tests or hemoglobin A1c assessments are commonly employed for diagnosis.

Specialized cancer screening recommendations, such as Pap tests for cervical cancer and mammograms for breast cancer, align with guidelines from organizations like the USPSTF. Colorectal cancer screening is advised from age 45 onwards, and lung cancer screening is recommended for high-risk individuals aged 50-80 with a history of smoking.

Prostate cancer screening discussions commence at age 50 for average-risk individuals, relying on individualized decisions informed by factors like the Prostate-Specific Antigen blood test or digital rectal exams.

Osteoporosis screening is typically conducted for women over 65, and DEXA scans are commonly used for bone density evaluation. Men with low bone mass or fracture risk factors may also undergo screening.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, generally a one-time ultrasound, is recommended for males aged 65-75, especially for current or former smokers. Non-smokers in the same age bracket with a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm may also consider this screening.

While this overview is not exhaustive, each decision regarding preventive health is a collaborative effort between the patient and the physician. It is advisable to consult with your physician to develop personalized preventive health strategies.

Know your EC team – Anil Koothoor (2024 Vice President)

(Anil lives in Plain City, Ohio with his wife Sabitha and son Ash. He moved from Calgary to Ohio in 2021. Since then, he has been an active member of COMA. Anil is an avid traveler and has explored over 45 countries. He is passionate about local food and soccer.)

When Smitha asked me to write about myself, I never realized that this would be so difficult for me. I realized that I have lost my touch for writing, and writing about others, “paradooshanam”, is much easier than writing about yourself. Anyway, here is my scribble. Warning: read at your own risk.

I was born in a village near Payyanur, Kannur, and I was there until I completed my pre-degree course. My childhood memories revolve around the time I spent playing outdoors with my friends and fighting with the creatures that occupied most parts of my mom’s ancestral home where I was brought up, and of-course the relationship complexities of an orthodox extended family. During that time, reading was my hobby and the couple of libraries in our village and nearby town helped me with it. I am not sure how many of you know about this, Kannur is very famous for its network of libraries. Reading opened many doors for me, and I started questioning things -within no time, I was labelled as a rebel. I became part of student activities and travelled across the state to coordinate cultural programs. If you ask me about the best part of my schooling, definitely, it’s the two years (pre-degree) I lived in “Payyanur College”. Yes, the way Vineet Sreenivasan described in his movie “Thattathil Marayathu“, Payyanur College “varantha” and the evening breeze, that was such a romantic and exhilarating experience. As per my wife, Payyanur College and the two years of “alavalathi tharangal” would be the only thing that I would remember if ever I suffer from amnesia.

I had to move to Trivandrum for pursuing my engineering degree. There, everyone talked about the importance of having milestones and targets, but for me, the ultimate target was to go back to my roots. Many of you would have heard about Paulo Coelho and his famous quote in his masterpiece Alchemist: “When you want something, the whole universe conspires in order for you to achieve it“- Coelho used this phrase to ascertain his opinion that we can control fate and that fate is a lie. You may agree with this comment. In my life, fate is a reality. I was never able to control my fate but I learned to live with it. I started living in the moment and making the best of it. I can proudly say that I appreciate whatever comes out of that moment and I live with no regrets. Trust me, that has changed my whole concept about life. Like the unknown quote, “Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set your soul free“.

Now the question is, why couldn’t I change my fate? There may be numerous reasons but not any as prominent as this one: Sometimes, someone comes into your life that changes everything. In my life, there was not one but three musketeers. They believed in me and made me realize that I can do many things in life if I channel my energy in the right direction and get rid of my carefree attitude, while controlling my activism. Association with them propelled my multidimensional reading and that helped me understand the world in its broader aspect, as well as it helped me academically. Don’t know if I should call them my teachers; officially they were, but they are really my friends, my big brothers, and my well-wishers. I don’t want to narrate the whole story, but I can undoubtedly say that they influenced my life more than anyone else, and for them, I became an engineer.

Again, for me, being an engineer meant working in KSEB or some governmental or nodal agencies, but life pulled me to different directions. From CET, I was drafted to work for a software company and I started working in mainframe/Y2K. You probably know that at that time, it was a big buzz in India and an easy way to become an American. I was always confused about applying colons and semicolons at the right places in code, and I also realized that there were many smart people who could program better than me. Also, the only interesting part of being in Madras was the time I had spent with my friends in cricket grounds. I left software and moved to oil and gas. The work schedule at ONGC was really comfortable for me to follow my passion for travel, and I backpacked every state in India and some countries outside India. I am proud to say I am an Indian-Navy trained fire and rescue officer, and actively coordinated a couple of fire and rescue operations and other emergency incidents in Mumbai High offshore. Meanwhile, I met my life partner who used to visit our hometown from Tamil Nadu during her summer vacations. Though she claims to be a Malayalee, I am still not comfortable to endorse that claim. We got married in 2000. There ended my adventures. Guys and girls, you know what I mean by this. We were blessed with our handsome son Ash Krishna, who is a Junior at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

In life, there is a time where you feel you need wealth more than your comfortability in life. I moved to Kuwait for work. Though the stint was short, I have to admit, that helped me secure my base financially. Not by much but to an extend where I could afford travelling across the world. I then moved to Canada and settled in Northern Alberta, famous for its beautiful northern lights and where the outdoors life is only for a maximum of 4 to 5 months a year. Moving from +55 degrees C to -44 degrees C annealed us to laugh at the haters of Ohio winter. Guys, you are lucky!

When life is full of unexpected challenges, how you handle them builds character. The devasting wildfire in Canada forced us to move from Fort McMurray to Calgary where we built our life from scratch. Thanks to my wife and son who stood strong when we were forced to live in our SUV for a week thinking about what to do next. Thanks also to my employer who believed in my skills and continued my association, though it was challenging for them to make money after the devastation.

Our son who was a competitive swimmer moved to Wisconsin, and we moved along with him to the US (Ohio) in 2021, and here I am. Smitha also wants me to talk about my hobbies. If you have read this far, you may have realized the fact that I love travelling and my intention is to cover 60 countries by 60, and 70 by 70, and I believe I can achieve it. If I ever retire, I will take up a job where I don’t have to use my brain (if something is left of it by that time) and work for a couple of months a year and do a road trip for the rest of the year in my RV.

Whatever happened, happened for the good. Whatever is happening, is happening for the good. Whatever will happen, will also be for good – Bhagavad Gita. Life is short and I will make the best of it.

P.S.: I never wanted to lead another organization, and here I am writing this as the 2024 COMA Vice President. I can only say that I will try my best to meet your expectations.

COMA Malayalam Classes – A Perspective – Prahlad T I

(Prahlad, a music enthusiast, has been an active member of COMA since 2013, and lives with his wife Vidya and son Amogh in Lewis Center, OH. Prahlad loves to travel and enjoys biking.)

When Smitha asked me to write a short article about the COMA Malayalam classes, I thought it would be just a matter of an hour, and that I should be done with it very soon. I planned to start my article with a reference to the birth of Malayalam language, did a bit of reading online, and that’s when I realized how little I knew about the history of Malayalam. I kept on reading, and my originally planned one hour turned into many more. Well, now that I have the courage to start my article, let me first thank Smitha for making me read more 🙂

Malayalam language has been evolving since many years. Historians have classified the evolution of Malayalam into three eras, namely the old, middle, and modern Malayalam. The current version of Malayalam (modern) has been around since the 15^th century. Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, considered to be the Father of modern Malayalam language, lived during the 16^th century, and has made many contributions to the growth of Malayalam. The epic poems written by him and the revival of the Malayalam script into its current form were some of his major contributions.

From the perspective of a native English speaker (which would be most of our students), learning Malayalam (or any Indian language for that matter) has its own challenges. Let me elaborate this with an example. Let’s try to translate 3 simple sentences from English to Malayalam.

1. I told him => Njan Avanodu Paranju
2. I helped him => Njan Avane Sahaayichu
3. I gave him => Njan Avanu koduthu

Now, see how the word “him” got changed into 3 entirely different forms when translated to Malayalam. Here, the right form to use is based on the meaning of the verb, and for a native Malayalam speaker, this would come naturally. Not much thinking is required. On the other hand, for a native English speaker, finding which word to use is very complicated and challenging. Even if there was some scientific method to find the right form to use, such methods cannot be understood by little kids very easily. Picking the right word for the context can only come by frequent hearing of these sentences and patterns spoken by others. I have observed that watching Malayalam movies is one good way to help register such patterns easily in kids.

The one thing I am really happy with is to see that there is much love towards learning Malayalam. There are more and more parents each year who are interested in having their kids get a taste of Malayalam. This is a great initiative that COMA has undertaken. COMA Malayalam classes have two batches currently, the Beginner class and the Intermediate class. Someone who is very new to Malayalam starts off with the Beginner class, stays in for a couple of years, and then graduates into the Intermediate class. The Beginner class is more of an introduction to Malayalam, where kids get to learn the basics. They get to learn many of the common Malayalam words, learn to make simple conversational sentences, and get familiarized with the Malayalam script. The Intermediate class takes students to a more detailed level, including sentence formation, writing, and grammar.

