COMA

Newsletter April 2023

by
Smitha Nishant

It’s hard to believe that a quarter of the year has passed already. April is special for Malayalees all over the world as we get together with friends and family to celebrate Easter, Vishu, and Ramadan. We celebrate our unique Malayalee traditions for each one of these festivals, which gives us and our kids an opportunity to build and strengthen strong bonds with friends, and share common values regardless of differences in religion and faith.

This edition of the COMA newsletter includes Easter, Vishu and Iftar recipes from culinary experts from our community, and hopefully, a few of you may be able to incorporate these dishes as part of your celebrations. I hope you will all create happy memories that will be cherished for your entire lifetime!

If you would like to submit content for future editions, please reach out to the EC team (coma.officials@gmail.com). Content should be 250 words or fewer.

— Smitha Nishant

Upcoming COMA Charity drive

COMA will be setting up a donation link through which you can contribute funds to Different Art Centre, led by Professor Gopinath Muthukad. Different Art Centre educates and empowers specially abled children with various disabilities, and expands the focus of training from concentrating on magic to art forms such as music, dance, drama, cinema making, painting and skills in various musical instruments, all blended with a magical touch.

A mission that focuses on boosting self-confidence of specially-abled children by unleashing, recognizing and sharpening their raw talents through scientific methods involving various artforms – all leading to their empowerment in multiple ways.

  • Download the Different Art Center Brochure here

This is a video of Professor Muthukad meeting with the COMA EC team and Trustees when he visited Columbus in March.

Sreejith Chandran’s Random Ramblings

Sreejith Chandran

(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.)

എന്റെ ലോകം നീ മറന്നോ…

സഹപാഠികളായ കുറച്ചു പെൺകുട്ടികളോട് സംവദിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരുന്ന എന്റെ അടുത്തേക്ക് വന്നു ചെവിയിൽ നീ പറഞ്ഞു, “ഓ കൃഷ്ണാ…!” മഞ്ഞു മായുന്നതും മഴപെയ്യുന്നതും കാക്കാതെ നിനക്ക് ഞാനെഴുതിയ അടുത്ത കുറിമാനം ഇങ്ങനെ ആയിരുന്നു, “എന്റെ രാധ!” ഇത്രമേൽ പ്രണയാർദ്രമായി അതിനു മുൻപും അതിനു ശേഷവും എഴുതിയിട്ടില്ല . രണ്ടു വാക്കിൽ എന്റെ മനസ് ഏറ്റവും ആഴത്തിൽ നിനക്ക് ഞാൻ തുറന്നു കാട്ടി! രാധയും കൃഷ്ണനും രണ്ടല്ല, ഒന്നാണെന്ന് മനസിലാക്കി കടന്നുപോയ കാലങ്ങൾ… തുളസിമാലയിൽ കോർത്തെടുത്ത നിന്റെ ഹൃദയമിടിപ്പുകൾ നെഞ്ചിലേറ്റിയ കാലം.

കുരുകുലവും കുരുക്ഷേത്രവും ശൂന്യമായിരിക്കുന്നു… ഗാന്ധാരി ശാപവും പേറി വേടന്റെ ശരവും കാത്തു കിടക്കുമ്പോൾ, നിന്നിലേക്കുള്ള ദൂരം ദ്വാപരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് കലിയുഗത്തിലേക്കുള്ളതാണ് എന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവ് പാദത്തിലേറ്റെക്കാവുന്ന മുറിവിനേക്കാൾ വേദനാജനകം ആണ്. പ്രാണൻ എപ്പോഴേ പോയിരിക്കുന്നു! എന്റെ ലോകം നീയും നിന്റെ ലോകം ഞാനും മറന്നു തുടങ്ങിയിരിക്കുന്നു!

– ശ്രീ (കൃഷ്‌ണൻ)

Kerala Style Spicy Dry Roasted Chicken / നാടൻ കോഴി പെരട്ട് – Simple Subin

(Simple is an IT professional residing in Powell with her husband Subin and two children, Kevin and Trisha. She enjoys cooking and likes to experiment with new recipes. She loves traveling with her family, watching Bollywood movies, and loves spending time with her friends.)

Treat yourself to an authentic Kerala Style Spicy Dry Roasted Chicken / നാടൻ കോഴി പെരട്ട്. This recipe serves about 6 people. The naadan roast pairs very well with rice, Malabar paratha, or roti.

Ingredients

  • 3 lb cut chicken, medium size pieces
  • 3 big onions (thinly sliced)
  • 3 green chilies (slit)
  • 2 tbsp chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 3 tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp red chili powder
  • 2 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp pepper powder
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • ½ tbsp cumin powder
  • 3+1 sprigs of curry leaves
  • salt – as required
  • oil – as required (I prefer to use coconut oil)

Instructions

Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat and once it is hot, add the chopped ginger and garlic to the pan and fry it for a minute or two so that the raw smell is gone. Make sure to not burn them in the process. Add the tomatoes and a sprig of curry leaves and cook it till the tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Reduce the heat to low and add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Roast them on low heat till the raw smell is gone while making sure to not burn the spice powders. Add the chicken pieces, salt to taste, and ¾ cup of water. Mix it well so that it is combined. Cook the chicken on medium heat and once the water/gravy has reduced to a thick sauce texture, turn off the heat.

Meanwhile in another pan, heat oil. Add curry leaves, sliced onions, green chilies and a little salt. Sauté until onions become translucent and golden brown. Now transfer the cooked chicken to the pan, add the rest of the sprigs of fresh curry leaves, sauté well to mix the chicken and the onions properly, and cook for another 3-5 minutes with the lid on.

Lower the heat, remove the lid, add pepper and garam masala and dry roast the chicken for another 10 minutes until all the liquid is dried out and the chicken is coated well with the masala. Garnish with curry leaves and allow it to rest for a few minutes.

Unniyappam / ഉണ്ണിയപ്പം – Sudeepa Pramod

(Sudeepa, a Columbus resident for over 15 years, is a software engineer and foodie who also loves to travel and cook. She lives with her husband and two teen daughters in Powell, OH)

“Unniyappam illade endu Vishu aghosham”. Here is a recipe for making soft and yummy unniyappams. I learnt this recipe from my mother and it has been a huge hit among my friends and family.

Ingredients

  • Raw Rice – 3 cups
  • Ripe Plantain (Nendra Pazham) – 2 nos
  • Jaggery – 10 to 12 cubes
  • Black Sesame Seeds – 2 tbsp
  • Coconut bits – 1 cup
  • Baking Soda – a pinch
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Cardamom Powder – a generous pinch
  • Oil (Canola or coconut oil) for frying
  • Unniyappa Chatti
  • Steamer or idli vessel for steaming the plantain

Preparation

Wash and soak the rice overnight or at least 5-6 hours. Drain the water and grind to a smooth paste.

Steam cook the plantain for 10-15 mins. Cooking time depends on how ripe the bananas are. The skin of the banana loosens once they are cooked and the bananas have turned soft. This is the indication that it’s done. Peel off the banana skin, grind the banana to a smooth paste, and add it to the rice batter.

Fry the coconut bits in a small amount of ghee and keep it aside.

Melt jaggery in 1 cup water, strain it, and mix with the rice/banana batter. Next, add cardamom powder, sesame seeds, fried coconut bits, salt, baking soda, and mix well. Batter should not be too thick or too thin. Add wheat flour (atta) if the batter is too thin, or add water if too thick.

Heat the unniyappa chatti, add a teaspoon of oil in each cavity. When the oil becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium and fill the cavities with batter. When the bottom starts browning, flip it over to the other side using a spoon. Once the other side turns golden brown, remove and drain on a kitchen towel. Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter. Soft Unniyappams are ready to be served.

Note: This recipe will make 50-60 medium sized appams.

Ernakulam style Chicken Biriyani (കോഴി ബിരിയാണി) – Shinimol Saidumuhamed

(Shinimol Saidumuhamed is a Quality Analyst by profession. She lives in Dublin, Ohio with her husband, Aslam, and their two children, Minha and Ayaan. Cooking has always been a passion of hers since childhood, inspired by watching her mom cook. In her early years of cooking, she was interested in making puddings, but after marrying Aslam (who is not into sweets), she stopped making them. Shini’s passion then turned to making Biryani and other spicy foods, which her husband, kids, and friends love.)

For me, cooking is a way to show love and bring people together. I believe that sharing a meal can create a sense of community and foster deeper connections between people. Whether I am whipping up a batch of my favorite Chicken Biryani for a family gathering or experimenting with a new fusion recipe for my friends, I approach cooking with passion, creativity, and a deep love for those around me.

