Newsletters

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!

---

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 !!!”

---

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.  

---

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!

---

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.

It is already the end of July, and summer is halfway done. July is mostly known for Independence Day, a day to remember how America gained independence. The Declaration of Independence was a key document in declaring independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th, 1776, causing July 4th to become the day for Independence Day. But July 4th wasn’t elected a federal holiday until 1941. This year, Independence Day has been very different. Normally we would visit kith and kin, go see fireworks, and try to enjoy one of the few long weekends we get in a year. But those traditions have been thrown off track this year because of the ongoing pandemic. But do not worry, you can still have fun. You can video call your family and friends and still enjoy the time you have off. In case you do go outside don’t forget to wear a mask, social distance, and stay safe.

---

A history of the COMA Bike Club

-Nish Nishant

Biking, unlike other fitness and workout routines, is an easy exercise to get into – all you need is a bike. The COMA biking club currently boasting around 50 members is one of our association’s many niche groups. The first unofficial group rides began in June 2016 with just 4 members (yours truly, Pramod Pudhiyattil, Vikas Gopal, and Arun Davis). We continued to do that in a sporadic fashion till 2018 when COMA began its active initiatives focusing on outdoor events. In early 2018, Deepak Warrier reached out to me and asked me if we could formalize the club, and we started the WhatsApp group at that time. A big boost to the club was when Ashish and Sangeetha Muthiraparambath joined, and started posting about their marathon rides which tremendously inspired the group. Until then we were mostly a “10-15 miles and back home” sorta club. The Olentangy trail became the unofficial COMA trail as that was conveniently located for most folks and is also one of the better trails in the area. 

This year, the lockdown had a pretty significant impact in increasing the activity levels and participation of the club. People were stuck home and could not go to their gyms, tennis courts, and badminton leagues. Folks like Pradeesh Puthiyattil with their multi-sport background joined and encouraged folks to push themselves beyond their current limits. As a result, more bikers started joining us, many of them investing in pretty good equipment, and now it’s not unusual for the bike club to do 30/40/50 mile rides on a consistent basis. Ashish and Sangeetha Muthiraparambath have been the main drivers behind the group exploring new trails, while Pradeesh has challenged everyone to move from casual riders to serious amateurs, and Pramod in his typical fashion has become the de-facto technical guru for everyone, from bike tune up tips to gear changing skills. 

Biking is a fitting group activity in these days of social distancing, and the opportunity to meet friends and acquaintances once a week is a boon. It’s also an adventure of sorts, the trails often offering exquisite views into the scenic Ohio landscapes. Many of these trails do not have direct road access other than through the trail, so you get to see unexplored sights and lots of picture postcard photo points. After a week of hard work, a 4 hour ride can be extremely relaxing to both mind and body. I would encourage you all to give this a shot, just reach out to the EC team if you are interested. 

Reflections & Ramblings #7: On Culture

– Hari Narayanaswamy

I don’t know about you but I find the word ‘culture’ very intriguing. Just like many of you, I am also part of many ‘cultural organisations’ and attend many ‘cultural programs’ (of course on Zoom these days). I am expected to have elements of a ‘unique corporate culture’ at work, ‘Hindu culture’ based on religion, ‘Oriental or Indian culture’ based on birth, ‘Tamil Brahmin culture’ as part of heritage, ‘Malayali culture’ per my upbringing, ‘Western or American culture’ per my citizenship. I am either super-saturated with culture or totally devoid of it that I could be of any culture!

I looked up on the online dictionary and this is what it said about Culture: the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time. The dictionary said few more things that was hard to make out exactly what they meant, but finally this is the simple conclusion I came to. Culture is an expected behaviour, set of values or preferences of a person based on the person’s community context. The emphasis is on the word ‘expected’ which essentially means there is a written or unwritten norms existing in the community. (I am about to pat myself on the back but that doesn’t fit the humility of my Indian culture)

How serious can the influence of cultural values could be? History is replete with many examples. The fire of the First Independence struggle of India in 1857, which the British describe as the Sepoy Rebellion, though simmering for a long time, was finally ignited when a rumour spread that the ammunition distributed to them was laced with animal fat. When Vasco Da Gamma arrived in Calicut in 1498, he showed up to Zamorin’s court with some worthless trinkets as gifts. He didn’t know that the custom was to bring in something substantial as gift. The Portuguese were promptly insulted and chased away by the displeased Zamorin and they in turn laid a siege in the sea murdering many Arab traders doing business with the Zamorin. A protracted fight between the Zamorins and Portuguese cost many lives and damage to each other’s properties.