Having had the opportunity to volunteer as a COMA Malayalam teacher for a decade, I must say I feel extremely fortunate and happy. The one hour spent with kids each week is truly an hour of bliss. I believe my students have enjoyed the classes as much as I did, and I am sure the classes have given them a good flavor of the language and the culture of Kerala. In addition to learning the language, we also enjoy singing Malayalam songs, reading Malayalam stories, etc. I have often received videos from parents of kids singing Malayalam songs at home that we learned in our class. Those, and many more such awesome moments, has made me go on for a decade, looking forward to that one hour, week after week.

I would like to thank COMA for giving me this opportunity.

Happy Holidays to all! It’s been a fantastic year for COMA, and we closed it out with a bang! The Christmas event was truly grand, featuring photo booths, Christmas carols, nativity skit, and an impressive array of performances by individuals of all age groups. The plum cake, appetizers, and wine served at the outset, followed by the classic Malayali feast for dinner turned out to be a culinary delight. The dance floor was a fitting end to the series of grand celebrations we’ve had this year. A heartfelt thank you to EC 2023 for your outstanding work!

It brings me immense pleasure to envision a bright future for COMA, owing to the commitment and dedication of our volunteers, executive leadership, and trustees. The Executive Committee for 2024 was announced during the COMA Christmas event. We have a dynamic and passionate team all prepared to make their mark. Stay tuned for more details in our January newsletter!

I extend my sincere gratitude to all my readers and contributors for your tremendous support of the newsletter this year. I eagerly anticipate working with you in the upcoming year!

I wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season, and a prosperous New Year!

Media Links

• COMA Christmas photos from Rahul RP
• COMA Christmas photos with Santa from Arun Davis
• COMA Christmas event videos by Pramod Pudhiyattil

കിളിയൊഴിഞ്ഞ കൂട് – Beena Kumar

(Beena Kumar is a long term COMA patron and lives in Dublin, OH with her husband Ajoy Kumar. She is an IT professional, and enjoys travel and literature.)

പഞ്ചവർണ്ണക്കിളി പാറി മറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ
കിളിക്കൂടെനിക്കൊരു ഭാരമായി
മറയാത്തൊരോർമ്മകൾ കൊത്തിപ്പെറുക്കിയെൻ
മാനസം പിന്നോട്ടൊന്നെത്തിനോക്കി
കണ്ണു തുറക്കാത്ത തൂവൽ എഴാത്തൊരു
കുഞ്ഞായി നിന്നെയറിഞ്ഞു തുടങ്ങി ഞാൻ
നാൾക്കുനാൾ നീ വളരുന്നതു കണ്ടെൻ്റെ
ഉള്ളിൽ വാത്സല്യം നിറഞ്ഞു നിന്നു
നിൻ കുഞ്ഞു മേനിയിൽ തൂവൽ കിളിർത്തതും
ആദ്യമായ് കൊഞ്ചിയെൻ കാതിൽ മൊഴിഞ്ഞതും
വേർതിരിച്ചെന്തെന്നറിയാൻ കഴിയാത്ത
കൊഞ്ചൽ എന്നാത്മാവിൻ ആനന്ദമായതും
കുഞ്ഞിച്ചിറകു വിരിച്ചു നീയാദ്യമായ്
പൊങ്ങിപ്പറന്നു തിരികെ അണഞ്ഞതും
ആതിരറിയാതെ നീ പാറി നടന്നപ്പോൾ
അരുതെന്നു ചൊല്ലി ഞാൻ പിന്നാലെ വന്നതും
ബാല്യം കടന്നു നീ യൗവനം ഏറീതും
പഞ്ച വർണ്ണ ചിറകൊക്കെ കുരുത്തതും
സങ്കൽപ്പ ലോകത്തിൽ നീ പാറി നിന്നതും
മിന്നും കഥകളെൻ കാതിൽ മൊഴിഞ്ഞതും
അരുതുകളൊക്കെ അകലെ എറിഞ്ഞു നീ
അരുതാത്തതൊക്കെയും കൊത്തിക്കൊറിച്ചതും
ദീനം പിടിച്ചു നീ വേദന തിന്നതും
വേദാന്തമോതി ഞാൻ കൂടെയിരുന്നതും
കൂടു നിനക്കൊരു ബന്ധനമായതും
ആകാശം വെട്ടിപ്പിടിക്കാൻ മോഹിച്ചതും
യാത്രയും ചൊല്ലി നീ പാറി മറഞ്ഞതും
എന്നുടെ ചേതന ഒന്നു പിടഞ്ഞതും
ഒന്നും മറക്കുന്നതില്ലയെൻ പൈങ്കിളി
ശൂന്യമീ ജീവിതം ഓർമ്മകളില്ലെങ്കിൽ
നന്മകൾ നേരുന്നു നിൻപാത നീളെയും
ആയുരാരോഗ്യ സൗഭാഗ്യങ്ങളും
കാതിരിക്കുന്നു ഞാൻ എന്നും പ്രതീക്ഷയിൽ
തിരികെ നീയെത്തുന്ന നാളിനായി.

Columbus Tuskers Triumph at Naadan 7’s Soccer Tournament in Houston, TX – Pramod Pudhiyattil

(Pramod Pudhiyattil is a long time COMA patron who is most well-known for being COMA’s event videographer. He maintains the official COMA YouTube channel. Pramod is a sport enthusiast and is the manager of the local Malayalee Saturday badminton league as well as a private Friday Badminton league. He’s also one of the best soccer players among Columbus Malayalees and has been a part of various soccer teams over his years in Columbus. He’s an avid biker and is one of the main coordinators of the COMA biking club. In his spare time, he goes running and has completed a half marathon. Pramod lives in Lewis Center with his wife Priya, son Aarit, and daughter Aadhira.)

In an exhilarating showcase of skill and determination, the Columbus Tuskers recently made a triumphant journey from Columbus, OH to Houston, TX to participate in the prestigious Naadan 7’s soccer tournament. The tournament, hosted in the city of Katy, near Houston TX on the 11th and 12th of November 2023, by Houston United MSC (Malayalee Soccer Club), brought together soccer enthusiasts from Malayalees across the nation, creating an atmosphere of friendly competition and community spirit.

The Columbus Tuskers, driven by a passion for the sport, traveled the distance to not only compete but to leave an indelible mark on the Naadan 7’s soccer tournament. The team’s outstanding performance swept Naadan 7’s Soccer Tournament, with double victory, clinching the “Champions Trophy” in the 45+ category and securing the esteemed title of “Runners-Up” in the fiercely competitive 35+ category.

The triumph of the Columbus Tuskers was not confined to team victories alone; several players showcased their exceptional talent and earned individual awards, adding to the team’s impressive achievements.

Subhash Nair emerged as a standout player, bagging the coveted Top Scorer Award for the 35+ category. His goal-scoring prowess and on-field finesse contributed significantly to the team’s success in this age group. Subhash is well known as the Messi of the Columbus Tuskers team and is a nightmare for all opposing teams.

Anil Koothoor, demonstrating exceptional skills between the goalposts, secured the title of Best Goalkeeper in the fiercely competitive 45+ category. His outstanding performance played a crucial role in the Columbus Tuskers’ defensive strength and contributed to their overall success in the tournament.

The 45+ category saw more individual brilliance from the Columbus Tuskers, with Sing Nair earning the Top Scorer Award. Sing N’s scoring prowess and strategic contributions were instrumental in the team’s journey to claiming the “Champions Trophy” in this age group.

Pramod Pudhiyattil, another standout player, was honored with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the 45+ category. Pramod’s all-round contributions, leadership on the field, and ability to make a decisive impact in crucial moments solidified his position as a key player for the Columbus Tuskers.

Columbus Tusker 45+ Squad

• Shibu Nair
• Pramod Pudhiyattil
• Ashley Thomas
• Abraham Thomas
• Austin Pereira
• Biju Philip
• Buby Varghese Mathew
• Mathew Abraham Varghese
• Sing Nair
• Sinu Paul
• Anil Koothoor

Columbus Tuskers 35+ Squad

• Anil Koothoor
• Aslam Abubacker
• Deepak Asokan
• Dilin Joy
• JayKumar Madathil
• Pradeesh Puthiyattil
• Pravi Gopalan
• Rakesh Vijayakrishnan
• Sajid Nedumpally
• Subhash Nair
• Shibu Nair
• Pramod Pudhiyattil
• Ashley Thomas

Due to various reasons, the full power of Columbus Tuskers couldn’t be showcased in the Houston tournament, but the team cannot be thanked enough for the support they rendered throughout the tournament. We really missed these folks who could not join us in Houston: Josh (Coach), Basil, Bimal, Anish, Sameer, and Geeno.

