Newsletters

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.

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

(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.

Birds chirping and blooming flowers everywhere in a variety of colors and sizes. Whether that is not too hot or cold and light breezes. Ring a bell? Yes, spring is here and we should spend it outside with family and friends.  Like Margaret Atwood once said, “ In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ” The dull, cold winter has passed and warm, joyful spring is here. Spring is the season that withholds many festivals, some of which are Holi, Easter, and Ugadi. Most people are energetic and happy during this time of year.

Spring is a wonderful time of year to start planting plants. You could try planting your food. When you grow your food, you can make sure that your food is chemical-free and safe to eat.  You could also make a beautiful garden. Not only will these gardens look beautiful but they will also make you happy. Seeing your garden will give you a sense of accomplishment. This might also help reduce anxiety.

Along with spring comes Earth day. Now because there are not as many gardens, we cannot enjoy spring at its highest beauty. This is because global warming and pollution are destroying our world. Some solutions to these problems might be to plant more trees and recycle our waste. We could start walking or ride bikes to close places, instead of using cars. Keep in mind that by doing this, you save yourselves and help save the whole world. Enjoy this wonderful season of joy, spring.

A Zip through the sky

– Sahana Ravikumar

After two hours of waiting in the endless line to go on the zipline at Chestnut Park on a windy day, it was finally going to be my turn.

My belly grumbled; my nose twitched. At that moment, my body trembled as I saw we were pretty high up. My first thought was we were going to fall! My parents down below looked like ants! “Hi”, I whispered almost as if I thought they could hear me or even see me. I shivered. It was slightly cold on this fall day. My friend had done this before, so she rode the zip line without the slightest hesitation.

 I looked up at the tall, nimble park workers and quietly asked them if it was safe. 

They replied in unison, “Of course.” Moments later, I felt the heavy weight from my head creeping down to my two small feet. I whispered silently to myself, “Do I really want to do this?”

There was still one person ahead of me in the line. I felt so wobbly I almost tripped. After two minutes of me staring at the big zipline, I looked down to see my friend, far below from the ground below me shouting, “You can do it!” Then even with all my body saying no, I said yes. My belly rumbled once more. They strapped me up, attached the hooks to the tall zipline and…whoosh! Off I went flying into the sky.

I was so high up I felt like a bird in the big blue dreamy sky! I forgot about all my fears and flew. The ground with the trees and the people looked like tiny bushes and little ants. After ten seconds I came to a halt. As I paced down the stairs leading to the ground, with every step I took, all I could think about was how fun and exciting that ride was. I loved the zipline. It was miraculously beautiful, amazing! I wanted to go again but the line in front of me suggested otherwise. So, we went and enjoyed the other fun park rides.

All the time after that, as I was walking around the park with my mom, I kept wanting to go on the zipline again and again. “Can we go on the zipline again?” I asked my mom.

My mom grinned and exclaimed, “Tomorrow.” I smiled and continued walking throughout the park. 

COMA Recognize our Health Care Warriors & Front Line Workers.

– Presanth Krishnan

The last 12 months has been a challenge to the human endeavor , while many of us still grapple with the day to day inconveniences of Masking , social distancing and stay at home , there are those select few among us who are the frontline defense in this war on our health systems … Coma decided to give a shout out to all the health care professionals in our community who have selflessly led this fight against the coronavirus , they have stepped up and beyond so that all of us can stay healthy . COMA is very proud to recognize these individuals who have been working in the frontline healthcare systems helping and caring for those who have been infected with the virus . We also want to acknowledge the sacrifices made by the families of these healthcare professionals who have stood by them during these long and arduous times. We organized an online event in thanking all of these healthcare professionals “ Virtually “ on April 10th 7:00 PM EST, where we recognized their efforts and expressed our thanks and gratitude for their service .

We started this initiative thinking that we have a maximum of 10 to 15 Health care workers in our community but when we started collecting the names through nominations or through people surprisingly we got around 38 nominations and we could reach  29 of them in person.. We have such a big group of Doctors, nurses and other frontline workers among us and we are so proud of them. Would like to thank all EC committee & Trustee for all their support & coordination in getting this event successful.

Anjana did a wonderful job in compere & host this virtual event where we have a very informative online discussion with few of our Doctors along with Q&A. We would like to thank the Panel doctors Dr. Mathew Cherian, Dr. Jisna Paul, Dr. Binay Eapen, Dr. Niju Baby for sharing their experiences and also answering questions of our members related to the current situation, vaccination and post vaccination.

എസ്. എം. എസ്

– Rakesh Chandran

ആദ്യമേ പറയട്ടെ. ഈ കഥയിലെ നായകന്‍ ഞാന്‍ അല്ല! ഇതിലെ നായകന് എന്റെ സ്വഭാവങ്ങളുമായോ പ്രവൃര്‍ത്തികളുമായോ എന്തെങ്കിലും സാമ്യം തോന്നുന്നുണ്ടങ്കില്‍ അത് തികച്ചും യാദൃച്ഛികം മാത്രമാണ് (പിന്നെ മഞ്ഞ കണ്ണ് കൊണ്ട് നോക്കിയാല്‍ എല്ലാം മഞ്ഞ ആയിരിക്കുമല്ലോ!)

ചെന്നൈയില്‍ ജോലി ചെയ്തിരുന്ന സമയത്താണ് ഈ പോസ്റ്റില്‍ പറയുന്ന അത്യാഹിതങ്ങള്‍ എന്റെ സുഹൃത്തായ വിജയ്‌ക്ക് സംഭവിക്കുന്നത്. അവനേപ്പറ്റി പറയുകയാണങ്കില്‍, ജഗദീഷിന്റെ പുഞ്ചിരിയും സലിം കുമാറിന്റെ സൗന്ദര്യവും ഇന്ദ്രന്‍സിന്റെ ആരോഗ്യവും ദിലീപിന്റെ സ്വഭാവവും ബിജുക്കുട്ടന്റെ ശബ്ദ ഗാംഭീര്യവും ഒത്തിണങ്ങിയ വീര ശൂര പരാക്രമി. എവിടെങ്കിലും ഒരു ചുരിദാറിന്റെ ഷാള്‍ കണ്ടാല്‍ പിന്നെ ആ ഭാഗത്തേക്ക് മാത്രം നോക്കി നില്‍ക്കുന്ന സല്‍ഗുണ സമ്പന്നന്‍.

ഹച്ച് വോടാഫോണിന്റെ കരാള ഹസ്തങ്ങള്‍ക്കിടയില്‍ പെടുന്നതിനു മുന്‍പുള്ള സമയം. മാസം പതിനായിരം എസ്. എം. എസ്. ഫ്രീ എന്ന ഓഫര്‍ ഹച്ച് തന്നിരുന്നു. കൂടെ ജോലി ചെയ്തിരുന്നവര്‍ക്കൊക്കെ (പെണ്‍കുട്ടികള്‍ എന്ന് എടുത്തു പറയണ്ടല്ലോ അല്ലെ?) ചറ പറാ മെസ്സേജുകള്‍ അയക്കുക എന്നത് അവന്റെ ഒരു ഹോബി ആയിരുന്നു. ഗുഡ് മോര്‍ണിംഗ്, ആഫ്ടര്‍നൂണ്‍, ഈവനിംഗ്, നൈറ്റ്‌ എന്ന് വേണ്ട എന്തിനു ഏതിനും കക്ഷി മെസ്സേജ് അയച്ചിരിക്കും. ഓണം, വിഷു, ക്രിസ്മസ് മുതലായ വിശേഷ ദിവസങ്ങള്‍ വന്നാല്‍ അവനു ചാകര ആണു. ഇവന്റെ മെസ്സേജ് അയക്കല്‍ കണ്ടു ഹച്ചുകാര്‍ ഈ ഓഫര്‍ നിര്‍ത്തലാക്കുമോ എന്ന് പോലും ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് തോന്നി.