In case you are wondering where I am going with this, I am thinking about the recent furore in some states over wearing masks to prevent the spread of Covid19. To most, this is a simple, reasonable request during such an extraordinary time to save people’s lives. But that is not how some others, steeped in a misinterpretation of personal freedom, see it. To them, it is the expression of their American identity to resist all attempts by an administration to curtail personal choice. Few others even raised a more nonsensical argument saying masks are a work of devil to interfere with God’s creation of free breathing! Could we attribute this to Culture? I don’t think so.

All of humanity is one society, irrespective of our nationality, race or religion. (If you are not sure of this, just ask the COVID19 virus, it will tell you). And in that society we have one key responsibility, to avoid doing anything that causes another fellow human being to lose his or her life. Especially when it is a minor accommodation like wearing a mask and keeping a social distance until this pandemic passes, just do it and not argue (even if you are an ‘argumentative Indian’) or try to hide behind a made up cultural identity. Please!

Please stay safe and do what you can to make others safe!

---

Recipe Corner

ചിക്കൻ ഗീ റോസ്സ്റ്റ് ചെട്ടിനാട് സ്റ്റൈൽ

-Presanth Krishnan

സാധാരണ ചിക്കൻ ബോൺ ഉള്ളതാണ് ഇത് ഉണ്ടാക്കാൻ നല്ലതു ഞാൻ ഇന്ന് ചിക്കൻ ബോൺലെസ്സ് ചെറുതായി കഷ്ണം ആക്കിയതാണ് ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നത് .

ആദ്യം എല്ലാ മസാല കൂട്ടുകളും തയ്യാറാക്കി വക്കുക. 

വറ്റൽ മുളക് (മുളക് പൊടി) – 3 സ്പൂൺ 

മല്ലി (മല്ലി പൊടി) – 1 സ്പൂൺ 

ജീരകം – 1 സ്പൂൺ

ഉലുവ – 1 സ്പൂൺ

കുരുമുളക് – 2 സ്പൂൺ

മഞ്ഞൾ പൊടി – 1 സ്പൂൺ

തൈര് – 1 കപ്പ്

പിഴു പുലി – 2 കഷ്ണം 

ഗീ / ബട്ടർ – 1 കപ്പ്

കറിവേപ്പില – 15 ഇലകൾ 

മല്ലിയില – കുറച്ചു 

ശർക്കര – 1 സ്പൂൺ 

ഉപ്പ് – 3 സ്പൂൺ

നാരങ്ങ – 1 എണ്ണം

വെളുത്തുള്ളി – 8 കഷ്ണം

ആദ്യം ചിക്കൻ കഷണങ്ങൾ  ആക്കിയത് തൈരും , ഒരു അരമുറി നാരങ്ങാ പിഴിഞ്ഞതും ,ഒരു സ്പൂൺ ഉപ്പും , ഒരു സ്പൂൺ മഞ്ഞൾ പൊടിയും ചേർത്ത് നന്നായി  ഇളക്കി ഒരു മണിക്കൂറ് മാറ്റി വക്കുക

പിഴു പുലി  ഒരു കാൽ കപ്പു ചൂട് വെള്ളത്തില് കുതിർത്തു വക്കുക 

(വറ്റൽ മുളക് (മുളക് പൊടി) ,മല്ലി (മല്ലി പൊടി) ,ജീരകം ,ഉലുവ , കുരുമുളക് ) ഇതെല്ലം നന്നായി ചൂടാക്കി ഒരു ബ്രൗൺ കളർ ആകുമ്പോ മാറ്റി വക്കണം എന്നിട്ടു അതൊന്നു തണുത്തു കഴിയുമ്പോ എല്ലാം കൂടി നന്നായി അരച്ച് എടുക്കുക കൂടെ വെളുത്തുള്ളി , പിന്നെ ആ പിഴു പുലി മാറ്റി അതിന്റെ വെള്ളം കൂടെ ചേർത്ത് അരക്കണം.

