Newsletters

COMA Newsletter April 2019

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We are into Spring here in Midwest,Season changes always brings in freshness and energy into our lives.Let’s start of this spring newsletter with a review of recently conducted badminton tournament.

This year COMA ventured into organizing a badminton tournament for the first time and with out any doubt this event was a great success.For all the badminton enthusiasts in the region the event was an opportunity to enjoy competitive games and to up their racket skills.This event saw an active participation of 112 players from central Ohio region.There were 56 teams which included 32 men’s,8 women’s and 16 mixed doubles team.

  • Men’s Doubles
    • Winners :Dilin Joy & Anoop Joseph
    • Runners Up: Padam Rai & Purna Rai
  • Women’s Doubles
    • Winners:Christina Lin & Easter Chen
    • Runner’s Up: Surabhi Patil & Srijana Chhethri
  • Mixed Doubles
    • Winners: Cindi Wu & Dongkan Hu
    • Runners Up: Chaithanya Reddy & Aswini Murthy

Youth Corner
It is this time of the year many of us look forward for a nice get away to a serene location with family and friends ,for all the travel buffs out there our youth member Arya Janardhanan has written a beautiful travelogue from her trip to Mexico

My trip to Mexico!

Arya Janardhanan (12 years)

I love to travel around the world to taste new food and see many historical sites. I have been to many different cities, states, and countries. I’ve always wanted to see more countries and when my dad told me that we were going to Cancun, Mexico, I exploded with excitement because we’ve never been there before.

I still remember when I first got to the hotel, an employee gave me some lemonade to cool me down from the sun’s burning rays. I quickly devoured it all joyfully. It was a huge hotel with a lot of activities to do – for example, golfing, swimming, painting, basketball, and much more. My family and I got to go swimming in the pools and play golf. My sister and I even got to paint ceramics and keep it. The food they served was impeccable. They had a buffet serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They had a variety of food items like croissants, pancakes, quesadillas, bacon, egg, steak, and they even had desserts like pudding, jello, and ice cream!

I thought staying there at Mexico couldn’t get any better – I was wrong! I got to see the ancient ruins of a civilization called the Mayans, and did I mention I love history. There were many structures at the site that had steps that looked like the steps you see right in front of your front door. The site wasn’t crowded, but was still very hot there, I felt like I was going to melt! It was between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit! It was cool seeing structures so old still standing. What was incredible was how the Mayans moved the heavy rocks and glued them together. The scenery was breathtaking. It felt like I was walking into the past and stepping into someone else world.

A few days after that, my family told me we were going in a submarine. When I was heading towards the submarine, I first had to get onto a boat, then the boast would take us to the submarine. It felt nice on the boat with the breeze on my face and looking at small plants rising out of the water. Once the boat was side by side with the submarine, I hopped in eagerly. When it started to descend into the water, I saw small statues covered by plants and other particles. In the middle of the ride, I saw how the sun glimmered against the sand and the rocks which made it very relaxing to watch underwater. The sand was in a pattern mode of wavy horizontal lines. There was a lot coral and seaweed standing on the sea floor slowly swaying with the water. Sometimes, there were little fish swimming past. I even got to see Dory! When the submarine was about to rise from the water, there was a little surprise for the people onboard. A mermaid came out of nowhere and swam past the submarine waving at us. Her tail was blue in color, and she had long and dark brown hair. After that, we went to the beach near our hotel to soak out feet in and to see the Gulf of Mexico. On the beach, I made sandcastles and left many footprints there. I love collecting seashells and rocks, so when my family and I were going to the beach, I collected as many rocks and seashells my hands could hold.

I saw the sunset at many different places. I remember once my family and I were going to see the sunset near a boat dock. We were running late, so we had to squeeze between people and run fast, so we wouldn’t miss the sunset. We barely made it on time. With the sun setting, the sky turned an orange and red color and in the center was the sun just barely peeking out. I learned a lot of things staying in Mexico. One of them was some Spanish, so we had to communicate with our hands to show where we were going, or if we were going to eat. They still didn’t understand us and spoke Spanish to us. My dad would go to an employee who knew English and would ask them how to say one word in Spanish.