ഒരു ദിവസം രാത്രി 12 മണിക്ക് എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും ഗുഡ് നൈറ്റ്‌ ഉം സ്വീറ്റ് ഡ്രീംസ് ഉം ഒക്കെ അയച്ചു കക്ഷി ഉറങ്ങാന്‍ കിടന്നു. ‘ചക്കരെ ഫോണ്‍ എടുക്കടാ..’ എന്ന റിംഗ് ടോണ്‍ കേട്ട് പാതി മയക്കത്തില്‍ ആയിരുന്ന അവന്‍ ഞെട്ടി എഴുനേറ്റു. ഫോണ്‍ നോക്കിയപ്പോള്‍ ‘പ്രിയ കാളിംഗ്’.

പ്രിയ.. സല്‍മാന്‍ ഖാന്‍ കത്രീനയെ മനസ്സില്‍ കൊണ്ട് നടക്കുന്നത് പോലെ വിജയ്‌ യുടെ മനസ്സിലെ സ്വപ്ന സുന്ദരി. ‘ഇവള്‍ എന്തിനാണോ ഈ രാത്രിയില്‍ വിളിക്കുന്നത്?’ എന്ന ചോദ്യവുമായി വിജയ്‌ ഫോണ്‍ എടുത്തു.

‘ഹലോ പ്രിയക്കുട്ടീ.. ഉറങ്ങാറായില്ലേ?’

‘പ്രിയക്കുട്ടിയോ? നീയാരാടാ അവളുടെ അമ്മാവനോ?’. പ്രിയയുടെ സുന്ദര നാദം പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചിരുന്ന അവന്‍റെ കാതിലേക്ക് ഒഴുകിയെത്തിയത് ഒരു കര്‍ണ കഠോര ശബ്ദം!

‘ഹലോ.. ഇ.. ഇ.. ഇതാരാ?’

‘ഞാന്‍ പ്രിയയുടെ അപ്പന്‍, എന്താ നിനക്ക് അഡ്രെസ്സ് കൂടി വേണോടാ?’

അടിവയറ്റില്‍ കൂടി എന്തോ ഒന്ന് പോകുന്നത് അവന്‍ തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞു!

‘അവളെന്ന് മുതലാടാ നിന്‍റെ കുട്ടി ആയത്?’

‘അത് ഞാന്‍.. പിന്നെ.. ചുമ്മാ..’

‘പാതി രാത്രിക്കാനോടാ മെസ്സേജ് അയക്കുന്നത്?’

‘അത് ഇന്ന് ലേറ്റ് ആയി ഓഫീസില്‍ നിന്നും വന്നപ്പം..’

‘ഓഹോ.. അപ്പം നിനക്ക് ഈ മെസ്സേജ് അയക്കല്‍ ഒരു സ്ഥിരം പരിപാടിയാണ് അല്ലേ?’

‘അങ്ങനല്ല.. വല്ലപ്പോഴും..’

‘അവന്‍റെ ഒരു ഗുഡ് നൈറ്റ്‌ ഉം സ്വീറ്റ് ഡ്രീംസ് ഉം.. മേലാല്‍ എന്റെ മോള്‍ക്ക്‌ മെസ്സേജ് അയച്ചേക്കരുത് കേട്ടോടാ’

അയക്കും എന്ന് പറയാന്‍ അവനു പറ്റില്ലല്ലോ. മറുപടിയായി ദയനീയമായി ഒന്ന് മൂളാനെ അവനു കഴിഞ്ഞുള്ളൂ.

അന്ന് രാത്രി അവന്‍ കണ്ട സ്വപ്നങ്ങളിലെ വില്ലന്‍ പ്രിയയുടെ അപ്പന്‍ തന്നെ ആയിരിക്കണം. അതില്‍ പിന്നെ കുറച്ചു ദിവസത്തേക്ക് അവന്‍ പ്രിയയുടെ മുന്നില്‍ പെടാതെ നടന്നു, ഒരു ചമ്മല്‍ ഒഴിവാക്കാമല്ലോ. പക്ഷെ ഒരിക്കന്‍ പ്രിയയുടെ മുന്‍പില്‍ അവന്‍ അറിയാതെ ചെന്ന് പെട്ടു. കുശലം പറച്ചിലുകള്‍ക്ക് ശേഷം അവള്‍ ചോദിച്ചു.

‘എന്താ ഇപ്പം മെസ്സേജുകള്‍ ഒന്നും കാണാനില്ലല്ലോ?’

”ഉവ്വടീ, എന്നിട്ട് വേണം നിന്റെ അപ്പന്‍ ഗുണ്ടകളെ വിട്ടു എന്നെ തല്ലിക്കാന്‍..” എന്ന് പറയണം എന്ന് തോന്നിയങ്കിലും അവന്‍ കണ്ട്രോള്‍ ചെയ്തു. അത് കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോഴാണ് അവന്‍ ചിന്തിച്ചത്, ആ സംഭവത്തെ പറ്റി പ്രിയ അറിഞ്ഞു കാണില്ല, അല്ലങ്കില്‍ അവള്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ ചോദിക്കില്ലല്ലോ!

‘ആകെ തിരക്കിലാ, അതാ’.. വിജയ്‌ നൈസ് ആയിട്ടങ്ങു സ്ലിപ് ആയി!

പിന്നീട് ഒരു ദിവസം രാത്രി എല്ലാവക്കും ഒരു ഫോര്‍വേര്‍ഡ് മെസ്സേജ് അയച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരുന്നപ്പോള്‍ അവന്റെ ഫോണ്‍ വീണ്ടും വിറച്ചു. ‘പ്രിയ കാളിംഗ്..’ അപ്പോഴാണ്‌ ആ ഞെട്ടിക്കുന്ന സത്യം അവന്‍ മനസ്സിലാക്കിയത്. മെസ്സേജ് അയച്ച ഒരു ലിസ്റ്റില്‍ അവളുടെ പേരും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. അപ്പോള്‍ ഇത് അവളുടെ ആ അംജദ് ഖാന്‍ അപ്പന്‍ തന്നെ! കന്നി മത്സരത്തില്‍ വഖാറിനെ നേരിടുമ്പോള്‍ സച്ചിന്‍റെ നെഞ്ച് പോലും ഇത്രയും ഇടിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടാവില്ല. അവന്‍ ഫോണ്‍ അറ്റന്‍ഡ് ചെയ്തില്ല.

പിറ്റേന്ന് കമ്പനി ബസ്സില്‍ ഓഫീസിലേക്ക് പൊയ്ക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ആണ് അവനു ഒരു പരിചയമില്ലാത്ത ഫോണില്‍ നിന്നും കാള്‍ വന്നത്. ക്രെഡിറ്റ്‌ കാര്‍ഡ് വേണോ എന്ന് ചോദിച്ചു ഏതേലും ബാങ്ക് തരുണീമണി ആയിരിക്കും, ലവളോടു പഞ്ഞാര അടിച്ചേക്കാം എന്ന് കരുതി അവന്‍ ഫോണ്‍ എടുത്ത് സ്റ്റൈലില്‍ പറഞ്ഞു ‘ഹലോ, വിജയ്‌ ഹിയര്‍’

‘അവളുടെ ഫോണില്‍ നിന്ന് വിളിച്ചാ നീ എടുക്കില്ല എന്ന് എനിക്ക് മനസ്സിലായി’

(‘ദൈവമേ.. പ്രിയയുടെ അപ്പന്‍!) ‘അത്.. പിന്നെ.. കാള്‍ ഞാന്‍ കണ്ടില്ല’

‘വേല എന്നോട് വേണ്ടടാ.. നിന്നെക്കാള്‍ കുറേ ഓണം കൂടുതല്‍ ഉണ്ടവനാ ഞാന്‍’

(‘പിന്നെ.. ഓണം കൂടുതല്‍ ഉണ്ടാല്‍ ബുദ്ധി കൂടുമോ? എന്നാ പിന്നെ അടുത്ത കൊല്ലം മുതല്‍ ഓരോ ഓണത്തിനും അഞ്ചാറു പ്രാവശ്യം ഞാന്‍ ഉണ്ടോളാമേ’)
ഇവിടെ മൌനം..

‘നിന്നോട് മെസ്സേജ് അയക്കരുതെന്നു മലയാളത്തില്‍ പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ മനസ്സിലാകില്ലേടാ?’