ഇനി ഒരു ഫ്രൈയിങ്ങ് പാനിൽ ആവശ്യത്തിന് 3 സ്പൂൺ ഗീ / ബട്ടർ ഒഴിച്ച് മാരിനേറ്റ് ചെയ്ത ചിക്കൻ വറുത്തെടുക്കുക.

അരച്ചെടുത്ത മസാല ഒരു പാനിൽ , 2 സ്പൂൺ ഉപ്പും കൂടി ഇട്ടു , 1 സ്പൂൺ ഗീ / ബട്ടർ ഒഴിച്ച് ചൂടാക്കി നന്നായി മസാല മണം വരുമ്പോ നമ്മൾ ആദ്യം ചിക്കൻ മാരിനേറ്റ് ചെയ്തു തൈര് മിശ്രിതവും , ചിക്കൻ വറുത്ത ഗീ എല്ലാം കൂടെ മിക്സ് ചെയ്തു ചൂടാകുമ്പോ വറുത്ത ചിക്കൻ കൂടെ ഇട്ടു നന്നായി ഇളക്കി കൊടുക്കണം. നമുക്ക് വേണ്ട അത്ര ഫ്രൈ ആകുമ്പോ തീ കുറച്ചു കറിവേപ്പില ഇട്ടു ഫ്രൈ  ആക്കി എടുക്കുക.

ഇത്തിരി മല്ലി ഇലകൂടി മുകളിൽ ഇട്ടു സെർവ് ചെയ്യാവുന്നതാണ്.

---

Youth Corner

The Adventures of ‘Smack-in-Cheese’

-Abel Arun Davis

Hello fellow readers! My name is Smack-in-cheese. My friends are Nap-in-cheese and Snack-in-cheese. Snack-in-cheese really likes to snack on cheese. It’s almost like a sport for him. Guess where I met him? In the college cafeteria. Well, not really. He was eating on the bus!

Nap-in-cheese really likes to nap on cheese. Why? I do not know. He says cheese is very comfy. Did you know he sleeps for 15 hours a night and eats his bed for lunch! And skips breakfast everyday! Did you know his bed is made of cheese Pizza?

Okay Okay, let us go 1000 miles to the story… Are we there yet? Oh now, we are here. Once upon a time… Wait a minute! This is not a fairytale. Or, is it? Don’t make fun of me. It’s not like I have a small brain. Or, maybe I do… Okay, well at least noodles are not smart.

Now, we go to the story. One college morning, I had the worst nightmare I had ever had. When I woke up, Nap-in-cheese was jumping on my belly. Today is the day he was yelling, “What day!”  yelled while yawning, “Getting eaten day”. He asked “and why is that good?”

“It is not” and that is why I am trying to beat you up till you look like a red pepper because I don’t want to waste time and no one will want to eat you.

Then, can’t you just eat me? Well, nap-in-cheese does not want to do that or else the bean(human bean-g) will get stuffed. Okay, well where is snack-in-cheese? Oh, he is eating the table.

Okay now, can you get out of here? 

Okay okay I will get out. 

Then do so! 

“Fine!” nap-in-cheese said with a frown 

When Nap-in-cheese went to snack-in-cheese I looked for him everywhere. When I looked in the fridge snack-in-cheese was in there and before I could say holy cheese crumbs, he jumped on me like a wild pepper right on my head. When he got off, I asked what was for breakfast? Then he turned pale as Ranch and fell sideways. One hour later snack-in-cheese wakes up. Look what you have done? You ate the table? Weeeee! Now what will we put for breakfast? 

Ahem, that is what YOU will eat for breakfast.

Well, what did you eat then?

“The Table!”, said snack-in-cheese

To be continued..