Above all, Shibu’s (COMA President) exemplary captaincy set a high standard for aspiring soccer players in the community, emphasizing the importance of leadership, strategic thinking, and camaraderie both on and off the field.

The organizers of Naadan 7 tournament deserve recognition for orchestrating a seamless event. Their dedication and meticulous planning ensured that soccer enthusiasts and families alike could enjoy the weekend filled with excitement and friendly competition.

The resounding success of the Columbus Tuskers at the Naadan 7’s soccer tournament is a testament to the blend of individual brilliance, team cohesion, and exceptional leadership that defines the spirit of the beautiful game. The team’s achievements will undoubtedly inspire future generations of soccer enthusiasts in Columbus, fostering a legacy of excellence in soccer within the community. The entire community joins in celebrating these accomplishments, recognizing the dedication, hard work, and passion that propelled the Columbus Tuskers to success on the national stage. As we reflect on the success, it becomes evident that events like these play a crucial role in strengthening the fabric of our community.

#PhotographyTips #Lighting – Rahul RP

(Rahul RP is an IT engineer with a deep passion for photography and travel. He possesses a keen eye for capturing the beauty of the world through the lens of his camera, turning everyday moments into extraordinary memories. Whether it’s exploring new destinations or delving into the intricacies of technology, he is a true enthusiast with a thirst for knowledge and adventure. Rahul lives in New Albany with his wife Gayathri and son Dhyan. He hails from Trivandrum.)

In the realm of photography, lighting is not merely a technical necessity; it is an art form that can transform an ordinary image into a masterpiece. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned photographer, understanding the nuances of lighting is crucial for capturing breathtaking shots. This article will delve into the importance of lighting in photography and provide tips on how to use it to your advantage.

The Essence of Lighting

Lighting is the key to unlocking the true potential of your photographs. It not only illuminates the subject but also sets the mood, creates depth, and adds a touch of magic to your images. The interplay of light and shadow can turn an ordinary scene into a captivating visual narrative.

Types of Lighting

Natural Light

Harnessing the power of natural light is a skill every photographer should master. The golden hours—early morning and late afternoon—offer soft, warm light that enhances the overall ambiance of your photos. Experiment with different angles to understand how light interacts with your subject.

Artificial Light

Studio photography often relies on artificial lighting, allowing photographers to have precise control over the intensity, direction, and color of light. Continuous lighting and strobes are popular choices, each serving a specific purpose in creating the desired effect.

Understanding Light Direction

The direction from which light falls on your subject significantly impacts the mood and texture of your photograph. Frontal lighting minimizes shadows, while side lighting emphasizes texture and form. Backlighting creates silhouettes and adds drama, making your subject stand out against the background.

Mastering Exposure

Balancing exposure is crucial for achieving well-lit photos. Understand the exposure triangle—aperture, shutter speed, and ISO—to control the amount of light entering your camera. Experiment with different settings to find the perfect exposure for your specific lighting conditions.

Playing with Shadows

Shadows are not to be feared; they can be a powerful tool in creating depth and dimension. Experiment with shadows to add intrigue and mystery to your images. Be mindful of the interplay between light and shadow to convey a sense of drama and emotion.

Color Temperature

Different light sources emit varying color temperatures, affecting the overall tone of your photographs. Learn to adjust white balance to ensure accurate color representation. Daylight, tungsten, and fluorescent lights each have unique characteristics that can be used creatively to enhance your images.

Experimentation and Adaptation

Photography is a dynamic art form, and lighting conditions are ever-changing. Embrace experimentation and be willing to adapt to different scenarios. Learning to work with the available light, whether natural or artificial, will broaden your creative possibilities.

Mastering the art of lighting in photography is a continuous journey of discovery and refinement. By understanding the principles of light and how to manipulate it to your advantage, you can elevate your photography to new heights. So, grab your camera, explore different lighting scenarios, and let the interplay of light and shadow tell your visual story.

Beef/Meat Cutlet – Babitha Joseph

(Babitha lives in Delaware, OH with her husband Dilin and their two children. She is a very enthusiastic chef who likes experimenting with various Kerala meat preparations. Babitha is an IT professional and loves watching movies in her free time.)

Beef cutlet is among the most popular Malayalee appetizers/snacks which is never missed out at parties, especially in Kerala Christian homes. Christmas is around the corner and these cutlets can be the perfect appetizer for your holiday gatherings. Here is the recipe for Kerala style beef cutlet. With 1 kg beef, you can make 25 – 30 cutlets.

Ingredients

Set 1

• Beef: 1 kg (~2 lb) – cleaned and chopped into small cubes
• Meat masala: 2 tsp (alternately, you can add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp each of Chilli powder and Coriander powder)
• Pepper powder: 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1/2 tsp

Set 2

• Potato: 2 large potatoes (500 g). Take 3, if small/medium.

Set 3

• Oil: 3 tbsp (preferably coconut oil)
• Onion: 2 large/medium (finely chopped)
• Ginger: 1½ inch piece / 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Garlic: 4 cloves (finely chopped)
• Green chillies: 4-5 (finely chopped, adjust the count based on your taste)
• Curry leaves: 2-3 sprigs (finely chopped)
• Salt: 1/2 tsp (or as needed)

Set 4

• Garam masala powder: 2 tsp
• Pepper powder: 1 tsp
• Fennel powder: 1/2 tsp

Set 5

• Egg whites: 2, beaten
• Bread crumbs: 1 cup (use store bought, or crushed fresh bread slices)
• Oil: as needed to deep fry (preferably coconut oil)

Cooking instructions

Step 1

• Marinate the chopped beef with the ingredients in set 1 (meat masala, pepper powder, garam masala, salt) and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Pressure-cook the marinated beef for 2 – 3 whistles.
• Open the pressure cooker lid after 15 minutes.
• Saute the beef in the pressure cooker till the excess water dries up.
• Let it cool down completely.
• Pulse/mince the meat using a food processor or mixer grinder.

Step 2

• Boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt till it becomes soft. Peel and mash it once cooked.

Step 3

• Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.
• Add finely chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, curry leaves and salt (ingredients set 3).
• Saute until onion turns soft / light golden color.
• Add the spice powders – garam masala, fennel powder, pepper powder (ingredients set 4), and saute for 1 – 2 minutes (until the raw smell of spices are gone).
• Add the minced beef, mix well, and continue to saute for 3 – 4 mins till it becomes dry.
• Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
• Add 2 tsp of bread crumbs to the mix, which will absorb the excess moisture from the mixture.
• Taste check for salt and spices.
• Keep stirring for 2 – 3 minutes and switch off.
• Allow the mixture to cool down completely.

Step 4

• Make small balls out of the beef-potato mixture and roll into desired shapes.
• Beat the egg whites.
• Dip each cutlet in egg white and then roll with bread crumbs.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat.
• Deep fry the cutlets until golden brown on both sides.
• Keep the temperature medium hot. Avoid overcrowding the pan when frying cutlets.
• Drain excess oil on paper towels.
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup or onion salad (challas).

Tips

• Double coat – Dust the patties in All Purpose Flour / corn flour before dipping in egg white and rolling in bread crumbs to avoid breaking of the cutlets while frying.
• You can use cookie cutters to make the cutlets in desired shapes.
• The shaped cutlets/patties can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for a month.

Enjoy these delicious Kerala style beef cutlets! Wishing you all Happy Holidays!

Meals on Wheels: Year end review – Nish Nishant

(Nish Nishant lives in Worthington, OH with his wife Smitha and son Rohan, and has been coordinating the COMA Meals on Wheels program since 2015.)

The year 2023 saw the highest ever volunteer participation since we kicked off the program in 2015. A total of 67 volunteers participated this year, for a total of 336 hours. We covered 30 routes and delivered meals to approximately 600 homes. Our volunteers drove around 1400 miles to accommodate these route deliveries. These stats do not include the final route for this year on Christmas eve. It’s worth noting that on September 3rd, we also did a 5-route marathon as a kick-off to the 2023 COMA Onam celebrations.

I personally thank all the volunteers for their time and contribution, and also to the EC team for enabling and supporting this initiative. Here’s a list of our highest activity volunteers who participated 2 or more times this year. Hoping to go even higher in 2024.

• Smitha Nishant : 5
• Rohan Nishant : 4
• Rijul Jeyaseelan : 3
• Arun Kumar : 3
• Adithya Arun : 3
• Priya Arun : 3
• Aishwarya Arun : 2
• Ajith Mohan : 2
• Devan Nair : 2
• John Patrick : 2
• Anitha John : 2
• Dannie Rajesh : 2
• Stevie Rajesh : 2
• Gayatri Thampy : 2
• Chris Norton : 2
• Sumitra Thampy-Norton : 2
• Rajesh Ramachandran : 2
• Pranav Rajesh : 2
• Valsan Palika : 2
• Vijaya Valsan : 2

Vote of Thanks – 2023 COMA EC

Dear COMA patrons,

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our sponsors whose unwavering support has been instrumental in making our events a success. Your continued backing, spanning many years, has been invaluable, and we eagerly anticipate your ongoing support.