Kerala is known for its wide variety of Biryanis. And it is important to note that there are different styles of Biryani in Kerala, each with its unique blend of spices and preparation techniques. For example, the Malabar Biryani from northern Kerala is made with short-grain rice, while the Thalassery Biryani is known for its fragrant rice and use of oil. The Kozhikode Biryani, on the other hand, is famous for its generous use of ghee and caramelized onions.

Despite the variations, one thing is certain: Biryani is a dish that is cherished and celebrated across Kerala, with each region adding its unique touch to this beloved dish.

As someone from Ernakulam, I would like to share the unique preparation method and ingredients we use to make Biryani in my hometown, which is distinct from other styles of Biryani in Kerala.

Note – this recipe serves three people.

Ingredients set 1 – Chicken marination for fry

  • Chicken – 600 gm, cut into pieces – almost 10 pieces (half of a chicken)
  • Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 Teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ¼ Teaspoon
  • Coriander powder – 1 Teaspoon
  • Chilli powder – 1 Teaspoon
  • Garam Masala powder (mix of cinnamon stick, cardamom, bay leaf, and cloves) – 1 Teaspoon
  • Salt – 1 Teaspoon
  • Lemon juice – 1 Teaspoon
  • Curd – 4 Tablespoons

Ingredient set 2 – Garnish

  • Red onion – 2 (medium size) / 250 gm, for onion deep fry. (You can get fried onions from any Indian grocer’s, so you can skip this process)
  • Ghee – 3 Tablespoon
  • Cashew nut – 1½ Tablespoon
  • Raisins – 1½ Tablespoon

Ingredient set 3 – Chicken masala

  • Refined Oil – 3 Tablespoons
  • Garam Masala powder (mix of cinnamon stick, cardamom, bay leaf, and cloves) – 1 Teaspoon
  • Red onion – 3 (medium size) / 300 gm
  • Ginger, Garlic and Green Chili paste – 2 Tablespoon
  • Salt – ½ Teaspoon
  • Chilli powder – ½ Teaspoon
  • Crushed Black Pepper- ½ Teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder – ½ Teaspoon
  • Hot water – ¾ Cup (180 ml)
  • Chopped tomatoes – 2
  • Curd – 1 Tablespoon

Ingredient set 4 – For cooking the rice

  • Basmati Rice or Jeerakasala Rice (Kaima) – 2 Cups (400 gm)
  • Water – 3¾ Cup
  • Bay leaf – 1
  • Cinnamon stick – 1½ Inch Piece
  • Cloves – 4
  • Cardamom – 2
  • Lime juice – ½ Teaspoon
  • Refined oil – 1 Tablespoon
  • Salt – 1 Teaspoon
  • Onion – ¼

Ingredient set 5 – For Dum

  • Mint leaves – ¾ Cup
  • Coriander leaves – a small bunch
  • Ghee – 2 Tablespoons

Ingredient set 6 – Toppings

  • Eggs – 2
  • Pineapple bits – a little
  • Saffron – 1 small pinch
  • Milk – 1 Tablespoon
  • Coriander leaves
  • Mint leaves

Preparation

Step 1 – Half fry the chicken – Use Ingredient set 1

In a mixing bowl, marinate the chicken with Ginger-Garlic paste, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder, Chili powder, Garam Masala powder, Salt, Lemon juice, and Curd. Set it aside for an hour in the fridge. After an hour, deep fry the chicken until half cooked, using refined oil, and keep it aside.

Step 2 – Fried garnish – Use Ingredient set 2

Add three to four tablespoons of ghee to a pan. Fry the cashews until lightly golden, then add the raisins. When they turn plump, transfer them to a plate.

In the same pan, add finely sliced onions and fry them until golden or light brown. (You can skip this step if you are using store bought fried onions). Set them aside along with the cashews and raisins for garnishing.

Step 3 – Chicken masala – Use Ingredient set 3

Heat oil in a pan (you can reuse the same oil used for frying the chicken). Add sliced onions and sauté until they are translucent. Add ginger, garlic, and chili paste, and sauté until their raw aroma dissipates. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté until the masala is cooked. Then, add turmeric powder, chili powder, pepper, and salt. Mix well.

Add the half-cooked fried chicken to the masala and mix well. Cook for ten minutes on low flame. Finally, add curd and sauté for two minutes. By the end of this step, the chicken and masala will have combined into a thick gravy.

Step 4 – Rice cooking – Use Ingredient set 4

In another pot, heat ghee and add the whole garam masala and thinly sliced onions. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add water and bring to a boil (for 1 cup of rice, take 1.75 cups of water). Add basmati rice to the boiling water and let it cook on low flame until the water is fully absorbed.

Step 5 – Dum, garnishing, and topping – Use Ingredient sets 5 and 6

For Dum, take a large pot and create layers by adding chicken masala at the bottom, followed by cooked rice, another layer of chicken masala, and some freshly chopped coriander and mint leaves. Add another layer of rice on top of the chicken masala. Garnish with fried onions, cashews, raisins, pineapple bits, and more chopped coriander and mint leaves.

Drizzle some ghee over the top. To give the Biryani a yellow color, mix saffron with hot milk and pour the mixture over the rice.

Cover the pot with a tight lid and cook on low flame for five minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for another thirty minutes.

Step 6 – Boil eggs

Boil eggs in a pan.

The Biryani is ready. Enjoy this mouth-watering Biryani with your family and friends. Don’t forget to add a boiled egg on top of the served Biryani like in the picture.

Note: It will take approximately three hours to prepare this Biriyani if you follow all the steps. This includes the marination time.

COMA Meals on Wheels

COMA volunteers covered 7 routes in the first quarter of 2023. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to the EC team. Here’re the routes we covered this year.

  • March 26, 2023 Arun Kumar, Priya Arun, Aishwarya Arun, Adithya Arun
  • March 26, 2023 Kurian Uthup, Preetha Uthup, Keziah Uthup, Marissa Uthup, Hannah Uthup
  • March 12, 2023 Arun Kumar, Priya Arun, Aishwarya Arun, Adithya Arun
  • February 26, 2023 Remya Krishnan, Madhu Parameswaran, Sreya Madhu
  • February 12, 2023 Gayatri Thampy, Sumitra Thampy-Norton, Chris Norton
  • January 22, 2023 John Patrick, Anitha John, Stevie Rajesh, Dannie Rajesh
  • January 8, 2023 Joseph Abraham, Nancy Joseph, Joshua Abraham, Rachael Abraham

Upcoming COMA events

COMA is conducting a badminton tournament in April, and the event is open to both members and non-members. Details will be announced soon on the COMA website.

COMA Badminton 2023

Newsletter March 2023

by
Smitha Nishant

For Malayalees who grew up in Kerala, March brings back bucket-loads of childhood memories. Among those, the much dreaded final examinations and the much awaited end of school year, the beginning of venalavadhi, and the ushering in of our very own March Madness – the nostalgic maambazhakkaalam.

March in the United States is the start of longer and warmer days. With spring breaks for schools and colleges, parents and children begin to realize the end of academic year is nearing. For families who are planning on spring break vacations, I hope you enjoy a carefree and relaxed schedule and come back refreshed and renewed!

COMA has been supporting the Meals on Wheels program for several years now, helping with their mission to deliver meals and friendly greetings to homebound seniors. Gayatri Thampy, one of our volunteers, has very graciously contributed a detailed writeup of her experience. If you were curious about what is involved in Meals on Wheels volunteering, her writeup gives you every little detail you will ever need to know.

I hope all of our families have a safe and relaxing time during the upcoming spring break. For my friends who are observing Lent or Ramadan, I wish you all a blessed and fulfilling fasting season.

Sreejith Chandran

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.)

എന്തിനോ വേണ്ടി തിളയ്ക്കുന്ന സാമ്പാർ

പിന്നിട്ടവഴികളിലൂടെ തിരിച്ചുപോകുമ്പോൾ …
പുനർജനിക്കുന്ന പുൽക്കൊടികൾ …
വീണ്ടും വിരിയുന്ന പൂക്കൾ …
പതിയെ തളിർക്കുന്ന ഇലകൾ…
പറയാൻ മറന്ന വാക്കുകൾ…
നിസ്സംഗമായ നിന്റെ മന്ദഹാസം ….
നഷ്ടസ്വപ്നങ്ങൾ …
ഒരു ജന്മത്തിന്റെ കാത്തിരുപ്പു …
വരുമോ നിന്റെ നിശ്വാസം.

Volunteering for Meals on Wheels – Gayatri Thampy

(Dr. Gayatri Thampy is a former economic anthropologist and taught at Denison university until 2020.)