What will smack in cheese eat? Find out in Part 2

---

Malayalam Class 2020-2021

Hello All,

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer vacation and staying safe.

The year 2020 has taken all of us by surprise and we all are trying to learn what a “New Normal” way of living looks like. We at ‘COMA Malayalam class’ also had to learn and make changes in the way we do things and find a new normal. We were able to continue some classes online for the last few months of the 2019/2020 school year. Our current plan is to continue that format this school year with the hope of going back to in-person format when the situation permits.

We are very delighted to announce that COMA Malayalam class will resume on Sunday, 08/23/2020. Interested COMA members, please register by sending an email to coma.officials@gmail.com. The class schedule will continue to be from 11:00 AM to noon every Sunday except holiday weekends and will be conducted via online classes.
Any changes to the schedule or format will be informed in advance so that you can plan accordingly.
Please note that COMA membership is a requirement to join the class.
Looking forward to another wonderful year.

-2020 EC & Malayalam class team

---

Meals on Wheels Volunteers

July 12, 2020: Manoj Thomas, Julie Joseph, Unni Nair, Latha Nair
Completed Route: # V1600

July 12, 2020: Valsan Palika, Hrishi Palika, Niran Palika
Completed Route: #V1801

This pandemic has torn the the idea of how all of us visualize graduation ceremonies to be. Class of 2020, the world has changed. This moment is your opportunity to use your education to begin rebuilding, to apply the best of what you’ve learned. You all are Kings and Queens. 

COMA would like to congratulate the Class of 2020. Please join us to wish them the best.

Abitha Vinoyi, daughter of Ancey Vinoyi and Vinoyi Varughese, graduated from Olentangy Orange High School this year. She will be attending the Ohio State University, majoring in Computer Science & Engineering. In high school, she has participated in Senior Class Cabinet, Tri-M, National Arts Honors Society, Orchestra, Pioneer Ambassadors, Art Club, Interact Club, Student Council, Track & Field, Theater, Choir, and Fashion Club.

Norah Philip has graduated high school from Hilliard Davidson High school with Presidential Award and Honors Diploma. She is a member of NHS. Norah is a recipient of the thespian award. She will be attending Virginia Tech for Computer Science and engineering in the fall. Norah is the oldest daughter of Jicku Philip and Thankom Thomas Thamarappallil. 

Neelima Gopinath, daughter of Gopinath Haridass and Preethi Gopinath, graduated summa cum laude from Thomas Worthington High School. Neelima will be attending The Ohio State University in the fall as a Business major and will be part of the Politics, Law and Society Scholars program. Neelima is a recipient of the Women’s Business Scholarship from the Women’s Business Network of the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce. She was a part of Orchestra, National Honors Society, Spanish National Honors Society and Chemistry Club. She also volunteered at Riverside Hospital. She looks forward to continuing her education in the next stage of her life.

Adarsh (“Adu”) Vengal, younger son of Jacob Vengal (COMA Trustee) and Meenu Vengal graduated with a BS in Math (major) and Physics (minor) in the honors program at OSU. He will be joining the PhD program in Math at the University of California, San Diego this September. While at OSU Adu did research in Physics and Math. His Physics and Math research have been published. Jacob who’s dream in life was to become a Physics professor in SB College Changanacherry, couldn’t understand a single sentence from his physics research and said that to Adu. His response was “Appa, it is not meant for beginners”. Needless to say, Jacob didn’t make any more comments!!! Adu received first price for his Math research in a national conference. He has been a teaching assistant from his 5^th semester. Adu’s passion for Math was clear from the elementary school.

Diviya Jacob, daughter of Naduparambil and Rajani Jacob.  She recently graduated from The Ohio State University with Bachelors degree in Neuroscience.  The past four years have been an educational experience for her in more than one aspect.  Looking back, she is very grateful for the opportunities that came my way and the support she had throughout this chapter of my life.  She is looking forward to making the most of what comes next!