We’d like to extend special thanks to the following folks:

• Malayalam class teachers
• Food committee
• Stage performers
• Decoration committee
• MCs
• Carol singers
• Coconut Trio

The dedication and teamwork displayed by each of you have been exceptional. The list of contributions is extensive, and while we’d love to call out each individually, it would take us way too long!

We’d also like to express our gratitude to Gopi Haridass, Unni Maash, Valsan Palika, and Thomas Oommen for their consistent support throughout the year in planning and arranging food-related aspects. A special mention goes out to Smitha Nishant for her outstanding work on the COMA Newsletter. Smitha, your contributions have been truly remarkable. Our sincere thanks to Rohan Nishant, a high school student, for stepping up as Web Admin at such short notice and demonstrating exceptional flexibility and availability.

Many within our association participated in the Meal of Wheels initiative, and we extend our thanks to Nish Nishant for spearheading this opportunity for us to contribute to.

We’d also like to highlight the efforts of:

• Kiran Joseph and Aravind Venugopalan for help with the Muthukad fundraiser event
• Kiran Joseph and Arun Chand for helping with organizing the cricket tournament
• Pramod Pudhiyattil for event videos and coordinating the badminton tournament

At our recent Muthukad DAC fundraising event, we successfully raised close to 32K. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this noble cause. As a community, we should take pride in our collective effort. Should you find yourself in India, we encourage you to visit the cause.

The introduction of COMA Talks during our committee year wouldn’t have been possible without Girish Sasankasekhar‘s leadership, which was supported by Rahul RP, Aravind Venugopalan, Sukesh, and the other hosts.

Our gratitude extends to the trustees for entrusting us with the opportunity to lead COMA for the last 18 months, and for their belief in our endeavors.

Finally, a massive thank you goes out to the EC team families. Without your unwavering support, none of the achievements in COMA 2023 would have been possible.

To the incoming committee, we extend our warmest welcome. We hope the COMA community will continue to offer their support to the new EC team, just as you have supported us.

Once again, a sincere thank you from the entire EC team. We wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year ahead!

— COMA EC 2023 (Shibu, Arun, Pradeesh, Sachin, and Roopesh)

As we celebrated Diwali this weekend, I hope you all had a great time with family, friends, and coworkers, sharing sweet treats, bursting firecrackers, lighting diyas, and creating lasting memories.

As we approach Thanksgiving holidays, I am remembering how we came together as a community in the spirit of gratitude and contributed to help the differently abled children back home. As war rages in parts of the world and people are fleeing their homes, I am reminded not to take for granted the peace and comforts that surround us.

The COMA Christmas celebrations are around the corner. Do keep an eye for when the ticketing will open up. Looking forward to seeing you all at the event.

Hope you all had a joyous Diwali, and wishing all of you a heartfelt Thanksgiving in advance!

യെശോധരാ കി ചരിത്ര് – by Sachin Sugathan

(Sachin has been an active member of COMA from 2011, and lives with his wife Preeti and daughter Sahasra in Galena, Ohio.)

പരീക്ഷയിൽ മാർക്ക് ലഭിക്കാൻ മലയാളത്തെക്കാൾ എളുപ്പമായതുകൊണ്ടും, സുഗമ പരീക്ഷയുടെ കുറെ സർട്ടിഫിക്കറ്റ് ലഭിച്ചതിന്റെ അഹങ്കാരംകൊണ്ടും, പ്രീ ഡിഗ്രിക്ക് ചേരുമ്പോൾ ഞാൻ ഹിന്ദി തന്നെ സെക്കൻഡ് ലാംഗ്വേജ് ആയി തിരഞ്ഞെടുത്തു. ലാംഗ്വേജ് ക്ലാസ്സുകളിൽ കയറാത്ത ഞങ്ങൾ, പരീക്ഷ അടുക്കുമ്പോൾ സിലബസിലെ പുസ്തകൾ ഓടിച്ചു പഠിക്കുകയാണ് പതിവ്.

ആ വർഷത്തെ ഹിന്ദി സിലബസ്സിൽ നാലു പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ ആയിരുന്നു. പതിനഞ്ചു മാർക്ക് വീതം ലഭിക്കുന്ന അവസാനത്തെ രണ്ടു എസ്സേ ചോദ്യങ്ങളാണ് മിനിമം പാസ് മാർക്കുമാത്രം ഉന്നംവെക്കുന്ന എന്നെപോലുള്ളവരുടെ വിജയരഹസ്യം. ഓരോന്നുവീതം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കാവുന്ന രണ്ട് സെറ്റ് ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ. അവ ഓരോന്നും നേരത്തെ പറഞ്ഞ നാല് പുസ്തകങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന്. ഞാൻ മൂന്ന് പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ പഠിക്കുകയും നാലാമത്തേത്  മൊത്തമായീ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. ചെറിയ മാർക്കിന്റെ ചില ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ നഷ്ട്ടപെടുമെങ്കിലും അവസാനത്തെ എസ്സേ നഷ്ടപ്പെടാൻ വകുപ്പില്ല, പോരാത്തതിന് നാലാമത്തെ പുസ്തകം കബീർ ദാസിന്റെയോ സൂർദാസിന്റെയോ (വ്യക്തമായി ഓർക്കുന്നില്ല)  ഒരു കടുകട്ടി കവിതയാണ്, അത് എന്നെകൊണ്ട് കൂട്ടിയാൽ കൂടില്ല.

എൻ്റെ കണക്കുകൂട്ടലുകൾ ഒക്കെ തകിടം മറച്ചുകൊണ്ട് പരീക്ഷയ്ക്ക് തൊട്ടു മുൻപ് എന്റെ ഒരു സുഹൃത്ത് അനീഷ് ആ വാർത്ത എന്നോട് പറഞ്ഞു: ഈ വർഷം ഹിന്ദിക്ക് നാലല്ല, അഞ്ചു പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ട്. ഞാൻ വാച്ചിലേക്ക് നോക്കി, പരിഷയ്ക്കുള്ള ബെൽ അടിക്കാൻ പതിനഞ്ചു മിനിറ്റ് മാത്രം. അപ്പോഴേക്കും എനിക്ക് അപരിചിതമായ ആ പുസ്തകം അവൻ എനിക്ക് നേരെ നീട്ടി.

സുബാഷ്!! ആറു ചെറുകഥകളുടെ ഒരു സമാഹാരം!!!!

എൻ്റെ സംഭാവ്യത സിദ്ധാന്തമൊക്കെ കാറ്റത്തു പറത്തിയ ആ പുസ്തകം ഞാൻ അവനു തന്നെ തിരിച്ചു നൽകി. രാഷ്ട്രഭാഷയെ ഭാഗ്യദേവതയുടെ കൈകളിൽ ഏൽപ്പിച്ചു ഞാൻ പരീക്ഷ ഹാളിലേക്ക് കയറി. ചോദ്യപേപ്പർ  കൈയ്യിൽകിട്ടിയപ്പോൾ ഞാൻ ആദ്യം നോക്കിയത് അവസാനത്തെ രണ്ട് ചോദ്യങ്ങളാണ്. ഞാൻ ഭയന്നതു തന്നെ സംഭവിച്ചു, പഠിക്കാത്ത രണ്ടു പുസ്തകങ്ങളിലെ ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ തന്നെ. ആ ദാസേട്ടന്റെ ദോഹയിൽ നിന്ന് ഒന്നും, രണ്ടാമത്തേത് ഏതോ ചെറുകഥയിൽ നിന്നും.

ആ ചെറുകഥയിലെ ചോദ്യം ഞാൻ ഒന്നുകൂടി കണ്ണോടിച്ചു, “യെശോധരാ കി ചരിത്ര് കെ ബാരേ മേ ലിഖിയേ”. കാഡ്ബറിസ് പരസ്യത്തിൽ എന്നതുപോലെ എൻ്റെ മനസ്സിൽ ഒരു ലഡ്ഡു പൊട്ടി. ശ്രീ കൃഷ്ണ ഭഗവാന്റെ വളർത്തമ്മയായ യെശോധരയെപ്പറ്റി എഴുതാനോ പഞ്ഞം? അറ്റുപോയ പ്രതീക്ഷകൾ എന്നിലേക്ക് തിരിച്ചെത്തി. “തദ്‌ശ്രീ  മഹാഭാരത് കഥ…” എന്ന്‌ തുടങ്ങി “സംഭവാമി യുഗേ യുഗേയിൽ “ അവസാനിക്കുന്ന അതിമനോഹരമായ ടൈറ്റിൽ സോങിന്റ അകമ്പടിയോടെ തുടങ്ങുന്ന ബി ആർ ചോപ്രയുടെ മഹാഭാരതം ദൂരദർശനിൽ കണ്ടത് വെറുതെ ആയില്ല.