My family and I decided to volunteer for Meals on Wheels after Nish Nishant created a WhatsApp group to organize volunteers. Our daughter Sumitra needed volunteer hours for her school service record. We thought this would be a great opportunity to cover this school requirement.

We drove our first route on 25th of December, 2022. It took about 4.5 hours as the weather and driving conditions were really bad. Because of our experience in December, we decided to volunteer again in February. This time, it only took about 3.5 hours.

The task is quite simple. COMA delivers Meals on Wheels two Sundays per month. The volunteering family goes to the Meals on Wheels pick-up location at 670 Harmon Ave around 10:30 am. You drive into the farther parking lot and pick up a folder that lists your route number. Inside this folder, you will find sheets with addresses of the clients, along with details of meals each client is supposed to get. You then pick up two cases that have the same route number listed on them. One of them contains hot lunches and the other contains cold lunches, snacks, juice, and milk. These cases easily fit into the trunk of a sedan. It is a good idea to do a quick count of the lunches, juices, and milk and make sure they tally with what you expect based on your list. Both the times we volunteered, we found that there was a mismatch.

Now, you follow the order of the list from the beginning and drive to the corresponding addresses and deliver the appropriate items. Make sure you knock loudly and wait for 5-7 minutes as many individuals have mobility and hearing issues. If no one comes to the door, try to call the listed phone number. If no one answers, mark the entry as “undelivered”. You will need to fill out an online form at the end of your route for these individuals.

Deliveries may be to houses or to apartments. If the door was visible from our car, we allowed our kids to deliver to the house. For apartments, we went in with one of the kids. In some cases, either my husband or I delivered to an apartment. At the end of the route, you return the cases and folder back to the MoW location. I recommend taking some snacks and drinks along with you in case you get hungry or tired. You may need to use nearby gas stations if kids need a bathroom break.

This was an eye-opening experience. Most of the individuals in both our routes were white. I had read and watched documentaries about white poverty in USA. This was the first time I confronted it. Some of the cold lunches we delivered only had a couple of slices of bread and some cheese in it. We were astonished by this, but realized that basic groceries like a loaf of bread and bags of cheese were inaccessible to many people. Due to the nature of urban development and dominance of cars for transportation, these areas are food deserts for people who are poor, unwell, and living alone.

People in apartments seemed worse off than those in houses. In some apartments, the building windows were broken and was covered with a thin sheet of plastic wrap. The inside of some of the buildings were dank and dark, and several apartments had eviction notices posted on the doors. Note that the temperatures in December were less than 5 degrees with strong winds.

I felt that more than volunteer hours, it was really important for our kids to understand their privileges and be exposed to the lives of less fortunate people. Volunteering for Meals on Wheels helped them become curious about the causes of such poverty and isolation in our society. They now avidly watch John Oliver’s segments on various issues in “Last Week Tonight” and express an interest in reading more about some of these topics. After covering our routes, I decided to research this program a bit more.

Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels is a program based on public-private partnership. It is designed to deliver meals to senior individuals who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. It is largely funded through community contributions, though it does receive some federal support through the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program of 1972, Medicaid, and USDA grants. They sometimes also commission studies on hunger and other needs among seniors.

According to these studies, before the pandemic, 9.7 million seniors were threatened by hunger and 25% of seniors lived alone. A volunteer delivering a meal is often the only person an individual in this program may see over the course of the day. Thus, a Meals on Wheels volunteer does the added function of serving as a wellness check on a senior and alerting the organization if they were unable to deliver the meal to the person. So this program also helps reduce the public costs of hospitalizations from falls and illnesses.

In 2017, federal funding for the program was cut by 1.5 million dollars and the Community Services, Community Development and Social Services Block Grants, upon which some Meals on Wheels programs rely for funding were also eliminated. It is therefore imperative to support this program through volunteering and donations. If you are undecided about whether this activity is for you and your family, I recommend riding along with a volunteer family so you can see for yourself what it’s like. It is a small time commitment, without much strenuous physical activity, and you would be contributing to making our society caring and compassionate.

My experience travelling with Tuskers – Anoop Nair

(Anoop Nair is a Software Engineer living in Delaware Ohio. He loves to scribble, paint, and travel when he is away from coding. Following cricket and experimenting with his culinary skills are other pastimes.)

One fine evening during a fireside chat, after being a little jingled, Pradeesh told me about Columbus Tuskers travelling to Miami, Florida for their next Malayalee Soccer league. He casually asked me if I am interested to join them, of course only to cheer and support. My first reaction was “what the heck will I be doing there; I am nowhere into soccer”? But then for a moment, I was carried away by thoughts of sunshine, beaches and delicious sea food (touchings), away from the pesters of gloomy Ohioan winter and most importantly with no strings attached. When I told my wife about this conversation I had with Pradeesh, to my surprise she told me I should go (I saw in her eyes as if she is getting a blank cheque to be cashed later). Whatever it be, I booked my airplane tickets along with other folks. Team’s itinerary was – A day of soccer (leagues, knockouts and the finale) and a day and half to recover (don’t think too much into the recovery, poor guys are fighting out the scorching heat of Miami!).

It is the day of travel and my phone hooted at 3 AM (economic flights always come with a price), got dressed up and reached the CMH airport. Met other team members of Columbus Tuskers, led by our own dynamic president Shibu Nair. Most of them were familiar faces in COMA, except for couple of guys whom I was meeting for the first time. All of them ardent lovers of soccer and passionate for playing. Their body language, enthusiasm and zeal said it all. I forgot to mention that there were couple of other guys too travelling with the team like I was, to cheer and boost. The excitement started building up and I recollected my last guys-only trip I had with a such big group – may be in my college! Huh!!

After exchanging all pleasantries, Tuskers flew out of Columbus and landed in Orlando. We took some pictures with the cabin crew and went to rent the cars (thanks to Aslam Ikka, preferred customer of Avis for taking care of all bookings even though wait time for the preferred customer was more than the flight time to Orlando). Finally, we drove to Miami and checked into an Airbnb property. It was a decent house that could accommodate all 15 of us, with a beautiful patio looking into a sprawling swimming pool. For a moment, it felt like I landed in Kerala – warm and beautiful weather, Palm and Coconut trees lining the horizon, Mango trees in the backyard adorned in their flowers and all tropical fauna you habitually see in Kerala.

After sprucing up into their summer attire, Tuskers headed for some game day eve practice. As the team was busy fine tuning their skills, we cheerleaders slugged some drinks. It is truly an amazing mood gulping some cold beer in the month of February roaming around in your shorts – something you can just dream about in Columbus. But hats off to the dedication and passion of Tuskers for restraining themselves and just focusing and thinking about the game next day. They were engaged in making game plans and strategies, rectifying mistakes, helping each other in correcting their game, practicing their shots and what not. I was completely moved by their sincerity and devotion for the game.

It’s the Game Day! Guys woke up as early as 5 AM and geared up for the D-day, adorned in their Tuskers yellow and black jerseys. We reached Flamingo Park, Cooper City where 12 Malayalee teams from different parts of the US had assembled to fight for the MASC (Malayalee Arts and Sports Club) Miami Soccer trophy. What a festive atmosphere it was; like an Ulsavam (temple fest) back in Kerala. The hospitality by MASC Miami was paramount. Boiled organic Kozhi Mutta and Tharavu Mutta straight from the MASC president’s farm were the highlights of the breakfast.

Getting into the game, Tuskers were facing the hosts, MASC Miami, in the event opener. Our boys were keen to conquer the home team and announce their arrival to the other soccer giants of US Malayalee leagues. Being an early morning game, we were surprised to see a lot of dew. Ref blew his whistle, and the ball was set into motion. The game progressed and soon our striker Subash struck the first goal of the tournament. It was a moment in the tournament, and I must admire MASC commentators for their superb Malayalam commentary laced with all kinds of wits and humors throughout the tournament. Though Tuskers had an initial lead, there seemed to be a lack of coordination and communication between the players which was quite evident. Wet ground was certainly a factor resulting in some misjudgments. Soon the home team struck back, and we lost our lead, but somehow, we did manage to score a second goal and maintain the lead. It was just 20 seconds for the final hooter and some of us among the spectators had already started blowing the victory bugle. Alas, Miami scored an equalizer! Tuskers had to settle for a draw against the home team who were never at par with us. We could see a lull in our side, dropped shoulders and agony on their faces summed it up.