Rachel Varughese, daughter of Thomas Pullumpallil and Preetha Varughese. She has graduated summa cum laude from Hilliard Davidson High School with an honors diploma. She will be attending The Ohio State University in the honors program, majoring in Chemical Engineering. During high school, she was President of the Environmental Club, where she helped to establish a district-wide recycling program. She has also been a two-year National Honors Society Inductee, served as the Executive Community Service Liaison for Student Council, volunteered as an appointed board member of Key Club, and played in the Chamber A orchestra. She would like to congratulate all 2020 graduates as we embark on the next stage of our lives together.

Niranjan, son of Valsan and Vijaya, is graduating from Olentangy High School.  He will be attending Ohio State University and plans to major in Mechanical Engineering. Niranjan is a member of the National Honor Society and part of JV Tennis team

Arvind Kumar, son of Ajoy and Beena, and has graduated from Dublin Coffman High School as a valedictorian with summa cum laude, Honor’s Diploma, National Merit Commended Scholar, Presidents Award, and National AP Scholar. He will be attending The Ohio State University in the fall majoring in Computer Science and Engineering.

Nitin Gopinath, son of Preethi Gopinath & Gopinath Haridass, graduated from The Ohio State University with the Bachelors degree in Material Science & Engineering. He’s currently working in IT on campus but plans to pursue full time work in the future

Nithya Warrier graduated from Dublin Jerome High school and will be going to University  of  Cincinnati for medical sciences. She ran cross country and track for all four years, and also was the becoming president of the Mock Trial.

Achievements:
National Merit Commended Scholar,
AP Scholar with Distinction,
Presidents Education Award,
Valedictorian,
Diploma with Honors

Meals on wheels volunteers

June 14: Arun Kumar, Priya Arun, Aishwarya Arun and Adithya Arun

June 28 : Nish Nishant, Pradeesh Pudhiyattil and Anoop Nair

Please submit the form below, if interested.

https://forms.gle/2giY8CjnvsJjeAA46

Nithya Rajagopalan

SUMMER IS NOT COMPLETELY CANCELLED.

This is not the summer we had hoped or planned for.

The calendar is littered with cancelled vacations and summer camps, shuttered pools and playgrounds, spots in our calendars meant to be spent with friends and loved ones. But wait,there really is still fun to be had. With a little bit of imagination, we can set ourselves free from that cage of coronavirus. We can play silly games. Connect with family and friends. And find ways to express gratitude for others.

We all recently celebrated Mother’s Day. From giving emotional, mental, and physical support to teaching important life skills, there are millions of reasons why moms are the best. But what about all those other motherly figures who have a special place in our lives? Let’s brighten their day as well. Give them a call and let them know that you think about them and their well-being. Let’s blanket our world with LOVE. It’s simple!

Reflections or Ramblings #6: Life in the times of Corona

Hari Narayanaswamy

It will be totally farce to start this column by saying “Hope you are doing fine”, “these are unprecedent times”, etc. Such words have slowly started to wear down and annoy us. Let’s be honest, there is plenty of anxiety and concern to deal with for everyone. Some of us have managed to do better in dealing with them, some have chosen to effectively not think about them, and some others are struggling. How in the world can one manage to keep spirits up in such times?  (I mean, without reaching for the “spirit” that comes in bottles)

Google this question and I am sure plenty of answers will be available. There may be shortages of masks, PPEs or toilet paper, but not for unsolicited advices — most of them peddled through the greatest fake news platform, WhatsApp. In looking for something that would provide a strong, practical take on the subject, I stumbled upon this sensible article, thanks to a friend who shared it: “The Three Equations for a Happy Life, Even During a Pandemic”

If you have the time, please do read the article. For now, I would like to share few thoughts that came to mind when I read it. The crux of the article’s message is that there are four factors we need to keep our chins up: Faith, Family, Friends and Work. Get these four in order and solidly in place, pandemic or no pandemic, we will be fine. Let’s look at these factors one by one.

Faith: It doesn’t matter what shape or form faith takes; the fact is we need it. Even a God-less one will do. The point is to have a framework available to deal with things that are beyond us, enable us to view things in a broader perspective, enrich us with empathy and gratitude, and most importantly anchor ourselves in life’s meaning and purpose.