(‘ഇല്ല, ഞാന്‍ ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് മീടിയത്തിലാ പഠിച്ചത്’)
‘അത്.. അറിയാതെ പറ്റിയതാ’

‘പിന്നെ.. നമ്പര്‍ എന്നോട് വേണ്ടടാ.. ഇങ്ങനെ അറിയാതെ നീ ഇനിയും അയക്കും അല്ലെടാ?’

(‘ഇനി അയക്കുവാണേല്‍ അറിഞ്ഞോണ്ടേ അയക്കൂ’)
‘ഇല്ല.. ഇനി അയക്കില്ല’

‘നിനക്കെന്റെ തനി സ്വഭാവം അറിയാന്‍ മേല. ഞാന്‍ മഹാ തറയാ’

(‘അത് ഇപ്പഴേ മനസ്സിലായി’)
വീണ്ടും മൌനം

‘എന്താടാ നിന്‍റെ നാവിറങ്ങിപോയോ?

(‘ഇറങ്ങിപ്പോയാ ഇയാള്‍ പൊക്കിയെടുക്കാന്‍ വരുമോ? ഇയാള്‍ക്കെന്താ ഫയര്‍ ഫോര്‍സിലാണോ പണി?’)

‘ഇവിടെ തന്നെ ഉണ്ട്’

‘ആഹാ.. അഹങ്കാരീ.. തര്‍ക്കുത്തരം പറയുന്നോ? നിന്നെ ഞാന്‍ കാണിച്ചു തരാമെടാ’

(‘അയ്യേ, എനിക്കെങ്ങും കാണണ്ട. തന്‍റെ കെട്ടിയോളെ പോയി കാണിച്ചാ മതി’)
‘ഇനി അയക്കില്ല എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞില്ലേ?’

‘ഇത് തന്നെ അല്ലേടാ കഴിഞ്ഞ പ്രാവശ്യവും നീ പറഞ്ഞത്.. ഇനി നീ സൂക്ഷിച്ചോ.. അടുത്ത മറുപടി ഫോണില്‍ ആയിരിക്കില്ല’.

ആ ഫോണ്‍ കട്ട്‌ ചെയ്തു കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോള്‍ വിജയ്‌ ഒരു ദീര്‍ഖ ശ്വാസം വിട്ടു. ബസ്സില്‍ അടുത്തിരുന്നവര്‍ അത് മറ്റെന്തോ ആണന്നു തെറ്റിധരിച്ചന്നു മാത്രം!

ഈ രണ്ടാമത്തെ സംഭവത്തിനു ശേഷം, ശകലം മടിയോടെ ആണങ്കിലും അവന്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കെല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും മുന്നറിയിപ്പ് തന്നു. ആരും പ്രിയക്ക് രാത്രി മെസ്സേജ് അയക്കരുത്, അവളുടെ അപ്പന്‍ ആള് ശെരിയല്ല എന്നൊക്കെ. നടന്ന സംഭവങ്ങള്‍ അവനു തുറന്നു പറയേണ്ടി വന്നു. പാവം, ആത്മാര്‍ഥത ഉള്ളവനാ.

ഞങ്ങളുടെ പ്രോജെക്ടില്‍ നിന്നും ഒരു കൊടൈക്കനാല്‍ ട്രിപ്പ്‌ പ്ലാന്‍ ചെയ്തത് ആയിടക്കാണ്. ഒരു ട്രെയിന്‍ ട്രിപ്പ്‌, അവിടെ ചെന്നിട്ടു പിന്നെ ബസ്സില്‍. പ്രിയ ഉണ്ടന്നറിഞ്ഞു വിജയ്‌ യും ട്രിപ്പിനു റെഡിയായി. പക്ഷെ അവസാന സമയം, എന്തോ ചില കാരണങ്ങളാല്‍ അവനു വരാന്‍ പറ്റിയില്ല. അവനു പകരം അവന്‍റെ ടിക്കെറ്റില്‍ ശരത് വരാന്‍ റെഡി ആയി, ശരത്തിന് വേണ്ടി ആദ്യം ടിക്കറ്റ്‌ ബുക്ക്‌ ചെയ്തില്ലായിരുന്നു.  ചെന്നൈ എഗ് മോറില്‍ ട്രെയിന്‍ കാത്തു നിന്നപ്പോള്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഓരോരുത്തരുടെ മുന്‍പിലും വന്നു ശരത് പറഞ്ഞു.

‘എടാ, ടി. ടി. ആര്‍. വന്നു നോക്കുമ്പം നിങ്ങള്‍ എന്നെ വിജയ്‌ എന്ന് വിളിക്കണം, കേട്ടോടാ?’

‘ഞാനാണ് വിജയ്‌..’

‘ഞാനാണ് വിജയ്‌..’

‘ഞാനാണ് വിജ……………..’

അവന്‍ പകുതിക്ക് വച്ച് നിര്‍ത്തിയത് കേട്ട് ഞാന്‍ തിരിഞ്ഞു നോക്കി.. അവന്‍ ചെന്നു പെട്ടെത് പ്രിയയെ യാത്ര അയക്കാന്‍ വന്ന അവളുടെ അപ്പന്‍റെ മുന്‍പില്‍. അയാള്‍ ഒരു കലിപ്പിച്ച നോട്ടം അവനെ നോക്കി. ‘യോ.. യോ..’ പറഞ്ഞു നടന്നിരുന്ന അവന്‍റെ എല്ലാ ‘യോയും’ പോയി..

‘ഞാനല്ല വിജയ്‌..’ എന്ന് പറയണമെന്നുണ്ടായിരുന്നു അവനു, പക്ഷെ സാഹചര്യങ്ങളുടെ സമ്മര്‍ദത്തെ അതിജീവിക്കാനുള്ള ത്രാണി അവനുണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല എന്നതാണ് പരമമായ യാഥാര്‍ത്ഥ്യം!

പ്രിയയുടെ ചേച്ചിയുടെ കല്യാണത്തിനു അവള്‍ ഞങ്ങളെ ക്ഷണിച്ചപ്പോള്‍ വിജയുടെ മുഖത്തെക്കാന് ഞങ്ങള്‍ ആദ്യം നോക്കിയത്.

‘പോണോടാ, നിന്‍റെ കൊച്ചിന്റെ ചേച്ചിയുടെ കല്യാണത്തിനു?’

‘ഡാ, ഞങ്ങളുടെ പ്രേമം നിങ്ങള്‍ക്കല്ലാതെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് രണ്ടു പേര്‍ക്ക് മാത്രമേ അറിയൂ, വേറാരും കേള്‍ക്കണ്ട’

‘ങേ?? നീ അവളോട്‌ പറഞ്ഞോ?’

‘ഏയ്‌, ഞാന്‍ പറഞ്ഞത് എനിക്കും എന്‍റെ പഴയ കാമുകിക്കും. ഇവളുടെ പേര് പറഞ്ഞല്ലേ ഞാന്‍ മറ്റവളുമായി അടിച്ചു പിരിഞ്ഞത്’

‘ബെസ്റ്റ്’

‘എടാ, അവള് ഒന്നും കേള്‍ക്കല്ലേ.  ഇനി എനിക്കവളോട് പ്രേമമാനന്നു അവള്‍ അപ്പനോട് പോയി പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ അയാള്‍ എന്നെ തല്ലാന്‍ ഗുണ്ടകളെ വിടും’

‘അപ്പം നിനക്ക് പേടി ഉണ്ട്’

‘പോടാ, അതൊന്നുമല്ല. കാര്യം ഞാന്‍ അഹിംസാ വാദി ആണങ്കിലും ആരേലും എന്‍റെ മേത്തു തൊടുന്നത് എനിക്കിഷ്ടമല്ല. പിന്നെ അടിയാകും, രക്തചൊരിച്ചില്‍ ഉണ്ടാകും. ഞാന്‍ രണ്ടു മൂന്നെന്നത്തിനെ തട്ടിയെന്നിരിക്കും. പിന്നെ സാക്ഷി പറയാന്‍ നിങ്ങള്‍ കോടതി കയറിയിറങ്ങണം. എന്തിനാടാ ഇതെല്ലാം?’