Soon, Tuskers were back to the strategy table analyzing what went wrong and how they can do better; after all it was not a defeat, and the first game is always a lesson in learning. Luckily, we had a break of 3 hours before our next group game and that was enough to rejuvenate and revive. On the other side, more group games were in progress, I was thrilled to see some fantastic game of soccer by teams like New York, Philly, Atlanta etc. while I was scouting around. Florida sun was now sweltering, and we could see other teams getting tired out, cramping and all. Hydration was the mantra and again MASC had done a great job with supplying more than adequate water and other sports drinks to all teams. Me and my fellow spectators ensured we too kept ourselves hydrated and chilled with some beer and cocktails in our car bar. Meanwhile, in the other group match Miami was thrashed by Minnal Charlotte 5-2 and the Tuskers were next up against Minnals on a turf blistered by the noon sun.

Tuskers were now facing an upbeat Minnals, there was a better coordination between our players this time and within 10 minutes into the play, we were able to draw first blood with a superb strike by Geeno. We maintained our lead until after the half time but were equalized by Minnals in the second half. The equation was simple – a draw or a win will take us to the Quarter Finals and our defenders stood like a wall. Game had moved into its final minute when Basil Jacob hit the ball into the top left corner of Minnals’ post from a lobbied corner kick, giving Tuskers their first victory. It was not just a victory for Tuskers, they emerged as the group toppers. That was a terrific game with a right finishing touch, helping Tuskers to get back into their rhythm.

Mood was high and lively in our camp, and we had a sumptuous lunch provided by MASC. The overall event management by MASC was commendable – from the grand opening ceremony by the city mayor to the food, the medical services, timeliness and the closing ceremony – everything was well planned.

Tuskers moved into their Quarterfinal battle against Houston United, who were a reputed side playing as an organized team for the last 10 years in various US leagues. We could now feel the heat on the field and of course Florida’s sun triggering frequent dehydration and cramps to our players. Houston had a tough goalkeeper taking down all chances that our strikers fancied. Tuskers fought their heart out and our defenders along with the Goalkeeper Anil sealed our post and we ended up with a goal-less draw. The game moved into a penalty shootout, which was a first for the tournament and attracted a lot of spectators. Soon, 5 strikers lined up from each team ready to take a hit on the post. Houston with their super skilled goalie had an upper hand and were the favorites. The first bout of 5 penalty shoots ended in 3-3, thanks to a flying save by our goalie Anil. It looked like neither team was ready to budge. Another set of 3 penalty shoots began and the final shot by a Houston player went over the post and we stormed into the semifinal. By the end of this game, Tuskers who looked rookie in their opening game were posing serious threats to some of the Malayalee soccer giants. They were thrilled but at the same time remained calm and composed for the semifinal.

Tuskers in Miami
Tuskers in Miami

Tuskers entered their semifinal bout against Arsenal Philadelphia who were a much younger side and had already stamped their authority in the tournament by thrashing their opponents by huge margins in group stages and Quarters. Apart from young legs, they seemed to be a bit rough too and as a result we were soon at the receiving end of a tough penalty call by the ref which was a surprise to the opponents too. They converted the penalty and took a lead. It was a fiery game, and we were at the receiving end again with another penalty which was nicely saved by our goalie. Our players started getting cramps and medical staff were frequently seen on the field. Battling all odds, our striker Geeno breached Philly’s defense and levelled the scores, but he himself went down with a muscle cramp. There were some intense battles of shots before Philly struck again, taking a lead and eventually Tuskers went down 2-1 fighting valiantly. We lost the semifinal, but the effort we put in, the coordination and skill we displayed were supreme.

We stayed up in the park to watch the thrilling Finale between the defending champions New York and Arsenal Philadelphia. Eventually New York were crowned as the champions yet again. MASC put a tremendous effort organizing this event and it was nothing less than a pooram with a festive Malayali atmosphere and Chendamelam.

Next day and a half were a much-needed break for the team when we all enjoyed some wonderful time together exploring beaches, sunshine and cocktails before boarding back to reality in Columbus!

Columbus Tuskers is not just a soccer team, it’s a bonding of individuals playing out their passion, displaying dedication and sincerity on the field, and outside of the field they are a bunch of jovial, fun loving, buoyant individuals with never ending jokes and banters, who are the best to hang out with. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip with Tuskers and wish them success in all their future leagues!

Member Achievements and Milestones

Dr. Soumya Mary Kurian

Congratulations to Dr. Soumya Mary Kurian for earning her doctorate in Nursing Practice from Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN.

Dr. Kurian has been practicing as a Nurse Practitioner in an outpatient opioid treatment clinic for over six years. She started her career as a registered nurse . She immigrated to United States in 2005. She earned her Masters in Nursing from Indiana State University, and is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is also certified through SAMHSA to provide substance use disorder treatment. She completed her BSN degree from MG University, Kerala.

While working as a nurse practitioner at an urgent care clinic in Mansfield, she discovered that her true passion is to fight the opioid crisis, and to serve a population that is so vulnerable to opioid misuse and risk for overdose related mortality. Opioid overdose epidemic is a public health concern. Her Doctoral dissertation was titled “Overdose Response Education and Take- Home Naloxone“. The objective of this project was to analyze the effectiveness of overdose response education and distributed take-home naloxone kits on improving knowledge and attitude among opioid dependent individuals towards the utilization of Naloxone while witnessing opioid overdoses.

She finds great satisfaction in serving patients with substance use disorders and leading them to a path of recovery. Her interests include eliminating the stigma of addiction, and raising awareness that drug addiction is not a moral issue and rather a chronic disease of the brain causing impairment in judgment.

Dr. Kurian is a resident of Powell, and lives with her husband Anup Kurian and their two sons Alex and Ben.

Vindhya Cultural Association – Karaoke Competition 2023

Vindhya Cultural Association conducted their annual Karaoke Competition on March 4th Saturday at the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington, Ohio. COMA members won the top prizes in the adult and junior competitions.

Ravi Hariharan and Ramya Janaki won the first prize for their beautiful rendition of Tu Hi Re from the movie Bombay, composed by A.R.Rahman. Arun Davis and Anup Kurian won the second prize for their energetic rendition of Raja Raja Sozhan from the movie Rettai Vaal Kuruvi, composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. COMA youth members Shreya Girish and Sahana Ravi won the first prize in the junior competition, for singing Kannodu Kaanbadhellam from the movie Jeans (music by A.R.Rahman). This is a very proud moment for COMA Malayalees and lovers of karaoke singing!

There was a grand finale band performance directed by COMA’s very own musical virtuoso Lloyd George, which included four young members from COMA – Aanjali Maria John (vocals), Alex Kurian (guitar), Ben Kurian (keyboard), and Rohan Nishant (drums). They were supported by their friends from outside COMA – Prateek Kunchala (viola) and Arnav Edamadaka (saxophone and backing vocals).

COMA Media Links

Newsletter February 2023

by
Smitha Nishant

More than a month has already passed since the new year! February is all about celebrating love in all its forms – romantic, familial, friendships, and even radical self-love. Some of my best Valentine’s Day memories are of getting hand made cards from my son during his kindergarten years. Whether your plans for Valentine’s Day include a romantic night out with your partner, or cooking a nice meal for your family, I recommend taking the opportunity to show appreciation for all the love you are blessed to have in your life.

I hope you did not miss the COMA February event with the indoor games and the evening entertainment. The event was a grand success, and a huge thanks to the executive committee for organizing such a memorable experience for everyone. They have set a new standard for COMA events and I can’t wait for the next one. Special shout out to Pradeesh Puthiyattil for his bold and groundbreaking idea of hosting a stand-up show and for uncovering hidden talents from our Malayalee friends. A big round of applause to all the comedians who performed like pros despite this being their debuts, and I hope this is only a step towards bigger and better performances. Job well done to the young musicians in the Coconut Trio band who supported the stand-up and party game events. Congratulations to all the winners, and best wishes to everyone else who participated for next time.

In this edition, we are introducing member contributions. If you would like to submit content for future editions, please reach out to the EC team (coma.officials@gmail.com). Content should be 250 words or less.

I would like to gently remind everyone that February is also American Heart Month. Love your heart, make healthy choices, and stay protected!

Smitha Nishant

Diplomas and more – Aadhira Pramod

Aadhira

(Aadhira is the daughter of Priya and Pramod Pudhiyattil. She is a neuroscience graduate from UC and her interests include writing and traveling.)

Well, mom and dad, I just graduated from college. I’m a new grad all over again. Crazy, right? I can go around saying I have a bachelors now. I got a physical copy of my diploma a couple days back and every time I pass it as it sits on my dressing table, I am still marveled by the fact that the 4 years passed by. I’m in the midst of applying again, but this time I’m applying to graduate schools and let me tell you, I don’t miss it at all. I forgot what it was like to write essays that sum up your whole personality in 800 words. I also forgot what it was like to wait for your dream school to let you know if you got in or not. However, one thing that is different this time around is that I have in-person interviews which is something that I have been struggling with considering how much I dread interviews.