I am going to miss Mexico, the hotel, and especially the temperature. We went to Mexico during December 2017, so in Columbus, it was about 20 degrees, while in Mexico it was 80 degrees. I took many photos and created many new memories. I will never forget my first trip to Mexico!


Arya delivering this travelogue at COMA Toastmasters on Aug 15, 2018.

Upcoming COMA Events

  • Thuruppu Gulan – COMA presents Thuruppu Gulan – a games night for its members – includes 28 (Irupathiyettu),  Rummy and Carrom. The event will be at Mirchi Columbus, Indian Bar & Grill, 195 E Campus View Blvd, Columbus, OH 43235 on Saturday, 27th April 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM. For details and registration, please visit http://www.comaohio.org/thuruppugulan
  • 5K run/walk – Mark your calendar for COMA  5K run/walk to be conducted on Sunday, May 5th 2019 at 7:30 AM. (Location: Orange Township Trails at Glen Oak Park). Please join us for fun and to support a good cause, YWCA host a meal program. We will be introducing our Active coma initiative after the run. For details and registration
    http://www.comaohio.org/5Krun

Community Corner

  • Meals On Wheels
    • 04/14/2019 – Mathew John,Suju Mathew,Sudha Warrier
    • 04/28/2019- Saira Nawaz,Manjula Nair,Arvind Nair

Achievements

Young Achievers in NSF – https://www.northsouth.org

Gauri Nanda daughter of Sudeesh Vasudevan and Lekshmy , won 1st place in Junior essay writing competition conducted by NSF at Ohio State University on April 6 th 2019.

Arya Janardhanan (left) and Anjali Janardhanan (right), daughter of Anuja and Ajayan Janardhanan, received the 1st and 3rd place respectively in the Vocabulary and Science competition conducted by the North South Foundation at The Ohio State University on April 6th, 2019. Based on overall ranking, they could represent Ohio at the National level competition to be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in August.

Columbus Telangana Association Carrom Tournament –
Arun Chand was runner up in singles competition , Arun and Sajid Babu won runner’s up in doubles. Currently Arun Chand is serving as an EC member for COMA.

If you would like to share any accomplishments or achievements please write to coma.officials@gmail.com

COMA Newsletter February – March 2019

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February was the month of love – we hope everyone got an opportunity to enjoy Valentines day with your loved ones.In this month of love and passion we would like to start of the newsletter with a cute drawing from a young talent – Shreya Girish and she loves drawing.

As a community organization COMA presented an “Oru Adipoli Night” for its families to demonstrate their passion to dance and act. And this year the planning team took the initiative to arrange “Oru Adipoli Night” in a slightly different way from previous years where members were given an opportunity to participate in teams and compete to show case their talents. The turn out and participation for this event beat all expectations. Now let’s go ahead and hear from the organizers and couple of young members about their experience.

Here’s what EC team has to say “We would like to congratulate each and every member of COMA community for making “Oru Adipoli Night” a grand success.

We received lot of positive feedback and many of you responded saying that they really enjoyed the event. As we had mentioned, the event was designed to have fun and increase the interaction among the members. Another positive note is that we were able to conduct the event in a timely manner – started on time and kept the pace going till the very end. It’s amazing to see the amount of talent we have in this community all of you came out of your comfort zone and performed the very first time in a COMA event. You all are great team players.

Event would not have been successful without a great teamwork and overwhelming support from the community. Thank you for all the volunteers for chiming in and making sure the event was conducted as per the plan.
Together, we made the name of the event meaningful ‘Oru Adipoli Night’ and it is added to our joyful memories. We are planning many such events this year and we’re looking forward to your continued support!”