‘പോടെ പോടെ. നീ കല്യാണത്തിന് വരുന്നോ? പേടിയാണേല്‍ അത് പറ’

‘ആഹാ അത്രക്കായോ? എന്നാ അവളുടെ അപ്പനെ പോയി കണ്ടു ഞാനാണ് വിജയ്‌ എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞിട്ടേ ബാക്കി കാര്യമുള്ളൂ’

‘എടാ നീ ഇപ്പം പോയി പറയാന്‍ പോകുവാണോ?’

‘ആണങ്കില്‍..’

‘ഇന്ന് ലീവ് എടുക്കാന്‍ പറ്റില്ല, നല്ല പണി ഉണ്ട്. അപ്പം നിന്‍റെ ശവാടക്ക് കൂടാന്‍ പറ്റില്ലല്ലോ’

(‘സെന്‍സേര്‍ട്’)
‘നീ നോക്കിക്കോടാ, കല്യാണത്തിന് പോകുമ്പോള്‍ അവളുടെ അപ്പനുമായി ഞാന്‍ മുട്ടിയിരിക്കും. ഒന്നുമില്ലേലും എന്‍റെ ഭാവി അമ്മായിയപ്പന്‍ ആകേണ്ട ആളല്ലേ?’

‘ഓ പിന്നെ.. നീ ഒരു ഹോട്ടെലില്‍ നിന്നും സ്ഥിരം ചായ കുടിക്കാറില്ലല്ലോ!’

(‘വീണ്ടും സെന്‍സേര്‍ട്’)

പ്രിയയുടെ ചേച്ചിയുടെ കല്യാണ ദിനം. ഹാളിനു വെളിയില്‍ എത്തിയപ്പോള്‍ അവന്‍ പറഞ്ഞു, ‘നിങ്ങളിവിടെ നിന്ന് നോക്കിക്കോ ഞാന്‍ അവളുടെ അപ്പനോട് മുട്ടുന്നത് എങ്ങനെ ആണന്നു’.

അകത്തേക്ക് പോയ കക്ഷി അത് പോലെ തന്നെ തിരിച്ചു വന്നു, വെസ്ടിന്‍ഡീസ് പര്യടനത്തിനു പോയ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ ടീമിലെ ഓപ്പണര്‍മാര്‍ ഗ്രൌണ്ടിലേക്ക് ഇറങ്ങുകയും ഉണ്ടന്‍ തന്നെ തിരിച്ചു കയറുകയും ചെയ്യാറുള്ളത് പോലെ (ഇപ്പോഴത്തെ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ ടീം അല്ല കേട്ടോ, പണ്ടത്തെ)

‘എന്ത് പറ്റിയടാ, നീ മുട്ടിയില്ലേ?’

‘എടാ, അവളുടെ അപ്പന്‍ ശെരിക്കും ഗുണ്ടകളെ വിളിച്ചു നിര്‍ത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ടന്നു തോന്നുന്നു. അവിടെ കുറേ തടിമാടന്മാര്‍’

‘അത് ഗുണ്ടകള്‍ അല്ലടാ , അവളുടെ അമ്മാവന്മാരാ’ പ്രിയയുടെ അടുത്തുള്ള വിനോദ് പറഞ്ഞു.

പാല്‍പായസ പ്രിയനായ വിജയ്‌ അന്ന് പായസം പോയിട്ട് ചോറ് പോലും നേരെ ചൊവ്വേ കഴിച്ചില്ല! തന്നെയുമല്ല പിന്നൊരിക്കലും പ്രിയാ ഹോട്ടലില്‍ നിന്നും ചായ കുടിക്കണമെന്നു തോന്നിയതുമില്ല!

ഏതായാലും പ്രിയയുടെ അപ്പന്‍ കാരണം രക്ഷപെട്ടത് ഞങ്ങളാണ്. ദിവസവും ഞങ്ങളുടെ മൊബൈല്‍ ഇന്‍ബോക്സ് നിറച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരുന്നത് അവന്‍റെ വക കുറേ ചവറു മെസ്സേജുകള്‍ ആയിരുന്നു, ഞങ്ങള്‍ വിചാരിച്ചിട്ട് നിര്‍ത്താന്‍ പറ്റാത്തത് അങ്ങേരു സാധിച്ചു തന്നു!  ‘ഫ്രീ മെസ്സേജ് വെറുതെ പാഴാക്കി കളയുന്നത് എങ്ങനെയാടാ?’ എന്ന് പിന്നീടൊരിക്കലും അവന്‍ ഞങ്ങളോട് പറഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല.

Meals on Wheels Volunteers

April 25, 2021: Thomas Pullumpallil, Reuben Varughese, Presanth Krishnan, Rajeev Kumar Route#1801
April 11, 2021: Valsan Palika, Presanth Krishnan, Nandana Presanth Route#1600
March 28, 2021: Deepa Jayabalan, Adithya Menon, Yogalakshmi Venugopal, Chetana Kunchuvari Anand Prakash Route#1801
March 14, 2021: John Patrick, Anitha John, Stevie Rajesh, Dannie Rajesh Route#1600
February 28, 2021: Manoj Thomas, Julie Joseph, Melissa Thomas, Alison Thomas Route#1801
February 14, 2021: John Patrick, Anitha John, Stevie Rajesh, Dannie Rajesh Route#1600
January 24, 2021: Joseph Abraham, Nancy Joseph, Joshua Abraham, Rachael Abraham Route#1801
January 10, 2021: Nish Nishant, Pradeesh Puthiyattil, Anoop Nair Route#1600

Thank you, we greatly appreciate your work!

COMA upcoming events

As you all know, due to this Pandemic we were unable to organize any programs outside as of now . We keep watching the CDC guidelines to plan for our upcoming programs if possible outdoor rather than online events. After our first event of Thanking our Health Care Warriors, Executive committee is working on scheduling programs like 5K run , Picnic, ONAM celebrations etc. in the upcoming months .We will keep you all posted as soon as we have finalized the next program and dates. We expect all your support and guidance for all our upcoming events this year. Stay tuned for more information and do reach out to coma.officials@gmail.com for any questions.

An October day is characterized by colourful trees and a gentle breeze, a picturesque scene for photographs. Fall is a time of change, change in weather, change in the colour of leaves, and change in the behaviours of animals. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2nd of 1869. This year we celebrated the 151st anniversary of Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhiji not only was an advocate for India’s freedom but is also an idol for freedom fighters around the globe.

Like nature, we must also be ready to accept the change that COVID-19 brings along with it. In order to pull through these tough times, we must not only have a healthy body but also a healthy mind. October 10 was World Mental Health Day, which is a day that is set aside to help raise awareness for mental health. Due to COVID-19, mental health problems have increased. Everybody has different ways of handling stress and anxiety. Here are some ways you could try to reduce stress.

• Listen to music
• Read a book or poem(October 1 was National Poetry Day)
• Do some breathing exercises
• Participate in community services and activities
• Do something you enjoy

Have a Happy Halloween and don’t forget to get your flu shots!

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Thanksgiving

– Ravikumar Hariharan

The strong winds gushed past my ears. The waves of the mighty ocean, as though hesitantly, kissed my feet and quickly retreated. As I walked along the beachside, even the sky made his intention clear bursting out into huge streaks of lightning. Slowly I came to rest on the beach sands, with my eyes viewing the distant horizon.

I came all this way, to see the golden sunset into the depths of the ocean. But somehow even the sun, eluded me as he hid himself behind the darkest of the clouds. Neither did the moon appear, even if he did, I wouldn’t have known, for the sky itself was turning itself into a big moon, painting itself grey. I felt a raindrop on my eyelids, slowly easing its way down through my cheeks. I dragged my eyes from the distance to view the things happening around me, the beach sands, that hugged each other to make a beautiful whole, the water that hissed and roared, but made a cool and soft impact as they touched my feet. I looked at all those sand particles that glued itself to my feet, and would never let go.