Other than graduate school applications, I have got to say I am enjoying the post grad life – I am back in the city of Columbus, sitting on kitchen countertops as I complain to my mom about pretty much anything life related, going on Costco trips with my dad, and dealing with my brother’s mood swings. Also, I finally got a job after consistently applying which is how I pass most of my time. My 12-hour shifts consist of seeing patients of all ages, taking their vitals, running tests on them if they need it, and sending out their labs. On the days I don’t work long hours, you can find me on the couch reading and listening to music. One of my new year resolutions this year was to write more. I lost touch with writing for a bit while in college but it’s nice to get back into the rhythm of it and thanks to Smitha aunty, I was able to write to you guys for this month’s edition of the newsletter.

That pretty much sums up my whole life as a new graduate. While it may not be the typical route one takes right after graduating from undergrad, it’s nice to take a break and see where life takes you. So, yeah, I may not have my life completely planned out, but that’s okay. In fact, now that I had the time to see my career goals in a different light, I feel more passionate about pursuing my desired career path. With that being said, I’m excited to see what this year will bring. Hopefully, an acceptance letter.

I hope the new year is good to all of you!

Sreejith Chandran’s Random Ramblings

Sreejith Chandran

(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.)

മൂഞ്ചിയ പ്രണയങ്ങൾ (1)

അടുത്ത ജന്മത്തിൽ ഞാൻ നിനക്ക് സ്വന്തം എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു അവൾ നടന്നു നീങ്ങി. . . ആ ക്ഷണം മരിച്ചു പുനർജനിച്ചാലോ എന്നാലോചിച്ചു നിൽക്കുമ്പോൾ തലേന്ന് നിലവിളക്കു കൊളുത്തിയിട്ടു അമ്മ പറഞ്ഞതോർമ്മ വന്നു. . . ഇനിയുള്ള ജന്മങ്ങൾ നായായും നരിയായും ആണ് പോലും. . . !! നാൽക്കാലി പ്രണയം ഓർത്തു ചിരിവന്നു, ശിഷ്ടകാലമെങ്കിലും ഒരു നല്ല മനുഷ്യനായി ജീവിക്കാമെന്ന് തീരുമാനിച്ചു, അടുത്ത ബീവറേജസിലോട്ട് വെച്ച് പിടിച്ചു!!

മൂഞ്ചിയ പ്രണയങ്ങൾ (2)

ഏറെക്കൊതിച്ചൊരീ യാത്രയിലിന്നെന്റെ,
തോളോട് ചേർന്നു നീ ഇല്ല…
നിൻ മൃദു സ്പർശനം തേടിയലഞ്ഞൊരെൻ
വിരലുകൾ നിന്നിലേക്കെത്തിയില്ല…
ആ മരത്തണലിൽ വെറുതെയിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ
നെറുകയിൽ നിൻചുടു നിശ്വാസമില്ല…

ചിത്രങ്ങൾ മാഞ്ഞൊരാ പുസ്തകത്താളുകളിൽ
നിൻപ്രണയ കുറിപ്പുകളില്ല…
പാതി മുറിച്ചൊരാ ചിത്രത്തിന്നൊരുപാതി
നെഞ്ചോടു ചേർത്തുഞാൻ നിന്നു…

നിന്റെ തൊടിയിൽ കൊഴിഞ്ഞുവീണൊരാ
ചെമ്പകപ്പൂക്കളാണു ഞാൻ…
പാദങ്ങൾക്കടിയിൽ ഞെരിഞ്ഞമർന്നാലും,
വേദനിപ്പിക്കില്ലൊരിക്കലും, പ്രണയമേ…

What I believe in – Deepa Menon

Deepa Menon

(Deepa Menon among her friends and family is best known for someone who is always living on the edge, loves travel, adventure sports, trekking, and diving (underwater and sky). On a sunny nice day she can be found hiking, and is always working on her next bucket list item.)

Motivation and Inspiration are two sides of the same coin. Motivation involves outside forces whereas inspiration comes from within. We can be motivated by a motivational speaker, but that doesn’t last long, however when we are inspired by something or someone, that stays within for a longer time.

The three things that have inspired me and have always worked for me are:

  • “The Alchemist’s Law”
  • “What you will, shall come to you”
  • “Embracing shades of gray”

“The Alchemist’s Law” is a reference to Paulo Coelho’s novel “The Alchemist”. The novel follows the journey of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who sets out on a quest to fulfill his personal legend, or life’s purpose. Throughout the journey, Santiago encounters several obstacles, but he is guided by a series of universal laws, and the most important law of all, is: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” It’s easier said than done, the point here is, even for the universe to conspire to help you with something, first, you need that desire, want, or self-drive to achieve it. Setting goals or wanting to come out of a difficult situation is easy, but then the constant push and struggle to make the “desire” to “reality” will be the true test.

Similarly, the phrase “What you will, shall come to you” suggests that our thoughts, desires, and intentions have a powerful impact on our lives. It suggests that the universe responds to our will and helps us manifest our deepest desires if they are in alignment with our true selves and our life’s purpose. The idea is that if we focus our thoughts and actions on what we want, we can create positive outcomes and attract abundance and joy into our lives. However, it’s important to keep in mind that manifestation is not just about positive thinking, but also about taking inspired action and being open to opportunities as they arise. The idea is to align your will with the flow of the universe and trust that what you truly desire will come to you in due time.

The last and my favorite one is, “Living positively and embracing shades of gray”. Life is never black or white, or for the computer geeks, it’s not always 1 or 0. We need to be finding joy, gratitude, and meaning in life while also recognizing that not everything is simple or easily classified as good or bad, right or wrong. This approach involves being open to multiple perspectives, embracing ambiguity, and striving for balance and understanding, rather than rigidly adhering to black and white thinking.

I feel that by combining a positive outlook, and embracing grey with a nuanced and inclusive perspective, one can lead a more fulfilling and meaningful life. I always believe!

COMA Meals on Wheels program

If you would like to sign up for the Meals on Wheels program (2nd and 4th Sundays of each month), please join this WhatsApp group. When joining, please announce yourself as not everyone may have your number in their contacts.

Event Gallery

Here are some photos from the COMA Valentine’s Day 2023 event. Click on an image to see the full size version.

Photo Credits : Mekha Aravind

Event Videos

If you missed out the online cook-along session with chefs Pradip Ramachandran and Anjana Nair, you can watch the recording here.

Here are the videos from the COMA Valentine’s Day event.

Thank You from the EC Team

Dear COMA Patrons,

We wanted to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for all the hard work and dedication that went into making our Valentine’s Day show such a tremendous success. Your unwavering commitment to excellence was truly inspiring and helped to create an unforgettable experience for all those in attendance.

Whether you were responsible for organizing the event, managing the logistics, or volunteering your time and talents to ensure everything ran smoothly, your contributions were truly invaluable. Your passion and enthusiasm were evident in every aspect of the show, and it was a privilege to witness your hard work come to fruition.

So, from the bottom of our heart, thank you for all the great work. Special mention to Mekha, Pramod, Anoop, Linda, Lisa, Arun Chand, all the standup performers, the Coconut Trio band, and all the early birds who helped with decorations.

Thank you.
2023 Executive Committee

Newsletter January 2023

by

Welcome to 2023! I hope everyone enjoyed holiday celebrations with family and friends. As I reflect on 2022, I feel grateful for all the fun experiences COMA created for all of us. It was incredible to watch the outpouring of participation and support from our community in COMA events, and it was pure joy to observe the remarkable growth our organization has achieved in recent years.

This year’s Executive Committee is already busy at work, planning for some great things for us. Our 2023 President Shibu Nair has shared below his vision for our organization this year.

As we enter the new year with renewed hopes and plans, I am looking forward to a new year of continued community service, lasting memories, new friendships, fun celebrations, and most of all, the connection that we make with each other. Let’s make 2023 our best year yet.

Wishing everyone a happy and successful new year!

Smitha Nishant

Presidential Address – Shibu Nair

I am happy to take up this second stint in the COMA Executive Committee in 2023. I feel it is a much-needed give-back to the Malayalee community in Columbus that has been a significant part of my immigrant Malayalee life in the United States, my home away from home. I am very excited to share that my team has a myriad of events and ideas planned for this year.