“Pradeesh Puthiyattil” was one of the captains for the event who lead his team to victory in a highly spirited and competitive manner . In his own words this event was very very vibrant with the enthusiasm displayed by the entire community. He strongly believes that this was one of the best COMA events and he would like to extend his thanks to organizers , MC’s, Judges and other fellow captains.

It was a privilege and honor to be one of the judges for the ‘Oru Adipoli Night’. And it gave me an opportunity to see the performances in a different light than usual. So I thought I will share with you all what I saw.  

The first and foremost thing that hit me was the camaraderie and the eagerness of the teams to display their items. Everyone was so hyped and happy and excited and the energy hit you and filled the hall, making it a very vibrant crowd. It was impossible not to be excited. The second thing was the lack of inhibition from the participants. This needs a little bit more thought put into it to know why this is so important. We, Malayalis, as you all know are known as the most uptight people in almost any crowd. Hence, to see a crowd lose its inhibitors and be eager to perform in front of Malayalis gives me this message – no one has a fear of being judged. Which by itself is very telling of the dynamic that this association has managed to build over the past years. We should all be proud of having contributed to building that kind of dynamic in our Malayali community. Then comes the display of the talents. I had heard that the teams were hard at work for weeks in preparation, but nothing had prepared me for what I saw. Each and every item was so well thought out and executed that the performances took a level all too new for many of us. It was a feast for the eyes and ears.

Big kudos to the team captains for keeping the teams so motivated and engaged and an even bigger accolade to everyone who participant performed. Of course it made the judges’ job really challenging. It would be unfair not to mention the food, which was delicious and was served on time. I will conclude by giving a huge shoutout to our Executive committee and the MC’s for a very memorable event, for executing such a new concept in such a well managed way. You guys have raised the bar for the upcoming events and definitely for your predecessors. – Manjula Nair

Youth Corner

Now let’s hear from some of our Youth Members:

“I am very happy and proud to say that I was basically born into this community! My parents were involved with Malayalee community even before COMA was established.They helped out with events, and programs that were self run and time-consuming, so it is safe to say that COMA has grown over the years! My first stage experience was with a COMA event where I was a tiny flower girl who went around picking up the flowers that everyone had just dropped! Since that time I have participated in most of the events conducted by COMA . I am also a member COMA youth wing volunteer since its inception, through COMA I was able to develop a strong group of friends who are interested in giving back to the community.

Another opportunity I was able to get through COMA is the Malayalam class. My brother and I were in the first batch of Malayalam class back in 2011. When I went to India last year, I was very happy that I was able to communicate well in Malayalam, not just with my grandparents but also random people in the stores and other places we visited. I was also able to read billboards and Malayalam newspapers which made my grandpa very proud. I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn Malayalam here which gave me the basics that I could build on.” Being in high school comes with a busy schedule and lots of extracurricular activities, the events that COMA puts together gives me a way to de-stress and connect to my friends and family. 

The most recent COMA event “Adipoli night” was an event where I got a chance to connect with many people, I even made a new good friend! I also enjoyed working with the younger kids, I had a fun time coordinating and teaching the dance to the younger girls! My involvement in COMA has provided me with lots of opportunities to learn and meet new people, and for that, I am truly grateful!” – Divya Warrier

I woke up with a feeling that today was going to be special. As I got out of bed, I remembered that today was COMA’s special event. My mind raced with excitement. I counted down the minutes until we would get into the car and go to the rec center for the event. As we walked in, I noticed several things. People reuniting with others, and everyone having conversations full of excitement. The thing I noticed the most was the smiles, everyone was happy to finally be here. The hours flew by, and everyone did a wonderful job. Then came the moment everyone was waiting for, the awarding ceremony. The White team didn’t win many awards, but we won something greater. We won happiness, and we had the most fun.  – Diya Raj

Smash Badminton Club – The activity that brought them together

Passion. Dedication. Joy. All of which happens on a radiant Saturday morning of the Smash Badminton Club. As for me, my Saturday mornings comprise of a gourmet breakfast with some classic tunes. However, this is not the case for those who enjoy the intricate nature of badminton. Being the main sports center in the area, the Lazelle Recreation center is where they meet to attend to their nets. The tan walls become their opponent when the nets are busy. As the time unfolds, they say their goodbye to their friends and their rackets until the next Saturday of course.