എന്തെന്നില്ലാത്ത ഒരു ആത്മവിശ്വാസം എൻ്റെ ഉള്ളിൽ അലയടിച്ചു, കൈയിൽ കിടന്ന വാച്ച് സമയം കാണാവുന്ന രീതിയിൽ ഡെസ്കിന് മുകളിൽ ഊരിവെച്ചു… പോക്കറ്റിലിരുന്ന ബ്ലൂ ആൻഡ് വൈറ്റ് റെയ്നോൾഡ്സ് പേനയിൽ ഒന്ന് വാച്ചിനരികെ വെച്ചു. മറ്റേതിന്റെ ടോപ് ഊരി ഉത്തരകടലാസിൽ എൻ്റെ റോൾ നമ്പർ എഴുതി. പരീക്ഷയുടെ അവസാനത്തെ 20 മിനിറ്റ് ഞാൻ “യെശോധരാ കി ചരിത്ര് കെ ബാരേ മേ ലിഖിയേ” എന്ന ചോദ്യത്തിന് മാറ്റി വെച്ചു, ബാക്കി ചോദ്യങ്ങളിലേക്ക് കടന്നു. അങ്ങനെ ഞാൻ ആ അവസാനത്തെ ചോദ്യത്തിൽ എത്തിയപ്പോൾ വാച്ചിൽ ബാക്കി സമയം 30  മിനിറ്റ്.

ഉണ്ണിക്കണ്ണനെ പറ്റിയും, വളർത്തമ്മയെ പറ്റിയും ഞാൻ അനർഘനിർഗ്ഗളമായി എഴുതി. യമുന നദിതീരത്തടിക്കുന്ന തിരമാലകൾ എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ് അമ്മേ തിരിച്ചുപോകാത്തതു എന്ന്  ചോദിച്ച ഉണ്ണിക്കണ്ണനോട്, “കണ്ണാ നിന്റെ വേണുഗാനത്തിന്റെ ഓളങ്ങളിൽ അവയലിഞ്ഞു ചേരുന്നതാവാം” എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞ യെശോദര.. വെണ്ണ കട്ടുതിന്നപ്പോൾ ശാസിച്ചതും, മണ്ണുവാരിത്തിന്ന കണ്ണന്റെ വായിൽ ഈ പ്രപഞ്ചം  മൊത്തം കണ്ടതും, ഉരലിൽ കെട്ടിയിട്ടപ്പോൾ അതും കൊണ്ട് ഗ്രമാം മൊത്തം കറങ്ങിയതും, എല്ലാം അടിച്ചു വിട്ടു. ഉരലിന്റെ ഹിന്ദി അറിയാത്തതു കൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ ഉരൽ എന്ന് തന്നെ അങ്ങ് കാച്ചി.  അന്ന് രണ്ടോ മൂന്നോ അഡിഷണൽ പേപ്പറുകൾ ഞാൻ വാങ്ങി. അത് വാങ്ങുമ്പോൾ സുഹൃത്തുക്കളുടെ അസ്സൂയ കലർന്ന നോട്ടം ഞാൻ നന്നേ ആസ്വദിച്ചു. പരീക്ഷയുടെ അവസാന ബെൽ അടിക്കുന്നതു വരെ ഞാൻ എഴുതി. പേപ്പർ ടീച്ചറുടെ കൈകളിൽ ഏൽപ്പിക്കുമ്പോൾ, മലയാളം ലിപി പോലെ ഹിന്ദിക്ക് ഈ തലവര ഇല്ലായിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ കുറച്ചുകൂടി എഴുതാമായിരുന്നു എന്ന് ഞാൻ എന്നോട് തന്നെ പറഞ്ഞു.

പരീക്ഷാഹാളിൽ നിന്നും പുറത്തിറങ്ങിയ ഞാൻ, മൈക്കിൾ ജോർഡൻ ബാസ്കറ്റ്ബോൾ കറക്കുന്നതു പോലെ എൻ്റെ ഹിന്ദി പുസ്തകം ചൂണ്ടുവിരലിൽ കറക്കി സൂവോളജി ബ്ലോക്കിൽ സ്ഥിതി ചെയ്യുന്ന എൻ്റെ ക്ലാസ്റൂമിലെക്കു നടന്നു. അവിടെ വെച്ചാണ് ക്ലാസ്സിലെ പെൺജനങ്ങൾ ചോദ്യക്കടലാസ് പോസ്റ്മോർട്ടമ്മ് നടത്തുന്നത്. അവർക്ക് ചുറ്റും കൂടിനിൽക്കുന്ന ആൺജനങ്ങളുടെ കൂടെ ഞാനും ചേർന്നു. അപ്പോൾ എന്നെ കണ്ട അതേ സുഹൃത്ത് അനീഷ്, എന്നെ കുത്തിനോവിക്കാൻ എന്നതുപോലെ ചോദിച്ചു, “അവസാനത്തെ ചോദ്യം എന്ത് ചെയ്തു?”

ഞാൻ എൻ്റെ വീരകഥ പറയാൻ തുടങ്ങിയതും അവിടെ ഒരു കൂട്ടച്ചിരി പൊട്ടിപ്പുറപ്പെട്ടു. എനിക്ക് ഒന്നും മനസിലാക്കുന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല. ആ ചിരി അൽപ്പനേരം തുടർന്നു. എൻ്റെ അവസ്ഥയിൽ സഹതാപം തോന്നിയിട്ടാവാം, ചിരി അടക്കി പിടിച്ചു നിദ അവളുടെ തട്ടം മുന്നോട്ടു വലിച്ചുകൊണ്ടു പറഞ്ഞു, “എടാ നീ എഴുതിയതു യെശോദാ, ഇത് യെശോദര, ബുദ്ധന്റെ ഭാര്യ”. ഒരു ഇടിമിന്നൽ എൻ്റെ ഉള്ളിൽകൂടി കടന്നുപോകുന്നതായി എനിക്കു അനുഭവപെട്ടു. ഒന്നടങ്ങിയിരുന്ന ആ കൂട്ട ചിരി പൂർവാധികം ശക്തിയോടെ തിരിച്ചു വന്നു. സിംക്കിന് ചിരിച്ചു ചിരിച്ചു തറയിൽ വീണു, ഷിനോജ് അവന്റെ രണ്ടു കൈകളും എൻ്റെ തോളിൽ വെച്ച് എന്നെ മൊത്തത്തിൽ ഒന്ന് കുലുക്കി കൊണ്ട് പറഞ്ഞു, “നീ ഒരു ഒന്നൊന്നര സംഭവം തന്നെ”.

ആ ചിരി തുടർന്നു, കൂറേ നേരം. ഞാൻ ഇതികര്‍ത്തവ്യതാമൂഢനായി അവരുടെ നടുവിൽ നിന്നു… എവിടെയോ കേട്ടുമറന്ന “രംഗബോധമില്ലാത്ത കോമാളി” എന്ന പ്രയോഗത്തിൻ്റെ അർത്ഥം ഞാൻ അന്ന് അനുഭവിച്ചറിഞ്ഞു. ചിരികൾ അടങ്ങിയപ്പോൾ, അടുത്ത ആഴ്ച്ച നടക്കാനിരിക്കുന്ന കെമിസ്ട്രി പരീക്ഷയെ കുറിച്ചായി സംസാരം. പരീക്ഷകളെ പറ്റിയും അതിൽ വരാൻ സാധ്യതയുള്ള ചോദ്യങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചും എനിക്ക് കേൾക്കാൻ ഒരു താൽപ്പര്യവും തോന്നിയില്ല. ഞാൻ അവരുടെ സംസാരം കേൾക്കാതെ കേട്ടുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു. വിഷയം ഓസ്‌ട്രേലിയയിൽ നടക്കുന്ന ഏകദിന പരമ്പരയിലേക്ക് കടന്നു.

അന്ന് ഞാൻ ജീവിതത്തിൽ ആദ്യമായി സച്ചിൻ ടെണ്ടുൽക്കറെ പറ്റി വാചാലനായില്ല. കേരളവർമ്മ കോളേജിൽ നിന്ന് പടിഞ്ഞാറെകോട്ട ബസ്‌സ്റ്റോപ്പിലേക്കുള്ള ദൂരം 2 KM  ആണ്. സ്വതവെ ആസ്വദിക്കാറുള്ള സുഹ്രുത്തുക്കളുമായുള്ള ആ നടത്തം, അന്ന് എൻ്റെ മനസ്സിൽ വല്ലാത്തൊരു വിരസത ഉളവാക്കി. വീട്ടിലേക്കുള്ള യാത്രാമധ്യെ ബസ്സിലിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഞാൻ ആ ചോദ്യപേപ്പർ ഒന്നുകൂടി കണ്ണോടിച്ചു, അവസാനത്തെ ചോദ്യത്തിന് നാലോ അഞ്ചോ  മാർക്ക് കിട്ടാതെ പാസ്സാകുന്ന കാര്യം നോക്കണ്ട, സപ്പ്ളി തന്നെ രക്ഷ.