In addition to bringing you cultural, sport, and entertainment events, my team would like to take the opportunity to reassess COMA as a cultural organization, the values we uphold and its relevance to the Columbus Malayalee diaspora. We have made leaps and bounds since our formative years. However, as an organization, there is room for further growth, including but not limited to better managing the upkeep of our organization’s assets, promoting youth member participation, enhanced use of our website and social media presence to better engage and communicate with our members. A lot of thought is being put on those lines and you will see some major steps being initiated on these fronts.

Coming back to the planned events this year, in addition to our annual Picnic, Onam, and Christmas events, we plan to have a Valentine’s Day event and several sporting tournaments (Cricket, Soccer, Shuttle Badminton, also involving other Indian association members). Weather permitting, we plan to have an outdoor entertainment event as well. Also in the works are the development of communities for outdoor activities such as hiking and biking.

We hope to seed initiatives that the community can take advantage of not just this year but in the coming years too. I trust that each and every one of you will support us in achieving our goals as one big family. I wish you all a happy, prosperous, and healthy 2023.

Know your EC Team

All of our Executive Committee members have been associated with COMA for the past several years and hardly need an introduction. Here is some fun trivia they shared with me that highlights how we are all in for a fun ride with them this year.

Shibu Nair (President)
LocationPowell
HometownTrivandrum
Years in Columbus12
Favorite snackCrispy Parippu Vada
Favorite songAnagha Sankalpa Gaayike (Movie: Aniyara)
Favorite TV showFriends
Favorite movie punch lineNee thankappan alleda  ponnappananu, ponnappan
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • Pilot, maybe?
  • If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
    • Madagascar.
  • What would your superhero power be?
    • Of course, fly!
  • If you could meet anyone, who would you meet?
    • Sabu bro.
  • What will people say at your funeral?
    • Eda bhayangara!
  • What’s something you think everyone should try at least once?
    • Have a dog at home.
Arun Davis (Vice President)
LocationDublin
HometownKalady, Ernakulam
Years in Columbus13
Favorite snackPazham Pori
Favorite songThaniye mizhikal (Movie: Guppy)
Favorite TV showMaanasaputhri
Favorite movie punch lineIppo shariyaakki tharaam
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • Vice president of a malayalee samajam.
  • If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
    • Kalady.
  • What would your superhero power be?
    • Teleportation.
  • If you could meet anyone, who would you meet?
    • Tutankhamun.
  • What will people say at your funeral?
    • Nalla oru manushyan aayirunnu.
  • What’s something you think everyone should try at least once?
    • Touch your nose with your tongue.
Pradeesh Puthiyattil (General Secretary)
LocationDelaware
HometownChennai, Tamil Nadu
Years in Columbus13+
Favorite snackMasala Peanuts and Kerala Mixture
Favorite songPudhu Vellai Mazhai (Movie: Roja)
Favorite TV showComedy Utsavam (Flowers TV)
Favorite movie punch lineKedaikarthu Kedaikama Irukathu; Kedaikama Irukardhu Kedaikaathu (Superstar dialog)
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • To play for the Indian Cricket team as a batting all-rounder.
  • If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
    • New Zealand.
  • What would your superhero power be?
    • Power to save people on earth from evil elements.
  • If you could meet anyone, who would you meet?
    • Lalettan and MS Dhoni.
  • What will people say at your funeral?
    • I lost my honest and great friend.
  • What’s something you think everyone should try at least once?
    • Watch World Cup Soccer live from the stadium.
Sachin Sugathan (Joint Secretary)
LocationGalena
HometownKannur
Years in Columbus11
Favorite snackPazham Pori / Kallumakai Kadukka
Favorite songDevanganangal kayyozhinja tharakam (Movie: Njan Gandharvan)
Favorite TV showMalgudi Days
Favorite movie punch lineEda Dasaa, ethaa ee alavalathy?
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • Bus-ile kili.
  • If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
    • Bangalore of late 90’s.
  • What would your superhero power be?
    • Swap all the healthy food to unhealthy and all unhealthy food to healthy.
  • If you could meet anyone, who would you meet?
    • Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
  • What will people say at your funeral?
    • Kidakkana kidappu kanda? Emathiri veruppikkalayirunnu!
  • What’s something you think everyone should try at least once? 
    • Take a year’s break from work and do things for which you didn’t have time for.
Roopesh Sathyan (Treasurer)
LocationDublin
HometownKochi
Years in Columbus12
Favorite snackParippuvada
Favorite songBillie Jean
Favorite TV showMalgudi Days
Favorite movie punch lineNamuk oro naranga vellam angu kachiyalo?
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
    • Pilot.
  • If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
    • Kochi.
  • What would your superhero power be?
    • Superman.
  • If you could meet anyone, who would you meet?
    • Family and friends, but if someone famous, maybe Sashi Tharoor.
  • What will people say at your funeral?
    • Kurachukoodi nerathe avaayirunnu!!!
  • What’s something you think everyone should try at least once?
    • Don’t plan your vacation, just hit the road.

Save the dates

Here is a preliminary list of events being planned this year and their dates. Mark your calendars so you don’t miss any.

  • Feb 11 – “Thuruppu Gulan” cards tournament and Valentine’s Day celebrations.
  • Apr 22 – Shuttle Badminton tournament.
  • May 20 – Cricket tournament.
  • June 18 – Outdoor Gaanamela (Franco).
  • July 4 – COMA Float for FIA.
  • July 22 – Annual Picnic: Vinodayathra, Vallamkali, Idli eating competition, and other fun events.
  • Sep 9 – Onam (with Shingari melam and onsite live cooking).
  • Sep 30 / Oct 7 – Soccer tournament.
  • Dec 2 – Christmas.

We have more activities where dates are not finalized so stay tuned for more information:

  • Live cooking sessions (multiple, including one with chef Suresh Pillai)
  • Bicycle Challenge – TBD
  • Trekking Challenge – TBD

Youth club activities

The COMA Youth Club will be conducting monthly meet ups. Plans are underway for TV station visits, OSU airport tower visit, fire-station visit, and camp-outs as well as charitable events including cloth drives and blood donation drives.

Membership

January is a great time to take your COMA Membership if you haven’t already. The current membership for 2022 will be valid until June 30th, 2023.

Membership benefits include:

  • Early access to event tickets
  • Discounted tickets for regular COMA events

Also, certain benefits are exclusive to COMA members:

  • Malayalam class for adults and kids
  • Opportunity to participate in charity/volunteering events
  • Access for your children to COMA Youth Wing

You can purchase Membership here: https://www.comaohio.org/membership-account/membership-levels/

If you have questions related to the newsletter or if you would like to submit content, please reach us at: coma.officials@gmail.com

February 2022 Newsletter

by

നമ്മൾ വീണ്ടും ആറാടുകയാണ്

-Girish Sasankasekhar

ഏകദേശം ഒരു 2 വർഷം ആയി കാണും. കൃത്യമായി പറഞ്ഞാൽ നമ്മുടെ ഇറ്റലിയിലെ അച്ചായൻ കേരളത്തിൽ വന്ന സമയം. ഒടിയൻ’നു കഞ്ഞി കൊടുത്ത കേരളം പുച്ഛത്തോടെ പറഞ്ഞു ” ഓ..നമ്മൾ ഇതൊക്കെ എത്ര കണ്ടതാ നിപ്പ , പ്രളയം, പൾസർ….. പിന്നല്ല ! ടീച്ചറമ്മ അച്ചായനെ പൂട്ടിയാൽ പിന്നെ എന്ത് കോവിഡ്.. നാട്ടിൽ ഇറങ്ങിയ പുലിയെ പോലെ അച്ചായനെ പിടിച്ചു അങ്ങ് പൂട്ടി. ശ്വാസം മുട്ടിയ പ്രതികാരദാഹി ആയ കോവിഡ് , സടകുടഞ്ഞു പല രൂപത്തിൽ, പല ഭാവത്തിൽ ഉണർന്നു. കേരളത്തിൽ മാത്രമല്ല, ഈ ലോകം മുഴുവൻ കീഴടക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങിയ ആറാട്ട്.