You’re probably wondering why I’m explaining the popular nature of badminton. During the fall of 2018, the Smash Badminton Club threw a thanksgiving lunch to show their thanks and appreciation for the Lazelle staff members and to their own members. Not only does badminton fuel their passion, but it has brought them together as a family. So, in the end, the net of a badminton court can create a network of connections. – Aadhira Pramod

If you want to signup your children to COMA Youth Club, please send an email to coma.officials@gmail.com.

Upcoming COMA Event

COMA Badminton Tournament – This year COMA is conducting a Badminton tournament on April 6th, badminton players out there please go ahead book your spots at http://www.comaohio.org/badminton. Members get a discounted price of$8 per person.

Community Corner

EC team is working hard to stir up “Spirit of COMA ” by introducing a lot of events to its community .Yes, lot of ideas brewing inside the EC team and we will definitely do our spy work to keep you update, so stay tuned….

  • Community Events
    • Meals On Wheels
      • 03/10/2019
        • Austin Pereira, Aedin Pereira, Sunil Balakrishnan
      • 03/24/2019
        • Valsan Pallika, Niranjan, Vijaya

Sponsor Corner

H&R Moats Inc –

For COMA Members who are new to H&R Moats, a tax prep fee of $70 good till April 6th 2019

Shilpa Gupta – Cutler Realty

Call her at 714-335-0331 for COMA Member offers

Bombay Bazaar – 58 Dillmont Dr, Columbus, OH 43235

Easter / Vishu Offer: 5% Off on groceries from April 1 to 14th

COMA Newsletter – Jan 2019

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2019 – A refreshing New Year

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

Message from 2019 COMA EC Team

Hello All,

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

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

Looking forward to seeing you all on Feb 23rd!

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

Introducing our 2019 Newsletter team

Priya and Praveen

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

Manjula Nair

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

COMA Christmas 2018

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

Event photos are available here.

COMA – Oru Adipoli Night – Feb 23rd 2019

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

Click here to buy “Oru Adipoli Night” tickets.

 COMA Youth Corner

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

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

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

COMA Youth Wing Committee

Anju Anilkumar – President

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

Neelima Gopinath – Vice President

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

Community Corner

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

“Blossoming hopes of 2019” by Krishna Nimil

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


Eggplant curry recipe  by Pradip Ramachandran

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

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Group 1

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

Group 2

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

Group 3

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

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

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

Upcoming Local Events

Meals on Wheels – 

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

Get Involved!

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

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

C.O.M.A Newsletter Oct – Nov 2018

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Hello friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you soon for Christmas Celebrations!

-EC-2018

Read more

C.O.M.A Newsletter Aug-Sep, 2018

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Hello friends,

That was a quick summer wasn’t? Year’s most beautiful season is here and we are just loving this great fall weather. Can you believe we are in the last quarter of 2018? Time surely does fly! COMA EC team is eager to finish the year with a bang. So wait till you hear what we have in store. 😉

A BIG THANK YOU!!!

Kerala Flood Relief Donations: As communicated in the previous newsletter, the support we received from our Malayalee Community and other Indian Communities in Central Ohio to our Fund for supporting flood relief efforts in Kerala was overwhelming. With your generous donations, our target of 25K was achieved in two days! The executive committee and trustee board of C.O.M.A cannot thank you enough for all the support we received. We have sent $43,571.38 till date to CMDRF.
The following Organizations/Business also has contributed to C.O.M.A for our flood relief efforts:

Upcoming Events – Mark your calendar

  1. Halloween Costume Competition
    Bawarchi Indian Restaurant
    Saturday October 27th, 7 PM
    .
  2. C.O.M.A Christmas and 10 Year Anniversary Finale
    Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center, Powell
    Saturday December 8th, 6-10 PM

(Registration Details and Links will be sent out Tuesday)

Read more

C.O.M.A Newsletter – July 2018

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Thank you Central Ohio!!!