ദിവസങ്ങൾ കടന്നു പോയി, പ്രീ ഡിഗ്രി റിസൾട്ട് വന്നു. അത്ഭുതം എന്നു പറയട്ടെ, ഞാൻ ഹിന്ദിയിൽ പാസ്സായി. മാർക്‌ലിസ്റ്റ് കയ്യിൽകിട്ടിയപ്പോൾ ഹിന്ദിയിൽ പാസ്സ്‌മാർക്കിനെക്കാളും 11 മാർക്ക്‌ കൂടുതലുണ്ട്. ആ അവസാനത്തെ ചോദ്യത്തിന് പത്തിൽ കുറയാതെ മാർക്ക് ലഭിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട് എന്നുറപ്പ്. ഇതെങ്ങനെ സംഭവിച്ചു? വീട്ടിൽ വന്നിട്ട് ഞാൻ വിവരം അമ്മയോട് പറഞ്ഞു. പേപ്പർ നോക്കിയ ആ ടീച്ചർ എന്തിനാവും എനിക്ക് മാർക്ക് തന്നത്? ഞാൻ അമ്മയോട് ചോദിച്ചപ്പോൾ, അമ്മ ചിരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ആരോടെന്നില്ലാതെ പറഞ്ഞു, “തൃശ്ശൂർ അല്ലേ, ഗുരുവായൂരപ്പന്റെ സ്വന്തം നാട്. കള്ളക്കൃഷ്ണാ, എല്ലാം നിന്റെ മായ”. ഞങ്ങൾ ചിരിച്ചു. ഡൈനിങ്ങ് റൂമിലെ ഫ്രിഡ്‌ജിനു മുകളിൽ, ചുവന്ന വി ഗാർഡ് സ്റ്റെബിലൈസറിന്റെ ചൂടും പറ്റിയിരിക്കുന്ന ബുദ്ധ ഭഗവൻ ആ അമ്മയെയും മകനെയും നോക്കി പുഞ്ചിരിതൂകി.. 

ശുഭം
സച്ചിൻ

My experiences growing up as a Malayalee in Northern India – by Subin Thomas

(Subin lives in Powell, Ohio with his wife Simple and two kids, Kevin and Trisha. Subin enjoys music and outdoor activities.)

Born and raised in the North and Eastern parts of India, my experiences growing up have been very different from that of a typical Malayalee Christian raised in Kerala.

The food, culture, language, festivals that one gets to experience in North India is way different from those in Kerala or Southern India. Unlike most Malayalee kids who grow up eating the typical Kerala cuisines such as Puttu, Kadala, Dosa, and Idiyappam, I grew up eating the typical North Indian foods available at that time such as dry Roti Sabji, Daal Tadka, Aloo Tikki, etc. While most Malayalee kids grew up celebrating Onam, Vishu, or Christmas, I used to look forward to lighting fireworks during Diwali, going pandal-hopping during Durga Puja, flying kites during Makar Sankranti, and smearing watercolor on each other’s faces during Holi.

Diwali used to be my favorite festival among all. The entire town would brighten up with earthen oil lamps or candles, and fireworks were set off the entire night as part of the celebrations. Literally, no one slept for most part of the night as it was customary to keep the doors open to welcome the goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi. My next favorite festival was the kite flying during Makar Sankranti. The experience of flying colorful kites with my friends, cutting strings of each other’s kites, and running behind falling kites was an unmatched experience and the air of celebration was simply euphoric.

Growing up in the Hindi heartland enabled me to learn some of the purest forms of Hindi as well as Sanskrit which have been widely used in scriptures and classical Indian poems. Most of my friend circles were local North Indians, and hanging out with them in the temple corridors, playing cricket, or even watching a matinee show wasn’t uncommon.

It wasn’t until the mid-90’s after my parents moved to Kerala that I got to experience the state first-hand. The first few years were certainly some of the hardest in my life, trying to fit in a completely new environment with unfamiliar people. However, it improved as time went on, and I found myself drawing closer to Kerala’s vibrant culture, religious harmony, and unbelievable natural beauty. Playing with fireworks and throwing colors at each other during Diwali and Holi slowly transitioned to attending regular church service, practicing Carol songs for Christmas, and celebrating Onam with a sumptuous Sadhya.

Getting to live in both the Northern and Southern parts of India gave me the opportunity to experience the different culture, language, and lifestyles of people from both parts of the country. It enabled me to have a diverse outlook with a unique perspective. Although I felt as if there were a lot of differences among North and South Indians in terms of language and culture, deep down, people are the same and are united by emotions. I will cherish my childhood years in the Northern India for the rest of my life and I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again!

Diwali Memories – by Nisha Ajit

(Nisha Ajit lives in Dublin, Ohio with her husband Ajit Nair. She is mom to Neil and Ashwin, and is enthusiastic about dance and cooking.)

Wishing all my friends and readers a very Happy Diwali!

Diwali is a festival which always brings back the fondest childhood memories. I grew up in Durgapur, West Bengal, and as a child, the most important preparation for Diwali after the Durga puja festivities was shopping for fireworks and candles with my father and brother. We used to lay the firecrackers out in the sun for a few hours so that they crackle well. As evening approaches, we light up diyas (lamps) and pray to God. The whole family then gets together to light up the candles and diyas all around the house. Within a few minutes, the house would be all illuminated with lights and the house would be filled with the warmth of the candles and the divine smell of incense sticks, all of which sets up a positive energy in the house. We devoured the homemade sweets (especially the rosogolla and sandesh) and snacks our mother made for Diwali. Later in the evening, the most exciting part was when we got together with our friends in our neighborhood to share and burst the crackers one by one. The lighting up of the sparklers, phuljhadi, chakris, kaliphataka (fireworks), used to give us immense joy and excitement. We then used to visit and pray at the nearby Kali Puja pandals, which is celebrated too on the Diwali day.

Years passed by and as parents ourselves, during our stay at Pune, Mumbai, and now in Columbus, Diwali has always been a time for decorating home with lights, fireworks, making delicious food, and spending time with family and friends. Kids are more excited about fireworks just as we were during our childhood days. They love the savory snacks and the besan ladoos. Celebrating Diwali, or any other festival for that matter, meant re-creating old memories with my kids. Every year we look back at the wonderful years gone by and then look forward to adding more memories.

Have a fun and festive Diwali!

Naankatta / Nankhatai – by Lija Jayaraj

(Lija has been living in Columbus, Ohio for the last 12 years with her husband Roopesh, and sons Arnav and Dhruv. She is a baking enthusiast. She also likes classical dance and painting.)

Naankatta, also known as Nankhatai, is a traditional light buttery or shortbread cookie. It is very popular in India, and you may have seen it in almost all of the bakeries. The origin may be Persian because ‘Naan’ in Persian translates to bread in English, and ‘khatai’ means light and flaky biscuit. The best part of this cookie is you don’t use eggs or leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. All you will need is all-purpose flour, sugar, ghee and green cardamom powder. 

The quantity below is good to make 16 cookies.

Ingredients

• Sugar powder – 1/2 Cup
• Ghee – 1/2 Cup
• All-purpose flour – 1 Cup.
• Cardamom powder – 2 to 3, ground finely.

Method

• Once you have the ingredients ready, pre-heat the oven to 300 F.
• You may use sugar powder but you can also grind the sugar along with cardamom in a blender to get fine powder.
• Add sugar powder, cardamom powder, and ghee to a mixing bowl, and mix well to get a creamy consistency.
• Add All-Purpose Flour and knead the dough until it is mixed well (chapati consistency).
• Divide the dough to 16 equal sized balls.
• You can now flatten each ball between your palms into a circle with smooth edges. Just like you will have the dough ball ready before rolling chapathis.
• Now place the cookie dough on a baking tray; don’t forget to use parchment paper.
• Bake for 25 minutes until cookies turn slightly golden on the bottom.
• Take the tray out and let the cookies cool.
• You can now serve the cookies with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Sidecar Cocktail – Nish Nishant

(Nish is a passionate cocktail enthusiast and hobbyist mixologist, with a penchant for exploring an array of ingredients and experimenting with various spirits. Originally from Trivandrum, Kerala, he presently resides in Worthington, Ohio, with his wife Smitha and their son Rohan. He occasionally shares some of his concoctions on his Instagram profile @nishtravelfooddrink)

I love having some cognac, usually after dinner, and so when I first had a Sidecar cocktail several moons ago, I was enthralled by the fact that I could enjoy a tasty drink without losing the essence of cognac. Many people believe this drink originated at the Ritz Hotel, Paris in the early 20th century.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Cognac
• 1 oz Cointreau (or Triple Sec)
• 0.75 oz lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Add the cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice into a shaker with ice, and shake well for a few seconds. Pour into a coupe glass that has been rimmed with granulated sugar. Optionally, garnish with an orange or lemon twist. While you can use any orange liquor, I’d recommend using a quality brand like Cointreau or Grand Marnier, especially if you are using a good VSOP or XO cognac.