Family: A family is formed when more than one person has come together to live a common life. There are definitely individual needs, aspirations, hobbies, friend circles, etc. But ultimately the love and care one gets in family is unique and irreplaceable.

Friends: There is something special we get from the company of friends that we don’t from family. Maybe it’s the opportunity to drop all internal protective shields and become vulnerable without the fear of being hurt or destroyed. It is surprising that while with family we may feel a need to watch over ourselves, with true friends we hardly ever do. We need friends to share without being judged, have the confidence that they will be there in times of need as well as happiness and finally, just to hang around with.

Work: This is not about what we do to make a living, but what we do to make ourselves useful and find meaning and purpose. True work is where we derive our self-respect, mission and purpose of life. The question is how much are we dedicated to it? How much time do we give to it?

I believe there is one more factor that the article probably implied but didn’t mention explicitly: our own personal value system that provides the bed rock on which the above are built. If that foundation is a shifting sand, we don’t stand a chance. Otherwise, we are in good shape, irrespective what the future holds for us.

ഓർമയുടെ സീക്ബാർ

Aravind Venugopalan

പ്രതേകിച്ചു ഒരു ശ്രമവും ഇല്ലാതെ എപ്പോളും നമുക്കു ലഭിക്കുന്നതിനു വില കുറയും എന്ന് പലരും പറയുന്നത് ശെരിയാണെന്നു തോന്നും ചിലപ്പോൾ ഒക്കെ. ഏതു പാട്ടും എപ്പോൾ വേണമെങ്കിലും നമ്മുടെ വിരൽ തുമ്പിൽ കിട്ടുന്ന കാലമാണ് ഇത്. മാത്രമല്ല കേട്ട ഭാഗം എത്ര വേണം എങ്കിലും വലിയ ശ്രമവും തേയ്മാനവും കൂടാതെ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും കേൾക്കാൻ നമ്മളെ സഹായിക്കുന്ന സീക് ബാറുകൾ ലഭ്യമായ കാലം. പക്ഷെ എന്നിട്ടും ഇന്റർനെറ്റ് തലമുറയ്ക് തൊട്ടു മുന്നേ ഉള്ള നമ്മളെ പോലെ ഉള്ളവർക്കു  എന്താ കൊമ്പുണ്ടോ ? ഏതു പാട്ടിനെ കുറിച്ച് ചോദിച്ചാലും ഒരു ഏകദേശ വിവരം ഒക്കെ കാണും എപ്പോളും …ആര് എഴുതി ? ആര് സംഗീതം ചെയ്തു ? വരികൾ , ചിലപ്പോൾ രാഗങ്ങൾ വരെ ….

അതിന്റെ ഗുട്ടൻസ് മനസിലാക്കണം എങ്കിൽ നമ്മൾ ഓർമയുടെ സീക് ബാർ ഒന്ന് പുറകിലോട്ട്  വലിച്ചു ഞെരക്കിയാൽ മതി. mp3 ഫയലുകൾ ഇല്ലാത്ത കാലം. നമ്മുടെ സമയം മാറ്റി വെച്ച് ആകാശവാണിക്ക് കാത് കൊടുത്തിരുന്ന കാലം. ഒട്ടു മിക്ക വീട്ടിലും കാണും ബാറ്ററിയിൽ പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന ഒരു ഫിലിപ്സ് റേഡിയോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ , ഏതേലും ഒരു പ്രവാസി സമ്മാനിച്ച ഒരു ജപ്പാൻ നിർമിത നാഷണൽ പാനാസോണിക് ടേപ്പ് റെക്കോർഡർ.  ഇഷ്ടഗാനങ്ങൾ കേൾക്കാൻ കാത്തിരിക്കണം. അല്ലെങ്കിൽ കത്ത് എഴുതണം. അങ്ങനെ കാത്തു ഇരുന്നു  കാത്തിരുന്നു കിട്ടുന്നതിന്റെ സുഖം അനുഭവിക്കാൻ പലപ്പോഴും കട്ടിലിൽ മലർന്നു കിടന്ന് നെഞ്ചിനു മുകളിൽ റേഡിയോ വെച്ചിട്ട് ആകും പാട്ടുകൾ   ആസ്വദിക്കുക. യേശുദാസിന്റെ ശബ്ദം കർണ പുടങ്ങളിലും റേഡിയോയുടെ സ്പന്ദനം ചങ്കിലും നൽകുന്ന കമ്പനങ്ങൾ ആസ്വദിച്ച് ആയിരിക്കും മിക്കവാറും ഓർമ്മകൾ നുകരുന്നത്. അത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ അതിനു മധുരം ഏറും , ആവശ്യം ഇല്ലാത്തത് കേൾക്കണ്ടല്ലോ എന്നുള്ള ചിന്ത പോലും അന്ന് ഉണ്ടാകില്ല. തുടക്കം മുതൽ ഒടുക്കം വരെ നമുക്കു ആവശ്യം ഉള്ളത് തന്നെ , ഗാനരചന , സംഗീതം തുടങ്ങിയ വിവരങ്ങളും നമ്മൾ അറിയാതെ നമ്മുടെ ഉള്ളിൽ എഴുതപ്പെടും.  നീക്കി കളയാൻ ഇന്നുള്ള സീക് ബാർ അന്ന് ഇല്ലല്ലോ.