I looked at the children who jumped up and down, dancing in glee. Some were playing with the waves, and the waves like a true friend, always entertained and never let them down. Though very vague against the dull dark background, I could still see a host of birds fly across dark firmament. The waves continued to wet my feet, bringing with it sand that made a thicker layer on my skin. It was a long 14 years since I stepped onto the beach sands, and for all the craving, these sand particles will not let go of me!!! I looked at the vast ocean of life and thanked him for these humble offerings, for these moments of happiness and fortune, he had selflessly offered me. I was seated a fair distance away from him, but thanks to him, he still never forgot to let those cool waves kiss my feet, and pour in those sand particles onto my skin. This ocean of life has always been kind to me, I thought. Now was my chance to give something back to him, I got up from my place and moved closer to the waters. Bent down onto the beach sands. I wrote on them a big “Thank you”.To this big ocean of life, this is all I can give!!! And here came the waves and imbibed my message, and as if like a token of love, swept cool waves onto my feet.

 I started on my way home, dragged myself away from those waves, which every time tried to lure me into coming back by gushing in with greater strength and covering greater distances. When I was a fair distance from the shore, I slowly wiped off the dust from my feet. Thanked all the sweet and fortunate moments life had offered me and got ready to face the new world around me. The sky around was still dark, and frightening. I knew that the way ahead in life would be tough. I gave a final peep into the horizon and saw the full moon now smiling at me. The sky was slowly clearing, and the moonlight now fell on the water giving it a beautiful silvery tint. With this newfound hope, I started walking, in search of myself, in search of the newer moments life would bring. But looking back at the waters, I said to myself and to them.”Bye, I will come again to see you another day !!!”

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Youth Corner

My White Water Rafting

– Niraj Rajeev

I was doing river rafting in West Virginia “This is going to be great,” I thought to myself. When we got to the registration area they said to sign a waiver. I was going with a family friend. My dad signed the form, and we got our equipment, a life jacket, a helmet, and a one-sided paddle. Then we got on a bus and went to the place that we were going to get dropped off at. We filled the raft with air, and placed it on the water and got on with five other people. When the guide said, “Give me two”, we had to paddle two times. We were off, I felt excited and scared. Then we got to the first rapid and cold water splashed into the boat and, “Oh god hold on Niraj, hold on” thought to myself. On the third rapid the guide said you can swim and I said “Yes!” When I jumped into the river, cold water grabbed me. “Have I gone mad?” I thought to myself and I swam the rapid. It was fun and the day ended. We went to the house where we were staying. It was an exciting and adventurous experience.  

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Meals on Wheels Volunteers

October 11, 2020: Jayabalan Achuthan,Deepa Jayabalan and Adithya Jayabalan
Completed Route: # V1600

October 25, 2020: Sudha Warrier, Syam Ayyar and Govi Warrier
Completed Route: # V1801

Thank you, we greatly appreciate your work!

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COMA’s Christmas Celebration 2020

Yes, Christmas is around the corner and we are still indoors with limitations to gatherings, but that does not restrict us from having fun & celebrations. COMA is excited to bring another virtual event to celebrate Christmas – “COMA’s Christmas with the gifted!” on Saturday, December 5th late evening.

Though we will miss the usual Christmas feast and photo with Santa, we will have some special guests to be part of our celebration. The program will be a blend of pre-recorded events and some marvellous Live Performances by renowned artists from Kerala along with gifting a charity for a noble cause.

Stay tuned for more information and do reach out to coma.officials@gmail.com for any questions.

Fall is up on us and like spring and summer, we are inside most of the time wishing we were outside enjoying the beautiful fall days, not too hot but not too cold, witnessing fall colors, sipping pumpkin spice lattes, football and most of all desperately hoping for a 100% effective vaccine!

But till that happens, Corona doesn’t have to take all the fun out of everything we want to do. If the past two seasons have taught us anything it is that the pandemic is here for a while, but we can still enjoy some activities-it’s just that they will look little different, with social distancing, virtual get-togethers and masks (‘wearing is caring’!!).

As we move into October we hope you all stay safe, enjoy the outdoors, pumpkin carving, trick or treat, watching football sitting on your couches with a beverage of choice and of course the array of articles we have for you in this edition of the newsletter.

– Smitha Sasindran

Reflections & Ramblings #8: Fall 2020

The calendar said, Fall is here
But I demurred, not for me
Fall had arrived in Spring for me
Winter hastened on Summer nights

The pandemic winds blew very hard
We held our breath and hid in nests
Hunkered down behind four walls
Shivering in fear, silent in prayer

We know for sure it will pass one day
Though not sure when the day will come
Are the winds slowly dying down, Or
Taking a breather to blow more harsh?

I should be glad that Fall is here, for
Empathetic nature shall join our plight
Together shall we wait for Spring
When sky will brighten and we fly out!

Lost Innocence

The road whorled like a serpent. The curtain of dawn was falling over the day’s events. My eyes were pivoted on the huge rock on the top of the hill, the permanent milestone for all my evening walks. The cold evening breeze tottered along with me, giving me reliable company. The sky was a mosaic of colors. Grey clouds dispersed between patches of blue and red along with dapples of gold. With every step I took, the hill seemed steeper. I dragged myself on.

My mind traced the panorama of events I had walked through. Every event that flashed was unique, each adding its own color and beauty to the happenings just as the colors of this evening sky .Painted together made an even beautiful whole. Then there were the grey clouds that pierced through the colorful happenings…moments of regret??of pain? Every look at those black patches made them look bigger.  I briefly reflected on those small incidents in my life, the moments of despair, frustration and regret that had kissed my life in the yesterdays. The frustrations from those incidents reminded me of the overpowering ego that sometimes conquers and rules the invincible self. The moments of despair reflected my expectations that had transgressed beyond. Regrets evoked in me the reality that I am sometimes a helpless soul, a mere puppet in the hands of destiny.

The sky turned purple, slowly dissolving into the darkness and I lost myself in it. My mind like the dark firmament above was starting to paint itself grey. I continued my journey up the hill, The rock on top of the hill was no longer visible in the brooding darkness. The street lights cast their long shadows on the road, in the process also wetting my path with their faint yellow light.

Suddenly as I turned to my right, I found a boy running by my side. As the street light fell on his face, I saw the infectious smile that played on his lips. At the speed at which I was walking, he had to run to keep my company. But he was bustling with enthusiasm, and made me forget that my legs were tired. I gave him a smile and asked him…”You seem to be very happy…Why??”. “Why shouldn’t I be??”, his face seemed to say. I gave him a sarcastic smile as if to convey “You have just started your life, kid, You are yet to know the harsh realities that make up this life. Do you know, that life is not all that easy, and that you cannot always keep smiling like are doing now??” The smile on his face grew wider. He kept running, as though my words had hardly reached his ears. I don’t know what was happening to me in his presence, but I was starting to blurt out my mind. “You know…human Beings are by nature selfish. And many a times your self esteem and dreams are trampled over by insensitive minds that cannot see a world beyond theirs. Every person here is involved in a mad race, a race to satisfy ones ego with every step that is taken.” The wind carried my voice to every place except for the boys ears. He was singing a rhyme as he happily ran up the hill ,and the rhyme fell to my ears thus:

“Twinkle twinkle little star..How I wonder…what (ALL) u want???”!!

He was enjoying every moment without involving himself with my emotional upheavals. Once in a while he would stop to pluck a flower or two along the way, and he would say with the most innocent smile “For my friends..” Undeterred by his indifference for my words, I continued my lament. “You know one must never be emotionally attached to any person or thing…Attachment breeds expectations, expectations leads to over-expectations and finally ends in frustrations and pain.”. I continued to realize that my words were reaching deaf years and that the boy was fully absorbed in the totality of the moment. In his zig zag run, he would sometimes bump into me and flashing that naughty infectious smile, he would continue running.

“The boy smiled and smiled from his heart; Brought out an innocent smile from my part, Have I smiled similarly ever before, No trickery, no lies, All innocence to the fore ??”

The faint smile that appeared on my lips did little to wither away the storm that was brewing in my heart. However hard I tried to think of something else, my mind like a cyclone swirled and swirled and came back to the same point..my frustrations..my pains…uh… His singing of rhymes continued, and fell on my ears thus:

“Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall(of expectations ???)  Humpty Dumpty had a great fall!!!”