Greetings to all our valued readers,

As the warm sunshine envelops us and the scent of blooming flowers fills the air, we welcome you to our June newsletter. With the arrival of summer, we embark on a journey of new beginnings and exciting adventures. In this edition, we have curated a collection of captivating stories and exclusive updates that will undoubtedly enrich your experience.

We invite you to dive into the captivating stories of remarkable individuals who have left an indelible mark in their respective fields. Their journeys of perseverance and success will surely inspire and motivate us all.

Thank you for being part of our community, and we hope this newsletter brings you joy, inspiration, and a renewed sense of enthusiasm as we embrace the summer months ahead.

(The above introduction was generated by ChatGPT – wanted to give that a try this month)

Father’s Day falls on June 18th this year. Happy Father’s Day, dads! A big shout out to all the dads, uncles, grandfathers, brothers and all father figures who make our lives so much better by being there for us.

— Smitha Nishant

Sreejith Chandran’s Random Ramblings

(One half of his brain has gone nomad and the other has gone in search of the first. Glorifying his random ramblings and packaging it is his main hobby! Otherwise sane and grounded.)

ഐഡന്റിറ്റി ക്രൈസിസ്

വായിക്കാതെ പോകരുത് പ്ളീസ്… കടുത്ത ഐഡന്റിറ്റി ക്രൈസിസ്, ഡിപ്രെഷനിലേക്കു പോയേക്കാവുന്ന തരത്തിൽ ഉള്ളത്…. പറ്റിയാൽ ഷെയറും ചെയ്യണം. ആരെങ്കിലും രെക്ഷപെട്ടാലോ. ഒരു തരത്തിലും പച്ച പിടിക്കുന്നില്ല. പല വഴിയും പയറ്റിനോക്കിയിട്ടും ഒരു കരക്കടുക്കുന്നില്ല! ഒരു ആത്മീയ ലൈൻ പിടിച്ചു നോക്കി, ഭാരതത്തെ കുറിച്ചും സംസ്കാരത്തെക്കുറിച്ചും ഒക്കെ ഘോരം ഘോരം പ്രസംഗിച്ചു. എന്ത് ഗുണം, ചാണകം ചാണകം എന്നുള്ള വിളികേട്ടു മനസുമടുത്തു!

എന്നാൽ പിന്നെ ഒരു ഗാന്ധിയൻ കോൺഗ്രസ് ലൈൻ നോക്കാമെന്നു വെച്ച് ഫേസ്ബുക്കിൽ കേറിയപ്പോൾ പഴയ പല കട്ട യൂത്തന്മാരു പോലും ഇപ്പോൾ അണ്ണാ ഡിഎംകെ ലേബലിൽ ആണ് പോസ്റ്റുകൾ ഇടുന്നതു! ഒടുവിൽ തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞു, കേരളത്തിൽ സോഷ്യൽ മീഡിയയിൽ പച്ചപിടിക്കണമെങ്കിൽ ഒരു യുക്തി, ഫെമിനിസ്റ്റിക്, ബുദ്ധിജീവി ആൻഡ് കമ്മി ലൈൻ തന്നെ വേണം എന്ന്. നേരെ പോയി ഒരു ചുവന്ന ഷെഡ്‌ഡിയും മേടിച്ചു ഇട്ടു. എവിടെ തുടങ്ങണം എന്നതായി അടുത്ത ചോദ്യം. അമ്മൂമ്മയിൽ നിന്ന് തന്നെ ആകട്ടെ എന്ന് തീരുമാനിച്ചു.

അടുത്ത ദിവസം തന്നെ ഫെഡെക്സിൽ പോയി അമ്മൂമ്മയുടെ പാട്രിയാർക്കിക്കൽ അനാർക്കിയെ (എന്തിരോ എന്തോ?) കുറിച്ച് സംസാരിച്ചു. എനിക്ക് തരേണ്ട ഒണക്കമീൻ വീട്ടിലെ പൂച്ചക്ക് കൊടുത്തത്തിലെ വിവേചനം ചോദ്യം ചെയ്തു. ആളുകൾ കൂവി തള്ളി (അതിലൊരുത്തൻ പറയുവാ, തള്ള ജീവിച്ചിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ വന്നു നിന്റെ ചെവിക്കല്ല് മൂളിച്ചേനെ എന്ന്). കവിത, സാഹിത്യം അങ്ങനെ അങ്ങനെ നോക്കിയാലോ എന്ന് വിചാരിച്ചു ദർബാർ രാഗത്തിൽ ഒരു കവിതയങ്ങു എഴുതി പബ്ലിഷ് ചെയ്തു, കുഞ്ഞമ്മ വിളിച്ചു പെറ്റ തള്ള സഹിക്കാത്ത തെറി! അവരുടെ മോള് രണ്ടാം ക്ലാസ്സിൽ എഴുതിയ കവിതയാത്രെ!

എന്നാൽ പിന്നെ കലയിലൂടെ നവോദ്ധാനം ഉണ്ടാക്കാം എന്ന ലക്ഷ്യത്തോടെ ഒരു കാക്കാരിശ്ശി നാടക നിശ സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചു. പോസ്റ്ററിൽ പേരും വെച്ചു. അത് അടപടലം മൂഞ്ചി! എന്ന് മാത്രമല്ല അണ്ണാ എന്ന് വിളിച്ച പല തെണ്ടികളും അക്ഷരം മാറ്റി *%#ണ്ണ വിളിച്ചു തുടങ്ങി. താടിയും മുടിയുമൊക്കെ വളർത്തി നോക്കി, എല്ലാര്ക്കും ഒരു ലോഡ് പുച്ച്ചം മാത്രം! ഒരു അവസാന ശ്രമം എന്ന നിലയിൽ പേരിലെ നായർ, മേനോൻ, പിള്ള ഒക്കെ എടുത്തുകളഞ്ഞാലോ എന്നാലോചിച്ചു ഒരു ആത്മ മിത്രത്തിനോട് അഭിപ്രായം ചോദിച്ചു. അവൻ പറയുവാ “അളിയാ സംഭവം പൊളിക്കും, നീയായതു കൊണ്ട് ഒരു കിണ്ണൻ പേരും ഉണ്ട്”! “എന്ത് അളിയാ അത്” എന്ന് ആവേശത്തോടെ ചോദിച്ചു. അവൻ പറഞ്ഞു “ശ്രീജിത്ത് കോണോത്”!!!

Our Epic Grand Canyon Hike – Austin Pereira

(Austin Pereira is a native of Kannur, Kerala and lives in Powell with his wife Deepa and three kids. He has been part of the Central Ohio Malayalee community since 1995. Austin is an avid runner, hiker, and enjoys playing soccer as well as traveling to new and exciting destinations.)

Each year, over 6 million visitors arrive to see the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Fewer than 1 percent of them take the hike down to the bottom of the canyon, termed the Grand Canyon Rim to River to Rim hike. Last summer, myself and 12 other members of our community (Prabhu & Aarti Kumar, Jay & Deepa Menon, Ashish & Sangeetha Muthiraparambath, Shibu & Vidya Nair, Valsan & Vijaya Palika, Binoy Rappai, and Yoga Venugopal) decided to take up this challenge.

The Rim to River to Rim is a 17.5 mile hike completed in one day. The elevation drop to the bottom is approximately 5000 ft. It is an extremely challenging hike, since you have to hike down 5000 ft, and then hike back up 5000 ft when you are already tired. You must endure blistering heat of 100+ degrees F while hiking under direct sun. If a hiker is hurt or unable to walk further, the only way to be rescued from the canyon is through helicopter rescue. Thus the saying goes, “Going down is optional, but coming up is mandatory”. A lot is at stake taking a hike like this. In the ensuing months, we prepared for the hike physically, mentally, logistically, and gear wise.

On June 3rd, 2023, we embarked on this epic hike at 4:20 AM in the morning. As we went down the South Kaibab trail, the views were magnificent, with the early morning sun glistening the rocks, showing the majestic grandeur of the canyon. After 7 miles of hiking, we reached the forcefully gushing Colorado river at the bottom of the canyon and saw the famous Phantom Ranch. Many of us sent postcards from the ranch to family and friends, then ate our lunch, devoured the delicious lemonade at the Phantom Ranch Store, and rested.

As we started our climb back up, the canyon had already reached 100 degrees F, and the sun was blazing at our backs. The climb became strenuous, our bodies were running out of hydration, and the elevation was daunting. We took breaks to rest and hydrate. As we went further, it became even steeper. Looking up was demoralizing, since we saw how much more we had left to climb. It was a brutal and strenuous hike, but we took one step at a time, enjoyed the views in between, and the comradery of the team and the jokes made the hike easier.

Finally, at 6 PM, we reached the top. We were physically beat up and drained. The canyon is unforgiving and it has surely humbled us, but we are awed by the beauty of nature’s art, and at the end, the feeling of finishing the hike was exhilarating. This has been a once in a lifetime experience for all of us!