പക്ഷെ നമ്മൾ എപ്പോഴെങ്കിലും ചിന്തിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടോ കോവിഡ് നമ്മളെ തേടി വന്നതാണോ, അതോ നമ്മൾ തന്നെ ക്ഷണിച്ചു വരുത്തിയതോ? ഒരു വശത്തു കോവിഡ് നമ്മുടെ ഉറ്റവരെ എടുക്കുമ്പോൾ , മറു വശത്തു ബെറ്റിയിട്ട ബാഴത്തണ്ടു കണ്ടു നമ്മൾ ചിരിച്ചു കൊണ്ടേ ഇരിന്നു . അതിൽ ചിലർ അഹങ്കാരത്തോടെ ചിരിച്ചു, ചിലർ പുച്ഛത്തോടെ..മറ്റു ചിലർ ഇതിൽ ഒളിച്ചിരുന്ന വ്യവസായം കണ്ടു. സിനിമകളെ വിഴുങ്ങുന്ന ഓ.ടി.ടി കച്ചവടം, മുഖസംരക്ഷണം നോക്കാതെ നടന്നവരെ അതിശയിപ്പിച്ച ത്രിവർണ മാസ്കുകൾ, , അങ്ങനെ പലതും നമ്മൾ കണ്ടു. സത്യമാണ്, നമ്മൾ അതിജീവിക്കാൻ പഠിച്ചു. പക്ഷെ , അതൊക്കെ നമുക്കു തന്ന തിരിച്ചറിവിൽ നിന്നാണോ എന്ന് എപ്പോഴെങ്കിലും ചിന്തിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടോ?

അമേരിക്കയിലെ മാഡം മസാല ദോശ കഴിച്ചു പുകഴ്ത്തിയ നമ്മൾ , അവർ ഇപ്പോ ഒരു ഇഡലി എങ്കിലും കഴിക്കുന്നോ എന്ന് അനേഷിക്കുന്നുണ്ടോ? അതിനൊക്കെ എവിടെയാ സമയം, നാട് ഓടുമ്പോൾ നടുവേ ഓടണ്ടേ.. നമുക്കു പലപ്പോഴും ഒന്നിനും സമയം കിട്ടാറില്ല . പക്ഷെ ഒരു നിമിഷം തിരിന്നു നോക്കി ഒന്നു അനേഷിച്ചാൽ , ഈ വിലപ്പെട്ട സമയം കോവിഡ് നമുക്കു തന്ന ഒരു ഇളവ് അല്ലെ ?നമ്മൾ പണ്ട് അറിഞ്ഞോ അറിയാതേയോ ചെയ്ത ചില നല്ല കാര്യങ്ങൾ കണ്ട് , ഈശ്വരൻ ഈ ലോകത്തു ജീവിക്കാൻ നീട്ടിയ സമയം.

“ഈശ്വരൻ നിൻറ്റെ മുന്നിൽ വിളക്കായി തെളിയുമ്പോൾ അതിൻറ്റെ നേർക്കു നീ തുപ്പരുത്”. ഇത് ഞാൻ പറഞ്ഞതല്ല. പണ്ട് ഏതോ സിനിമയിൽ വിവരം ഉള്ള ഒരു കഥാകൃത്തു നമുക്കു തന്ന വിലപ്പെട്ട ഒരു സന്ദേശം. പക്ഷെ ഇതൊക്കെ കേൾക്കാൻ നമുക്കു എവിടെയാ സമയം. ഈ ഉലകം നമ്മളെ ഇന്നും പരീക്ഷിക്കുമ്പോൾ, നമ്മൾ ഇപ്പോഴും ആറാടുകയല്ലേ ? പരസ്പരം നെഞ്ചത്ത് ചവിട്ടി ആർത്തുചിരിച്ചു , നമ്മൾ വീണ്ടും ആറാടുകയാണ്. !

Stepping into a new decade

by

This January we are stepping into a new decade. January is the month related to making resolutions and new beginnings. According to T.S.Elliot’s quote, “Every moment is a fresh beginning,” points that you can make goals and start new things at any moment in your life. Usually, 35% of people who make a New year’s resolution break them by the end of January and only 23% of people carry out their resolutions for the whole year. Making a resolution every month and executing it, is much better. Are you one of that 23%? Do let us know in the comments section of the COMA newsletter.

Hello from COMA EC team 2020,

Many thanks for letting us bring joy to you. This year we promise to work towards making us more stronger and closer, bring fun-filled gatherings to you. Of course nothing of which would be possible without the tremendous support and the community spirit from each one of you.

We also request every one of you to purchase your membership , which is our working capital to progress and maintain a place where we can re-invent & our kids can invent their Malayalee identity.

COMAngam 2020

We would like to take this opportunity to kick off this year’s events with a bash with our first event “COMAngam 2020”, on 29th of February.We are hoping to create some good memories on a date which comes once in 4 years. The venue of the event will be DCRC. The event will follow the popular format of having teams among us.
This time there will 2 teams each lead by 2 captains. We encourage everyone to reach out on coma.officials@gmail.com to get included in the team.Watch out for the registration opening notification on COMA’s social handles.We are thrilled to see you all there. 

Introducing the new Newsletter team

Smitha Sasindran

She is from Trivandrum and live in Powell with her husband Sanjay , daughter Saanvi and son Saatvik. She is very excited to be a part of newsletter team this year  and would  like to take this opportunity to connect with the community in creative and fun ways and hopefully provide valuable content along the way.

Nithya & Sreejith Menon

They both landed in the US in 2011 & made Columbus their home since then. They originally hail from Palakkad and Thrissur districts. They have two kids – Shriya and Pranav.

Ravi Hariharan

He is from Cochin and has been living in Columbus since 2011. Currently lives in Powell with his wife Ramya, daughter Sahana and son Saanav. He loves listening to songs, watching movies and playing cricket, tennis and ping pong.

Gaurinanda

Daughter of Sudheesh and Lekshmi is a 6th grader at John Sells Middle School. She has lived with her parents and her brother, Gautham in Dublin since 2016. Her hobbies are reading, writing and playing with her brother.

We have some new volunteers for Malayalam classes

Sophia Kurien

She is a Master’s degree holder in Software Engineering from TKM Institute of Technology & Science.She was working as an Assistant Professor at the department of Computer Scinece at MBITS college Kothamangalam for 4.5 years before coming to the USA .

Veena Binoop

Veena is from Aluva, Ernakulam. She completed her Masters in Malayalam from Mahatma Gandhi university and was working as teacher in Christava Mahilalayam public school till mid 2017 before moving to Columbus. She is living in Brittonwoods Dublin with her husband Binoop and two sons Devarsh & Aaarush. She loves reading, cooking, hanging out with friends & family and watching movies.

Volunteers for our Meals On Wheels

January 26,2020 Thomas Pullumpallil,Reuben Varughese,Shome Thomas,Rianna Shome

January 12,2020 Nish Nishant, Pradeesh, Anoop Nair

December 22,2019 Joseph Abraham, Nancy Joseph, Joshua Abraham, Rachael Abraham

December 8,2019 Valsan Palika, Gopi Haridass, Maya Achen

November 24,2019 Nish Nishant, Austin Pereira, Ceby Philip

November 10,2019 Sunil Balkrishnan, Jerry Zachariah, Vipin Nair

Your dedication and compassion should be well praised!

Obituary

Shantha Gopalakrishnan, 75, wife of P.G.Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of Institute of Engineers (India) died in Kochin on January 8th 2020. She belonged to the Kettidathil family, Mayyanad, Kollam. She is survived by son Vikas Gopal (Columbus Ohio), daughter-in-law Arati Krishna, and grandchildren Varun Gopal and Karun Gopal.

We convey our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family . Please keep them in your prayers.

Onam 2019

by
Type

COMA Newsletter – Jan 2019

by

2019 – A refreshing New Year

We hope all of you had a great kick start to this New Year with new hopes and resolutions which we all look forward to. To quote a famous author “In inner life it’s just one revolution which matters which is to move unwillingness to willingness”. We wish you all the very best in fulfilling your dreams and reaching your miles stones in 2019.  

Message from 2019 COMA EC Team

Hello All,

2019 EC team is looking forward to serving you this year. Our goal for 2019 is to continue the growth of COMA with major focus on having fun, being active, giving back to the community, empowering  youth, provide socializing opportunities and welcoming new members to the community. We are planning a number of exciting events this year and hoping to have all of your support to make it another memorable year for COMA.

We are very excited to kick off 2019 with a fun filled event ‘Oru Adipoli Night’ on Saturday, February 23rd at DCRC. This event is based on a competition between teams over several fun categories. In addition we are planning to have some interactive games for kids and adults. Registration for this event is now open. The earlier you sign up, the more fun it will be for you as you get to be part of a team and prepare. We hope that you and family will join us on Feb 23rd to have fun, meet your friends and make new ones!

Looking forward to seeing you all on Feb 23rd!

EC team (Girish, Rajesh, Sheeja, Arun & Ravi)

Introducing our 2019 Newsletter team

Priya and Praveen

We moved from St Louis to Columbus in late 2011, since then we have been part of the COMA family and enjoyed all events hosted by COMA. We are very grateful to be part of the community and will be the newsletter editors for COMA this year. We are looking forward for your support and inputs.