I was starting to lose my temper…Who do u think I am talking to…these trees???” I yelled out at him. The happy go lucky boy seemed to not hear it. My legs had traversed a fair distance and though I could not see the rock in the pitch darkness, My mind told me that I was getting closer to my destination. I shook my head in frustration and cried out “Oh God, I am living this life all wrong!!!”

We were nearing the top of the hill, and the rock I had set out to reach was now slowly becoming visible in the faint street light. I slowed down my steps, but the boy kept running, and before I could realize, he was slowly dissolving himself into the darkness that lay ahead of me. I called out to him…”You dint tell me anything about yourself…What’s your name??How old are you???”A cute little voice yelled back from the dark…”Dint you realize??I am Ravi…and I am 6 years old!!!”As I started my journey down the hill, I could not help but smile to myself…”. Now I knew where I was going wrong”!!

How to mix Alcohol : Balancing Risk

-Sreejith Menon

Alcohol, mallayalis favorite word in the dictionary. I hope you will think about this article next time you say cheers.

Alcohol effects both your mind and body. Here are some of the effects it can have on your health.

Muscle Loss – Alcohol increases the chances of muscle loss if you’re in a calorie deficit diet. So, even if you manage to fit your beer calories into your diet, they still might have a more negative effect as compared to other calories consumed.

Fat Gain: When you consume alcohol, most of your cells prefer to burn it as a fuel source before they switch back to burning their usual mixture of carbs and fats. This means that your body is not burning the other calories as efficiently, and they are slightly more likely to be stored as fat. If your goal is weight loss, then alcohol is likely to slow down your progress.

Impaired Recovery: Alcohol directly reduces the rate of recovery after a training session. It means that the harder you train and the more recovery demands you make on your body, the more pronounced the harmful effects of alcohol will be. Athletes, in particular, are likely to be most affected since recovery plays such an important role in their performance.

Effect on Sleep: Sleep is the elixir of life, and plays a critical role in facilitating weight loss, muscle gain, and general wellness. Alcohol disrupts the normal sleep cycle and makes it more difficult for someone to reach levels of deep sleep.

Hydration Issues: Alcohol consumption causes dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, so be prepared to make a LOT of trips to the bathroom.

I bet, no one wants to hear alcohol is bad and just STOP drinking. So here is what you can do to reduce some of its effects on your health.

1. Drink in moderation: Don’t consume more than 2-4 drinks at a time. Also restrict the number of times you drink to may be once in two weeks.
2. Avoid “kaddies”: High-calorie snacks with alcohol are a big no-no. Stay away from them.
3. Mixers: Use a calorie-free beverage. Water and plain soda are preferable.
4. Avoid drinking too late: Maintain a sufficient gap between happy hours and bed time
5. Less is Better: An obvious one – try to limit alcohol intake as much as possible
6. The Other Liquid Of Life: Remember to stay hydrated. Drink water between drinks and after you’re done.

These are just guidelines that can reduce the adverse effect of alcohol. But keep in mind that there will likely be a trade-off with your health. Include alcohol in your lifestyle only if you are okay with that.

As always, drink responsibly!

Cheers!!

References –
1.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24748461/
2.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20575805/
3.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10840864/
4.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19079280/
5.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22254055/

Scuba Dive

I love adventure and thrill in life, so I decided to get certified in Scuba diving.
To get started we enrolled with Captain Rick who runs the dive school in Westerville. He is a US Army Veteran and was a NAVY Sea Cadet Scuba Instructor.
Getting certified with NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) was no fun, as it took me to school learning about buoyancy and air pressure. Had to clear online exam which I did great with the help of fun videos and online learning experience.
Next was to be show the stamina to the diving instructor and to achieve it, had to swim 9 laps without stopping in Westerville aquatic club, and also did many dive sessions in 10 feet pool.
I was all set and flew to Florida with my mom for getting both of us certified in Scuba diving. We did our open water dive in a huge lake and 3 dives 40-70 feet in Atlantic Ocean, this was all when I was 10 year old in 2017.
The whole process took 6 months to be called certified Scuba Diver.

Long story short the experience I am talking about here was diving in WV at Summersville Lake few weeks back. The lake is formed by a rock-fill dam (Summersville Dam) on the Gauley River, south of Summersville in Nicholas County. It is the largest lake in West Virginia, with maximum depth of 327
feet.
I did two dives here on a beautiful day going down 40 feet. The experience was different than my firstdive in Florida 3 years back. Florida was ocean with salt, yet many fishes and corals. Summersville wasrocky clear lake with beautiful views.
Planning for more dives this New Year in Florida. If you are interested, Captain Rick does discovery divesessions, to help you for the path to get certified as Scuba Diver.
Here is link to my Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA1x8UCNaZs

Sky Dive

I have a very long bucket list, and one of the things was to Skydive.
My first dive was in Sep 2016, in Columbus OH. The best part of this dive was Jay (Husband) planned to give me birthday surprise to fulfill one of the long pending bucket list. My mom who was 56 year old then, and had acute Rheumatoid also decided to dive with me. What else to ask for in life; when you have such an inspiring and motivating family.Then Sep 2020, Jay (Husband) and few of my friends decided to give me birthday gift again to Skydive in Chicago. Best part was the friends who were willing to dive with me as my birthday gift had acute Acrophobia (Fear of heights). The experience both times cannot be explained, however I will try to put few words here:
In the hangar we put on our harnesses and helmets and were given instructions. After signing a few papers we were on our way to the plane! There were few of us in a very small space, some getting certified, some like me for the adrenaline rush.
Suddenly we were 14,000 feet above the ground. Its tandem skydive, which means tied to the instructor, still has few protocols to be followed; like making sure legs are folded behind before jumping off the plane, body in arch shape during free fall etc.,

Slowly the people in plane started to jump, and then it was my turn, and here we go with free fall of 240-290 km/hr. for 60 sec (This is the thrill of the skydive; with strong wind gushing on the face, and just falling freely down from the height of 14,000 feet).And then the parachute opens and everything suddenly slows down. We floated peacefully towards
earth, leaving the beautiful clouds behind us.
This was definitely one of the chilling and most exhilarating experiences of my life. The sensation of falling from so high is amazing and the adrenaline rush is crazy every time it’s done.
The sense of achievement of being able to fulfill the bucket list, not just once but twice feels just so good.
Thanks for reading my experience and am happy to answer questions, if planning for your dive.
Here is my YouTube channel with both the videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC9aga2b1eTAj4fkXeu8RLQ

Meals on Wheels volunteers

September 27, 2020: Subin, Simple Subin, Kevin Subin and Trisha Subin

Completed Route #V1801

September 13, 2020: Praveen Kumar, Priya Praveen and Gauri Praveen

Completed Route #1600

 Huge Thanks to the volunteers!

Ullathu kondu Onam pole – an age old saying reminding us that no matter what, we Malayalees celebrate Onam with as much or as little as we have. This year’s Onam has taken this thought to new heights with COVID taking the sheen out of Onam. For many, the high voltage festival of pookalam, puli kali, boat race, kasavu dresses and yummilicious sadya has been reduced to an indoor game. But COVID has not been able to dent the malayalee spirit. This keeps us ticking and kicking. Most of us may have a story of loss or agony to share but we are ready to welcome our erstwhile ruler KING MAHABALI

– Nithya Rajagopalan

ഓണ സദ്യ

തുമ്പ മലരിന്റെ ചന്തമുണർത്തുന്ന

ചൂടുള്ള കുത്തരി ചോറിൽ

അൻപോടെ അമ്മ വിളമ്പി, നറുമണം

എങ്ങും പരത്തും നറുനെയ്!

പൂക്കളത്തോളം മനോഹരം തന്നെ

തൂശനിലയിലെ വട്ടം

ഒക്കെ കഴിച്ചിട്ടുവേണം സുഖമായി

ഉച്ച മയക്കത്തിലാഴാൻ!

എത്രയോ കാലമായ് ഉള്ളിലൊതുക്കിയ

മോഹമാണീ ഓണ സദ്യ!