പിന്നെ ഉള്ള വേറെ ഒരു കാര്യം , റേഡിയോവിൽ വരുന്ന ഇഷ്ട ഗാനങ്ങൾ ടേപ്പ് റെക്കോർഡറിൽ റെക്കോർഡ് ചെയുക എന്നുള്ളതാണ്. കൊതി തോന്നുമ്പോൾ ഒക്കെ വീണ്ടും ഇട്ടു കേൾക്കാൻ അതായിരുന്നു അന്നത്തെ മാർഗം. പക്ഷെ എന്നാലും , ടേപ്പ് റെക്കോർഡറിന് ഒട്ടും  വേദനിക്കരുതേ എന്നുള്ള മട്ടിൽ ആയിരുന്നു , റിവൈൻഡും , റീപ്ലേ ഉം ഒക്കെ…അത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ അതിനു ഒക്കെയും മധുരം ആയിരുന്നു. ഒരിക്കലൂം മായാത്ത പാട്ടിന്റെ ഒരു വലിയ ഡാറ്റാബേസ് ഉള്ളിൽ ഇൻസ്റ്റാൾ ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ടത് അങ്ങനെ ആയിരുന്നു. അത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ ആണ് അന്നത്തെ ആ വികാരത്തെ കേൾവി ജ്ഞാനം എന്ന് ഇന്ന് ഉള്ളവർ പറയുന്നത്. അത് ജ്ഞാനം ഒന്നും ആയിരിക്കില്ല, ഒരു പക്ഷെ തീക്ഷ്ണമായ ജീവിത അനുഭവങ്ങളുമായി കെട്ടി പിണഞ്ഞതു കാരണം , മായാതെ കിടക്കുന്നത് ആയിരിക്കണം.  റേഡിയോയുടെ മൂളൽ പോലും , ചാറ്റൽ മഴയുടെ ശബ്ദം പോലെ കേട്ടുകൊണ്ട് ഉറങ്ങി ശീലിച്ചത് കൊണ്ടാകണം. എന്തും അകക്കാമ്പിൽ ആലേഖനം ചെയ്യപ്പെടുന്നത് , അതിനു നമ്മുടെ അനുഭവങ്ങളും വികാരങ്ങളും ആയി കെട്ടി പുണരാൻ കഴിയുമ്പോൾ ആണ്. സീക് ബാറുകൾ  പെട്ടെന്ന് അടിച്ചു ഏല്പിച്ച എന്നോ വിടർന്നു  എന്നോ വാടിയ പൂവിനെകാൾ കുളിരു ഏകുന്നത് നമ്മുടെ മുന്നിൽ തന്നെ ഉള്ളിൽ  മൊട്ടിട്ട് , ഒരുനാൾ വിടർന്ന പൂവിനാണ്. അതിനു മണമേറും , നിറമേറും…

Account Books

Ravi Hariharan

The dusty wind raged, trees shook in fury
The cremation ground found life once again.
The eyes slowly opened, as it awoke;
From the long slumber, into the memory lane;
I traced the footsteps of the past, plucked;
Branches out of all the dead trees that I saw.
Fallen leaves with tainted edges on the wayside,
Turned green, as my mind took them on a ride;

A journey through my past, which captures in its palm moments of happiness, satisfaction, sorrow, sometimes pain! A journey most of us willingly take, because the journey brings hope and solace to a desperate heart and moments of ecstasy to a joyful one.