We have received overwhelming support from Malayalee Community and other Indian Communities in Central Ohio to our Fund for supporting flood relief efforts in Kerala! With your generous donations, we were able to achieve the target of 25K in two days! It is heartening to see that the community is responding to the need as the situation demands! A big THANK YOU from the executive committee and trustee board of C.O.M.A to the community for your overwhelming support! We already sent part of the donations to CM’s relief fund. The remaining amount will be sent later this week.

The rain has stayed away and water is receding from most of the places, even though several pockets in central Kerala are still under water. It is going to be a slow recovery from the worst disaster that hit our motherland in our memory. There is still a dire need for money and supplies as people are trying to put their lives together! We will keep the option to donate via PayPal and Qucik Pay open, but will be closing the ‘GoFundMe’ portal at midnight, Tuesday. There are several other options to support – we request you support in any way you can; just make sure that your support is reaching the needy.

As we have notified you earlier, C.O.M.A Onam Celebration for this year is cancelled as we are putting our full focus on supporting the flood relief efforts.

India Festival and FIA support for Flood Relief Efforts

FIA’s India Festival is on Saturday, August 25th, which falls on Onam this year. (See flyer below) FIA has couple of initiatives during India Festival to support our flood relief campaign. In addition, C.O.M.A will be setting up a booth for fundraiser during this years India Festival. Please visit the booth and cheer our volunteers. Let us know if you would like to volunteer in the booth for two hours between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM (Email to coma.officials@gmail.com)

Manas restaurant in Polaris has offered to donate 25% of your total bill if you mention that you are supporting ‘C.O.M.A’ fundraiser for Kerala flood relief during this week (Till Sunday, August 26th). Please do visit the restaurant this week and mention you support our efforts. Please do share this information with your friends as well.

Read more

C.O.M.A Newsletter June 2018

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Hello Friends,

Summer is here and so being summer vacations! Most of us have planned family trips, road trips, trips down to India, etc.  We hope you stay safe in your travels and enjoy your much deserved break from school and work.

Chitrashalabhangal

Here are the much-awaited photos from the mega musical program Chitrashalabhangal, which was conducted on May 19th, 2018. These photos really help to relive the magic that was that night. Thanks again to our in-house photographer, Ashish Muthiraparambath for capturing these behind the scenes and on-stage moments.

[Link to Photos]

Upcoming COMA Events

  • COMA Picnic (Register here) for this year has been scheduled on July 22nd ,2018 at Liberty park. We have planned multiple activities for every age group. Make sure you block your calendars! COMA youth wing has planned something special – they have planned an exciting and scrumptious BAKE SALE! We will be having a variety of yummy treats for kids as well as adults.If you would like to make a contribution by preparing one of your special secret recipes, please reach out to our coordinator Neelima Gopinath at neelimacg@gmail.com. She can help you with logistics.Example of treats you can prepare: Cutlets,puffs,samosas,chips, sandwiches,cakes,muffins,cupcakes,brownies,boondies, indian snacks … Whatever you bring we will sell!All proceeds from the bake sale will be going towards charity.
    So please do not hesitate to make a contribution today!
  • Onam 2018 has been scheduled for September 8th we have started its preparations already!  If you would like participate in a cultural event, please fill in the below google form and submit by August 3rd  :

Google Form for Onam Event Registration

[Entries received after the last date will be on waiting list] Selected entries will be informed by August 17th. The entries will be selected on first come-first serve basis and judged on variety, considering time constraints and audience interests.
Any queries? You can email us at coma.officials@gmail.com or contact Sangeetha Muthiraparabath (Secretary) at +1 (614) 571-7632 or Seethal Babu (Joint Secretary) at 215-821-4033.

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C.O.M.A Newsletter May 2018

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Hello Friends,

Let’s begin by addressing the elephant in the room! We just made history!