Columbus Tuskers Cricket Team are the Champions of Ohio! – Arun Chand

(Arun Chand hails from Trivandrum and has been living in Dublin, OH since 2010. He is a sports enthusiast, and loves playing sports and games. He currently works for Cardinal Health.)

The Tuskers cricket team (the Malayali cricket team of Columbus) has won the inaugural Kairali Cincinnati Cricket Tournament 2023! The tournament was organized by Kairali Cincinnati, the Malayali organization serving Cincinnati and nearby areas. They have a very strong Malayali cricket community, and have a beautiful facility to conduct cricket tournaments.

Background – Tuskers team was thrilled when our incumbent COMA president and Tuskers comrade, Shibu Nair, told us about the invitation we received to participate in the Cincy cricket tournament. We were a bit concerned when we found out that many of the Tuskers players had already made vacation plans to India during the time. Hence, we reached out to a few of our fellow Malayali players (who play with other teams in Columbus), and all who were available eagerly committed to join us.

Venue – The tournament was well organized in the sprawling Miami Meadows Park cricket grounds near Cincinnati, Ohio. The facility is fascinating, and has four full cricket grounds with prepared pitches. It’s also the home ground of the Cincinnati Malayali teams. The tournament comprised teams from various cities in Ohio.

Tournament day – Columbus Tuskers made travel plans to reach the ground (Miami Meadows) on time for our match. It was bright, sunny, and not too hot – a perfect day for cricket. We were greeted by the host team and spent the initial hour socializing and doing some practice, after our long drive early in the morning.

The tournament bracket was not favorable to the Columbus Tuskers team. Our first game was with the ‘Cincinnati Tuskers’ team (the best Malayali team in Cincy and also the host team). If we were to lose against them, we would have to beat the mighty ‘Cleveland Arikombans’ team next by a big margin to reach the finals.

First match: When the match was about to start, the Cincy captain came to us and introduced himself. He was pleasing and confident, and casually advised us (in Malayalam) – ‘Our team has all professional players, and it’s going to be very tough out there (for you), don’t sweat it’! We were bewildered by that statement and laughed it off; but it indeed provoked us to give our best! The Cincy team won the toss and elected to bowl first. Our team has a strong and deep batting line up, and we made plans to score big. But things didn’t go as planned. The Cincy bowlers were really good (coupled with home conditions), and our batting collapsed. We managed to score a meager 61 runs in 10 overs, which we knew was well below par. We were dreading a humiliating defeat.

The Cincy team started off well by scoring 18 for no loss in 3 overs. Our bowlers fought back very hard, and they lost a few quick wickets. They started to crumble under the pressure. We won the close match by just 4 runs, and got boosted by the result.

Second match: We faced the losers of the other pool in the next round since we won our first match. It was an easy game for us since the opponent team was no match to our strength. We won by a huge margin and stormed into the finals.

Other teams: ‘Cleveland Arikombans’ was a good team and had won their first match by a very big margin. The host, Cincy team, needed a big win over them to qualify for the finals. Their decider match was exciting, and the Cincy team managed to pull off a huge win to face us in the finals.

The FINALS: We had understood the pitch and ground conditions by then, and were well prepared for the finals. The host team tested our grit by serving us with a delicious biryani for lunch, which was hard to resist! We all started a bit dizzy after the break. The Cincy team won the toss and opted to bat first. They scored a decent total of 85 runs in 12 overs, thanks to some power hitting from their middle order batsmen. Our batsmen were better prepared, and chased down the total with a few balls to spare, and were never in any concern.

We had a lot of fun and enjoyment playing the tournament, and also made a few friends. We celebrated the victory after the prize distribution, and came back to Columbus with pride and satisfaction. A day well spent indeed!

About the Tuskers cricket team – The Tuskers cricket team was formed in 2021 after a few years of concerted effort in bringing together Malayali cricket players in the Columbus area who were earlier playing for various other teams. The Tuskers team is now a regular participant in the Columbus area cricket tournaments, and has proven its prowess by reaching the finals of many tournaments, and has already beaten some of the top teams in Columbus!

Char Dham trip – Visit to Yamunotri – Venu Nair

(Venugopalan (Venu) Nair, a native of Kottarakara, Kerala migrated to the USA in 1975. He is currently retired (from American Electric Power in 2009), and lives in Westerville, Ohio with his wife Komalam. He has two sons and four grand children. Both sons along with their families live in Indianapolis.)

After a day of visits to some holi places in Haridwar (Dakheswara Mahadeva temple, Swami Abhedananda ashram, glass temple complex, to name a few) and puja at Kankhal, we started the Himalayan tour on four buses. Our tour manager Mr. Krishnan Nair and tour guide Mr. Rajan gave us the protocols to be followed throughout the tour. Each bus could seat 30 people. Big buses can’t handle the narrow roads in the Himalayas. Rajan read the names allocated in each bus. All seven of us were in the same bus so we could be together for the rest of the trip.

We started the journey after a brief prayer. We found roads through the Himalayas were much improved compared to the last time we traveled through there a few years ago. We would stay in Barkot, which is 190 km away from Haridwar. We were following the Yamuna river most of the time.

On the way, we stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs and have breakfast and lunch. These were prepared by the kitchen staff early morning.

We passed through Dehradun, the capital city of the state of Utharkhand. On our way, we saw so many small shops carrying fresh fruits and vegetables on the road side. The beauty of the mountains started to show from there on, and we felt we were really in Devabhumi which is what the place was called. Since we started early morning, it was still dark outside. As sun started to show, the green foliage and deep valleys started to show. The river Yamuna could be seen as a silver tape at the bottom of the valley. We would cross it a few times as the road takes us from one hill to the next.

We reached Barkot in the evening around 5 pm. Barkot is a popular hill station near Uttarkashi, about 4000 feet above sea level. This is a town in the middle of thick forest and is a tourist place. This place is known for its natural beauty and challenging trekking trails. We stayed at a hotel in Barkot for the night.

The next day we started for Yamunotri. We traveled by bus up to a place called Janki Chatti. It’s elevation is 8700 feet. This place provides a panoramic view of the Himalayas with snow capped mountains. This place is 6 km form the Yamunotri temple.

From here, we were to go to the temple by either walking, on horse back, or some one carrying us. As soon as the bus stooped, a throng of people surrounded us. They were trying to get us to go with their horses. It was all chaotic, I wish they had a better way. After some bargains, we selected a person who seemed very reasonable and friendly. He brought seven horses for the seven of us and four people to handle the seven horses. The pictures show us on horseback going up to the Yamunotri temple from Janki Chatti. It is 6 kms each way.

After a long climb on the horseback, we reached the temple by noon. The ride on the horseback was very uncomfortable, more when we were coming down. It becomes more so when there are steps. There are two hot water pools, one for ladies and the other for men. We took a bath in the pool and got refreshed.

There is also a small pool near the temple where the water is much hotter. One can cook potatoes and rice in it and offer to the Devi and receive it back as prasad. The picture below shows us in front of the temple. It was taken after Darshan.

On the way back, we got down near a restaurant on the roadside and partook the packed lunch we carried with us. We also got down from the horse in between and walked some distance, which was good for both us as well as the poor horse. We came back to Barkot by evening and stayed there for the night.

Community News

Yashoda Murali wins National Gold Medal

Congratulations to New Albany High School Junior and COMA Youth Wing member Yashoda Murali for winning a National Gold Medal in the 2022 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her colored pencil drawing “Lady Hazel”. She is the daughter of Brinda and Murali, members of COMA since 2013.

The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers is the nonprofit organization that presents the Scholastic Awards.  More than 100,000 students submitted more than 260,000 works of art and writing to the 2023 Scholastic Awards. Yashoda’s work was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Less than 2,000 works received a National Medal, which places Yashoda within the top 1% of all submissions!

There will be a National Awards Week from June 7-9 in New York City with a National Ceremony held at Carnegie Hall on June 8th. Her work will be published both virtually in the Scholastic Art Online Galleries at artandwriting.org as well as physically in a gallery space in New York City.

Yashoda’s digital art work titled “Shattered” recently got published in the “Celebrating Art” magazine (see artwork below).

Sumitra Thampy-Norton wins medals in Jujitsu

Sumitra won two bronze medals at the Fuji Jiujitsu championship in Brownsville, Indiana. She is the daughter of Chris Norton and Gayatri Thampy. She is in 7th grade and goes to Metro Early College Middle School. Her teacher is Coach Travis from Matlab, Reynoldsburg.

Nandana Presanth wins Bautista Memorial 2023

Nandana Presanth won the finals of the 2023 Bautista Memorial Youth – Foil & Saber in Columbus, Ohio. This is her last Y14 match as she is turning 15 this August, and from next season, she will be playing Junior and Divisional matches. She is a 9th grader at Dublin Coffman High School and the daughter of former COMA President Presanth Krishnan.