Why do we like to travel through those already treaded paths of yesterdays? Is this human ability to think and analyze the past a gift or a curse?

I have heard my grandmother say “In 1974, when my son went to my sister’s house, she didn’t offer him even a cup of coffee. Did I do anything wrong by not offering her son a cup of coffee yesterday?!” And she would give out a sarcastic smile of having scored a great moral victory over her enemy who happens to be none but her very own sister! Needless to say, people have long memories, memories that span years and many a times decades. Often, I have wondered, how a Bollywood film hero manages to keep the fire of hatred burning in his heart for 20 long years to finally take revenge on the villain who destroyed his family. Having seen myriad instances of such in my own family, now I understand how…!

“Account Books” … a strange phrase that my mother has coined to call such memories, a book with debit and credit…Debit standing for all the good and happy memories which many a times we forget to enter in the book, because we take them for granted…and credit standing for all those moments of pain, ignominy and hurt inflicted by others on us…which we never forget to enter in our Account Book and which like any normal credit has to be paid back! Every time my mother talked about the “Account Book” that many around her kept up to date, I would make a self-introspection by opening my Account book and to my disappointment always found it thick and updated!

Why do we keep this Account Book of memories? Why does a human mind like to entangle itself with the knots which it has already unknotted? What does a human mind ultimately achieve with this “Eye for an eye…a tooth for a tooth policy.”?

I remember making a visit to Myrtle beach few years back and how amazed I was to see a huge chunk of shells that covered the beach sands. As I stood tall and looked at it, they looked all white and beautiful. I knelt and gave a closer look. Suddenly I saw a shell that was all black and ugly…And then I found another one. And then as I stood up. I felt that all the shells looked that way! Similarly, many of us have this habit of thinking of happy memories of the past. Well…Sometimes our mind doesn’t stop at those. The curious that our mind is…starts analyzing…incidents and people and before one stops thinking one realizes that those memories have actually lost a bit of shine.

Needless to say those memories of bad incidents that happened, much like an evening sky would only become darker, the more one looks at it, and hurt us more. Many a times such memories give us a feeling of guilt of inability which finally ends in self-pity which is the biggest source of false consolation a human heart can receive. So many a times, our heart tends to fall into this trap.

So why do we need memories? Isn’t it possible to live on without delving too much on past memories and neither on the unknown future? Like Dr. Spencer Johnson puts it, the biggest present we have is the present itself. So why not live the present to the lees without worrying about an unchangeable past and uncertain future?

I understand that it’s easier said than done, and many a times good memories are the best source of motivation and drive and the same can be said about our dreams for our future too. But having said that, let us try to consciously keep our Account books as thin as possible, not to break up the past or present for meticulous analysis and live as uncomplicated a life as we can live…trying to keep only the good memories and propel our lives forward, so when we look back at our lives a few years from now, we will have only good memories to think about.

Events

COMA Mother’s Day Event:

This Mother’s Day, a few mothers from COMA women’s group got together and decided to start their day with a fitness challenge – a virtual plank challenge to motivate our inner self ! All the mothers lit up lamp and observed a moment of silence as a solidarity to all our front line fighters in this current pandemic.

Here are a few pictures of the event:

Virtual 5k

Achievements

Gaurinanda Sudheesh Lekshmi won 3rd price in the FIA quiz competition. Congratulations Gauri !!

Meals on wheels volunteers

May 10: Saira Nawaz, Razvi Razack

May 24 : Binoy Rappai, Arun Davis, Dhanush Kondoth

Sponsors