Chitrashalabhangal 2018

 

COMA just pulled of its biggest event yet with absolute flawlessness. What an honor it was to have KS Chitra and her team to perform for us in Columbus. Singer and Music director Sharreth, young singers Roopa Revathy and Nishad and their amazing orchestra added to the magic that was her voice. Having Chitra and her team in Columbus to celebrate COMA’s 10th year celebration was truly a dream come true. On behalf of C.O.M.A Executive Committee and Trustees, we are forever indebted for gracing us with their unforgettable musical performance.

On the day of the event, COMA was able to make an additional donation of $3000 to the families of the fallen Westerville Officers. The check was handed over to the Westerville police chief Joe Morbitzer.

A huge shout out to the amazing team of volunteers who had been planning meticulously for the past 3 months to bring you a memorable musical evening. Without them, this would not have been possible. Your hard work and time is much appreciated.

Photos from the event will be shared soon

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COMA Newsletter April 2018

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Hello Friends!

Looks like Spring took a year off and Summer is right here. 😊

We finally can start that Spring cleaning and planning out the summer trips this year after a really long winter. Those with the green thumb must be already out there with your gardening gloves.

April was a big month for COMA this year. So lets dive into details!

Chitrashalabhangal – Mega Musical Event 2018: May 19th

Preparation for the event is in full swing.  Chitra, Sharrath, Roopa and Nishad will be accompanied by twelve musicians. The team is already in US and performed in several stages. They will sing Malayalam, Tamil and other languages. There are a few more tickets available. Kindly reserve your seats before the sections are sold out.
We will be donating $5000 to the fund supporting families of fallen Westerville Police Officers. With your support, COMA has already donated $1000 right after the incident.
More information and online purchase: http://www.comaohio.org/concerttickets

COMA 10th Anniversary Special Event- 5k run 

Nish Nishant, COMA 5K Run Coordinator

This year is COMA’s 10th year anniversary, and we kicked off the 10 year celebrations with a 5K walk/run charity fundraiser for the YWCA host-a-meal program. Over 120 people participated in the run, ranging from children as young as 6 to some of our more mature patrons. People also brought in their dogs, and some folks turned up purely to support the runners, contributing to a warm family atmosphere. The EC team handed out trophies to those that finished first under various gender/age categories, but it was quite commendable that every participant finished the run. 
Congratulations to the winners!

  • Youth Girls: Dhiya Pereira
  • Youth Boys: Peter Wilson and Adithya Muthiraparambath
  • Women: Suji Ponnath
  • Men: Sreekanth Vishwanathan

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COMA Newsletter March 2018

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Hello Members!
Wishing you all a happy Easter and a prosperous Vishu!
This winter has been dragging on for months and surely, we can’t just wait for Spring to come already. With the April showers, fingers crossed Spring is around the corner. Be it winter or summer, COMA has been working tirelessly round the clock to make 2018 a memorable year. So, let’s get into details!

Chitrashalabhangal – Mega Musical Event 2018: May 19th


Preparation for the event is in full swing.  Chitra, Sharrath, Roopa and Nishad will be accompanied by twelve musicians. The songs will include Malayalam (approx 50%), Tamil (approx 40%) and other languages (10%). Tickets for the event is available online now. You will be able to select a specific location in the auditorium and purchase tickets, and make payments via PayPal. We will start publicizing the event to FIA, other Indian Organizations and Malayalee organizations outside of Columbus. Hence, kindly reserve your seats before the sections are sold out.
We will be donating $5000 to the fund supporting families of fallen Westerville Police Officers. With your support, COMA has already donated $1000 right after the incident.
We are publishing a souvenir dedicated to Malayalam Film Music during this event. If you would like to contribute, please contact us.
We are looking for sponsors to support this event. This is a golden opportunity to reach out to 700+ community members. If you own a business or like to sponsor as an individual, please reach out to coma.officials@gmail.com.
More information and online purchase: http://www.comaohio.org/concerttickets

Chitra’s Video Message

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