Manjula Nair

I am settled in Columbus since 2001 and currently lives in Powell with my two boys Adithya (Freshman in OSU) and Arvind (Sophomore in Olentangy Liberty) and Maximus, 5 year old German Shepherd and the love of our lives.
I work for Nationwide Insurance and have been with COMA family since 2001 even before it officially became COMA. I am very grateful to be part of this wonderful group of friends who have become family over the years. I have been at the receiving end of the kindness and empathy of this group and have seen how everyone comes together as one solid family in the face of crisis. I hope to continue to be part of this group into the future.

COMA Christmas 2018

In 2018, COMA events ended with a spectacular Christmas event on December 8th 2018 at McCoy Center, Hilliard. A huge thank you to everyone who attended this holiday party to make it a special one indeed. We had beautiful Christmas carols rendered by the very talented musicians from OMCC, spectacular dance performances by our very own COMA members, a traditional Margam Kali performance , a heart-warming nativity skit by sweet little children from Syro Malabar Church and a nice presentation and malayalam song by Malayalam class students. The night came to an end with everyone on the dance floor showing their awesome moves!

Event photos are available here.

COMA – Oru Adipoli Night – Feb 23rd 2019

Get your tickets for the upcoming event “Oru Adipoli Night” soon. Since the seating for this event is limited, ticketing will be closed as soon as it is sold out. Remember to get your membership before taking tickets to be part of a lucky draw and avail the membership pricing for this event and all future events. Email coma.officials@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Click here to buy “Oru Adipoli Night” tickets.

 COMA Youth Corner

“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.”, quoted by Roy T. Bennett, author of The Light in the Heart.  For many of us, it is hard to step into a role where all eyes are on us. But we decided it was time to break out of our comfort zone and take on this new role of leadership. Our favorite event this year by far has been our youth led YWCA event. The two of us called into YWCA to check their availability, planned the menu out for the breakfast, and ordered all the food for that day. It gave us an experience of how to deal with people in the real world and it made us see how much effort gets put into making meals for someone else. On the day of the event, we each played our part and worked as a team to serve 150 people.

Moreover having this role, taught us what it means to be a part of a team. A lot of the activities behind the scenes required a hardworking group of people. We learned how much effort goes into organizing events and the importance of communication among all members of the team. From working at the front desk to helping decorate venues, they really gave their time to all of the events. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to help our community the way we do today. Through these events, we learned to work stronger as a unit and we hope to strengthen this idea with the upcoming youth.

Overall, we are grateful for this experience. We were glad to give back to our Malayalee community and gain something back in the process. Speaking from personal experience, the Youth Wing has had a lasting impact on us and the valuable leadership and team building experiences that we gained from being a part of this has been incredible. – Aishwarya Arun and Megha Rajesh

COMA Youth Wing Committee

Anju Anilkumar – President

Hi, my name is Anju Anilkumar and I am this years Youth Wing President. I am currently a junior at Olentangy Orange High School. This is my third year as an active participant in COMA, and I feel so welcome! Music is my most loved hobby. I love to sing and dance. I am in school choir and the Columbus Children’s International Choir. I also have learned indian classical Carnatic music since I was five. I am looking forward to all the beautiful events that will take place this year. It’s a honor to be apart of such an organized and loving association.

Neelima Gopinath – Vice President

My name is Neelima Gopinath and I am 16 years old. I am a Junior at Thomas Worthington High School. I was born in Ohio and have been living in Columbus since 2004. My family and I have been part of COMA for as long as I remember and I always enjoy taking part in all of the programs and activities. I enjoy watching Indian movies and cooking and trying new foods. I have been learning Bharatanatyam and playing the violin since I was young. I’m very excited to be this year’s Youth Wing Vice President, I hope to do a lot to support and improve the community with my peers.

Community Corner

In this edition of new letter some of our members have graciously offered to share some of their creations. Let us explore what they have in stock here.  

“Blossoming hopes of 2019” by Krishna Nimil

“A simple flower cake , orange flavored cake with “Swiss Meringue Buttercream” and used Russian piping technique for the buttercream flowers. I am a  self-taught baker. What keeps me pushing forward is my love for baking. I failed too many times and I stood up as well, trying to correct it. Every cake that I baked, bad or good, it all had my passion and love for baking.”  


Eggplant curry recipe  by Pradip Ramachandran

Pradip calls this as a very “different eggplant curry” which requires a few “unexpected” ingredients that gives a slightly unusual flavor twist to please your palate. The goal is to have a balance blend of heat, sourness and sweetness.  

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Group 1

  • One large Eggplant cut into small pieces , you can peel the skin off based on personal choice
  • Salt to taste
  • Four table spoons of oil
  • For tempering one tea spoon mustard seed and two teaspoon of channa daal

Group 2

  • One small onion chopped,
  • One tea spoon ginger paste
  • One tea spoon garlic paste.

Group 3

  • Two tablespoon of sambar mix which contains following ingredients corainder, chilli, turmeric, fenugreek and asafoetida. (this can be substituted with four teaspoons of coriander powder , one teaspoon of chilli powder , one teaspoon of turmeric powder and a pinch of fenugreek and asafoetida powders ).
  • One teaspoon of cumin powder.
  • Half cup crushed tomato.
  • Three to five tablespoons of vinegar ( use as needed , this provides sourness along with tomato).
  • One half to two teaspoon sugar to provide little sweetness to the dish .
  • Two tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter to provide a creamy texture.
  • Two teaspoons of crushed kasoori methi.
  • Two table spoons of chopped cilantro.

Now that you got all the ingredients let us get to work here.

  • Heat oil in pan splutter mustard seeds add channa and cook until slightly brown.
  • Add onion and saute  for three to four minutes until the mix is translucent.
  • Add ginger and garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes..
  • Add washed and drained eggplant , then add salt and stir well . Cook for 8-10 minutes covered on low flame until eggplant is soft and mushy . Please note that no water is needed .
  • Now you can add all the items in group 3 and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the mixture starts thickening and all the spices have cooked thoroughly.
  • Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Roti , Naan , Chappathi or any other Indian bread.

Upcoming Local Events

Meals on Wheels – 

  • Sunday, January 27th.
    • Joseph Abraham, Joshua Joseph
  • Sunday, January 13th.
    • Nish Nishant, Kurian Uthup, Keziah Uthup, Marissa Uthup
  • Sunday, December 23rd :
    • Shibu Nair, Sachin Sugathan, Roopesh Sathyan
  • Sunday, December 9th :
    • Thomas Pullumpallil, Rachel Varughese, Reuben Varughese

Get Involved!

COMA has a whatsapp group to socialize coma events, community news and so on. Please use the following link to join the group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/67hzscBz4Su8fQmpFtodpJ. Please let us know at coma.officials@gmail.com if you would like to get involved with any of the following:

  • YWCA Cook a Meal
  • COMA Youth Wing
  • Malayalam Class

C.O.M.A Newsletter Oct – Nov 2018

by

Hello friends,

We are getting ready for the final event of C.O.M.A 10th Anniversary Celebrations!

Preparation for Christmas this Saturday is in full swing. Registration for the event is closed; we have more than 250 guests registered to attend the event. Everything you need to know about the event is listed below! Come and join us for celebrations & C.O.M.A 10 year anniversary Finale!!

Can’t believe the year is coming to an end so soon! We feel like we just took over at EC for 2018 not long ago! What an eventful year it has been; we went from height of excitement in May with the mega musical event of Chitra to the despair and helplessness with devastating floods in Kerala in August!

We have tried our best to make this a memorable 10th anniversary year for C.O.M.A by conducting a variety of events to suite the tastes of everyone in the community. We started with a small gathering for bowling in January, celebrated Valentines Day in Feb, organized community 5K Run in April. As we heard feedback from several participants on fitness and their interest in joining a regular activity, we started ‘Active C.O.M.A’ and organized morning walks on Saturdays in several different parks and trails!

After the mega musical event, which drained most of us, we had a magical evening with Dr Gopinath Muthukad where he displayed his magical prowess and also discussed about his dream project to support differently-abled children with his dream project ‘Magic World’. This was followed with the Picnic in July. The flood disaster stuck Kerala while we were almost set for celebrating Onam. The plight of our brethren has shifted our focus on supporting the flood relief efforts, rather than celebrating. We were able to collect more than $43,000 and donate to Kerala CM’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Halloween costume competition was a fun event for kids and adults alike, towards the end of October! We had several kids (and a few adults)  in variety of costumes showing off!

See you soon for Christmas Celebrations!

-EC-2018

Read more

0

Your Cart