“ഇത്രയുമായാൽ ഇനിതുടങ്ങാം”, എന്ന്

മുത്തശ്ശി മെല്ലെപറഞ്ഞു

പച്ചടി, കിച്ചടി, കാളനവിയൽ, പിന്നെ

അച്ചാറുകൾ നാലു കൂട്ടം

കായ വറുത്തതും ശർക്കര ചേർത്തതും

ആകെയൊരാഘോഷമത്രെ!

നൂറ്റെട്ടുകൂട്ടം കറികൾക്ക് തുല്യമാം

ഇഞ്ചിക്കറി ചിരി തൂകി!

ഏറ്റവും വേഗത്തിലെല്ലാം കഴിക്കണം രണ്ടിനം

പായസമുണ്ട്‌ പിന്നാലേ!

അമ്മതൻ കൈപ്പുണ്യം തൊട്ടുണർത്തി,

നാവിലെന്നോ മറന്ന രുചികൾ!

എല്ലാം ഇവിടെ തൊടിയിലുണ്ടാക്കിയ

പച്ചക്കറികളാണത്രെ!

ഓർമ്മയിൽ പൂത്തുലഞ്ഞു, ബാല്യ-

കാലത്തെ ഓണ ഘോഷങ്ങൾ

കൂട്ടുകാരോടോത്തു ചെയ്ത കുസൃതികൾ,

ഏറെ രസിച്ച കളികൾ

‘ഇത്തിരിക്കൂടെകഴിക്കൂ!’, അമ്മ

വാത്സല്യമോടെപറഞ്ഞു

ഓർമ്മകൾക്കൊപ്പം മധുരമാം പായസം

ആസ്വദിച്ചേറെക്കഴിച്ചു! 

മുറ്റത്തു കുട്ടികളോടിത്തിമിർക്കുന്നു,

പൊട്ടിച്ചിരികളുയർത്തി

മൂവാണ്ടൻ മാവിന്റെ കൊമ്പിലെയൂഞ്ഞാലിൽ

ആടി രസിക്കുവാൻ മോഹം!

കുട്ടികളെയുമവളെയും ഇക്കുറി

കൊണ്ടുവരാമായിരുന്നു

നാട്ടിലെ ഓണവും സദ്യയും കൂട്ടവും

 ഒക്കെയുമിഷ്ടമായേനേ!

മാവിന്ചുവട്ടിലേക്കേറേയുത്സാഹത്തിൽ

ആടുവാനായ് ചെന്ന നേരം

കുട്ടികുസൃതികൾ, ആരോ ഒരാളെന്നെ

മെല്ലെപിറകോട്ടു തള്ളി

പിന്നെ അശരീരി പോലെയേതോ ശബ്ദ-

മെന്റെ ചെവിയിൽ പതിഞ്ഞു

‘വേഗമെഴുന്നേറ്റ് വന്നേ, നേര-

മെട്ടരയായീട്ടോ  മാഷേ!’

‘ഓണമല്ലേ, നല്ല സദ്യ വേണം,

ഒട്ടൊക്കെ വാങ്ങിവരേണം’

ശ്രീമതി തട്ടിയുണർത്തിയതോ, സ്വപ്ന-

മായിരുന്നോ കണ്ടതെല്ലാം!

മാധുര്യമൂറുന്ന സ്വപ്ന ലഹരിയിൽ

ഓടിയൊളിക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കേ

ഓണമൊരുക്കുവാനുള്ള തിടുക്കത്തിൽ

വീണ്ടും അശരീരി വന്നു 

‘ഫ്രോസൺ’ ആണെങ്കിലും, ചേന വേണം,

കൂട്ടുകറിക്കത് ‘മസ്റ്റാ’

സാമ്പാറി ‘നോഥന്റീസിറ്റി’ വരുത്തുവാൻ

വേണം മുരിങ്ങക്കയൊന്ന്

കേരളപപ്പടം ഇല്ലെങ്കിലോ, ലിജ്ജത്തി-

ലാകട്ടെ ഈവര്ഷമോണം

ഉപ്പുമാങ്ങ മറക്കേണ്ട, നാരങ്ങയച്ചാർ

കുറച്ചുണ്ട് ഫ്രിഡ്ജിൽ

പായസം ബുക്കുചെയ്യാൻ വൈകി അയ്യോ! 

ഉണ്ടാക്കുവാനോ പ്രയാസം 

പാലടയാണോ എളുപ്പം? എങ്കിൽ

പഞ്ചസാര മറക്കൊല്ലേ

ഉണ്ണിക്ക് സ്വാദോടെഉണ്ണാൻ ‘പാസ്ത’

വേണം, അതിനുള്ള ‘സോസും’

മോൾക്കിന്ന്  ലഞ്ചിന്നൊരല്പം സ്വാദ്

കൂട്ടാൻ ഒരു പായ്ക്ക് ‘ലേയ്സും’

പൂക്കളും വേണം കുറച്ചു, നല്ല

പൂക്കളം മുൻപിലൊരുക്കാൻ 

വാടാത്തതായാലെളുപ്പം  പിന്നെ

‘ക്ലീനിങ്’ സൗകര്യമല്ലേ!

വേഗം പുറപ്പെടൂ, വൈകിപ്പോയാൽ

ഊണും അതുപോലെ വൈകും

പോയിവരുമ്പോഴേക്കും ‘ബ്രേക്ക്

ഫാസ്റ്റ്’ റെഡിയാക്കി വെക്കാം

ഏറെ തണുത്ത പാലിൽ കുതിർ-

ന്നാറിയ ‘കോൺ ഫ്ലെക്സി’നോർമ്മ

ഊഷ്മള സ്വപ്നങ്ങളെല്ലാം തല്ലി-

യോടിച്ചിതയ്യോ, എണീക്കാം!

ഇല്ലെങ്കിലോണവും പോകും, ഓർമയിൽ

ഒന്നും എഴുതി വെക്കാതെ!

‘ലിസ്റ്റ് റെഡിയാക്കി വെക്കൂ, ഉടൻ

ഫ്രഷായി ഞാനിതാ വന്നു’!

Onam Nostalgia

Smitha Nishant (lives in Worthington, OH with her family. She is a native of Trivandrum, India.)

Onam is one festival that I really look forward to every year. When I setup my calendar at the start of the year, it’s the date I mark down first even before I do birthdays and anniversaries. It’s the festival that I take great pride in as a Malayali as it celebrates equality, oneness, and prosperity for all.

Growing up, Onam holidays marked the end of first term at school and the dreaded Onappareeksha, and the start of a much anticipated 10-day long vacation where cousins and other family from far and near would get together at my maternal grand-mother’s (ammachy as I called her) house. Ammachy would stock up on banana chips, murukku, unniyappam, achappam, ariyunda – not just for the perpetually hungry grandkids but also to serve to the truck loads of relatives who would come visit around Onam time. My youngest uncle who was a college student at the time would put up swings for us and join us in the myriad of games we played. My mom and aunts would be busy in the kitchen with my ammachy while all of us kids would play in the grounds all day. Evenings were reserved for board games, 28, and carroms. The highlight of the avadhikkaalam was the delicious sadhyas ammachy, my aunts, and mom would prepare for Uthradam and Thiruonam, but as kids we were partial to the first Onasadhya as we would be served non-veg side dishes also, such as ammachy’s legendary mutton curry or fried chicken. She made the best tasting ada-pradhaman in the whole world (in a big uruli) that we would smash a banana into and savor with our hands from the sadhya leaf. My father being an NRI would miss most Onams but my uncles made up for his absence showering me and my sister with onakodies and other gifts.

I grew up in Trivandrum at a time when it still retained the charms of a small town despite being the capital city. I loved watching the hustle and buzzle of Onam shopping in the Chalai bazaar from my school bus as it took me back home on the last day of school before the vacation started. Onam vacations saw a lot of the immigrant residents travelling back to their native places, but it also brought in folks who descended to the capital to partake in the “Onam vaaraakhosham”. Kerala Tourism’s weeklong Onam celebrations were an integral part of my childhood. There were arts and craft fairs in the Putharikandam maithanam, and if we were lucky, the circus would come to town as well. Trees and government buildings from East Fort to Kowdiar Square would be lit up for a fortnight. I’d eagerly wait for that special evening my uncle would announce that he was going to take all of us kids to watch it – jam packed into the back of his old Ambassador, we had such fun enjoying the illuminations and festivities on both sides of the road. If we were lucky, he’d make a stop at the Kanakakunnu Palace and get us cotton candy and vanilla ice cream – special treats when we were growing up. The memories are so etched in my mind, it even brings back the scent of freshly mowed grass in the palace grounds where we would run around and play games. Uncle would then take us all to watch an Onam release movie – “My Dear Kuttichaathan” was one such unforgettable Onam release.

Trivandrum Onam celebrations culminated with a grand parade (khoshayaathra) complete with colorful floats, dancers, marching bands, roller skaters, and the Mounted Police unit of the Kerala Police. There were years I participated in the parade as part of my school’s marching band, and one year I particularly remember marching fully drenched as it rained at the start of the parade.

Growing up in the United States, I know my son Rohan has a completely different Onam experience, primarily around Malayalee association Onam celebrations and getting together with friends for Onam sadhyas. In the land of plenty, vanilla ice cream cups and cotton candy are no more desirable than pancakes or waffles. I am happy to keep it that way as I am a firm believer that your Onam experiences should be representative of your background and not artificially created to match with the stereotypes. To each, their own. 

Onam is often described as a celebration of a glorious past. That is precisely what it is to me, a reminder of a childhood full of joy, love, family get-togethers, and the simple pleasures of life. Wishing you all a very happy Onam!

പൊലിഞ്ഞുപോയ സർഗ്ഗവാസനകൾ

Unnikrishnan Nair

സുഹൃത്തേ, ഓണത്തിന് കുറച്ചെന്തെങ്കിലും Newsletter നു വേണ്ടി എഴുതാമോ എന്നുചോദിച്ചപ്പോൾ, സാധിച്ചില്ല എന്നൊറ്റവാക്കിൽ പറഞ്ഞാൽ അതു താങ്കൾക്ക് വിഷമമാകുമോ എന്നുവിചാരിച്ചു…

താങ്കളുടെ മനോമുകരത്തിൽ തെളിഞ്ഞപോലെ ഞാനൊരു നല്ല കലാ സാഹിത്യ അഭിരുചിയുള്ള വ്യക്തിയൊന്നുമല്ല എന്നറിയിക്കട്ടെ. സ്കൂൾ കോളേജ് കാലഘട്ടത്തിൽ എന്തൊക്കെയോ കുത്തികുറിച്ചിരുന്നു, കൂടാതെ നാടകം/സ്കിറ്റ് എന്നൊക്കെ പറഞ്ഞു കുറച്ചു കസർത്തു കാണിച്ചു എന്നൊഴിച്ചാൽ, വെറും നാട്ടുമ്പുത്തു കാരനായ പച്ചയായ മനുഷ്യൻ. മാത്രമല്ല കലാലയ ജീവിതം അവസാനിച്ചപ്പോൾ അവയെല്ലാം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. ഒരുപക്ഷെ സഹപാഠികളുടെ ആദരവിനുവേണ്ടിയോ അതോ ഗുരുക്കൻമാരുടെ പ്രശംസ നേടാനുള്ള ചടുലവും സ്വാർഥവുമായ ആഗ്രഹംകൊണ്ടായിരുന്നോ അതെല്ലാം ചെയ്തത് എന്നോർമ്മയില്ല. ചെറുപ്പത്തിന്റെ വിവേകമില്ലായ്മയായേ ഇപ്പോൾ അതിനെ കാണുന്നുള്ളൂ.

സുന്ദരമായ കലാലയ ജീവിതം കഴിഞ്ഞു ജീവിത യാഥാർഥ്യങ്ങളെ അഭിമുഖീകരിച്ചു മുന്നോട്ടുള്ള പ്രയാണത്തിൽ കലയും സാഹിത്യവും കൂടെ കൊണ്ടുപോകാൻ സാധിക്കില്ലെന്നുള്ള യാഥാർഥ്യം നേരത്തേ മനസിലാക്കിയിരുന്നു.

ജീവിതത്തിന്റ സായം സന്ധ്യയിലെത്തിനിൽക്കുന്ന ഈ അവസരത്തിൽ ഒന്നു തിഞ്ഞുനോക്കിയാൽ, അന്ന് കൂടെയുണ്ടായിരുന്ന സർഗ്ഗവാസനകളൊക്കയും തുരുമ്പിച്ചുപോയി എന്നുപറഞ്ഞാൽ അതിശയോക്തിയാകില്ല. സത്യംപറഞ്ഞാൽ കയ്യിലുണ്ടായിരുന്നത് നഷ്ടപ്പെടുകയും, എന്തിനുവേണ്ടി ഓടിയിരുന്നുവോ അതു നേടിയതുമില്ല എന്ന യാഥാർഥ്യവും മനസിലായി. എങ്കിലും അല്ലലുമലച്ചിലും ഇല്ലാതെ ഇവിടെവരെയെത്തിച്ച ജഗദീശ്വരനോട് നന്ദി പറയാൻ മാത്രമേ ഈ അവസരത്തിൽ മനസുവരുന്നൊള്ളു.

ഓണാശംസകൾ…

Kids corner

The adventures of Smack-in-Cheese : Part 2

Hello my mysterious friends once again! If you still remember, my name is smack-n-cheese and my friends are nap-n-cheese and snack-n-cheese. 

This is our Quick Recap:

I got really hungry because snack-n-cheese ate everything in the house including the table and the fridge. Nap-n-cheese for some reason woke up really really quick jumping on me while I was trying to sleep. He told, it was ‘getting eaten day’ and he said he will jump on me until I become a red-hot-pepper.

Now let us start the story 

Snack-n-cheese said, luckily it is Christmas and I ate all the Christmas presents except for this black and white shovel which your great great great great great grandpa gave and which your grandpa found in the garage near your house. He says it is used to dig mystical things but I don’t believe him. He says, it will turn golden if it finds something mystical.

I said, great!! Now I can dig for mystical food, maybe it has a mystical flavor. 

Smack-n-cheese goes to the back garden and digs and digs and digs until the shovel turns golden. He finds a golden and green hot dog box with a dragon sign on it. He opened it and found a Hot Dog with the best Hot dog bun ever made and it came with ketchup and mustard. Smack-n-cheese said, this the best breakfast I have ever seen.

Snack-n-cheese sees the Hot Dog and tries to grab it from the box but a golden and yellow force field activated and Snack-n-Cheese bounced off and fell ten feet away. Then nap-n-cheese saw it and said, maybe to take the Hot Dog you have to sleep well. Nap-nCheese tried to grab the Hot Dog also but the force field activated again and he bounced off 15 feet away.

Smack-n-cheese said, I think you have to be the person who dug the Hot Dog out of the ground to take it. When Smack-n-cheese grabbed the Hot Dog, his hands went right through the force field and was able to grab the Hot Dog. When he ate it, Hot Dog’s rained from the sky and everyone had the best breakfast ever. The End!
P.S. The mystical box came from China and that is why it had a Dragon Sign

Drawing

Meals on Wheels volunteers

August 23, 2020: Saira Nawaz, Razvi Razack         Completed Rt 1801

August 9, 2020: Joseph Abraham, Nancy Joseph, Joshua Abraham, Rachael Abraham               Completed Rt 1600

  Huge Thanks to the volunteers!

*** Note from EC Team ***

Dear COMA Families,

With extreme happiness ,we  would like to convey our big thank you to all who joined us to kick start our Onam in Columbus .We really appreciate the effort and hard work you put  to make this event a grand success. Everyone extended their helping hand in one way or other and showed their true camaraderie and spirit.

A big shout out to all participants and their technical teams for putting together a digital frenzy ONAM!!!! We are thankful to our “Maveli thampuran” for putting an effort to show up in Columbus in the middle of this pandemic.

Let’s keep our community vibrant and active as always!!

Regards

EC 2020.