From the editor’s desk
Hello friends,
Happy New Year (Kollavarsham) to all my Malayali readers!
The COMA Executive Committee is working hard to bring you a magnificent Onam celebration with a sumptuous Sadhya and elaborate cultural programs. Thank you everyone who have purchased tickets already. It helps the Executive Committee to better plan the event and give an accurate head count to the caterers. Those of you who intend to come are requested to purchase tickets before they run out to ensure you won’t miss all of the excitement, fun, and socializing.
Onam is a time to rejoice, to reminisce childhood memories, and celebrate the spirit of being a Malayalee. I wish all my readers happiness, peace, and prosperity. See you all this Saturday at the COMA Onam celebrations!
Thank you.
Smitha Nishant
COMA Membership benefits
This is a very frequently asked question – quite a few people ask what are the benefits of taking an annual COMA membership. Here’s a summary of benefits associated with an annual membership.
- Discounted tickets for the annual Onam event. (typical discount is $5/ticket)
- Discounted tickets for the annual Christmas event. (typical discount is $5/ticket)
- Discounted tickets for Malayalam movies. (optional – EC team dependent)
- Early announcements for ticket sales / program submissions.
- Access to member-only events.
- You are supporting the organization, and giving a moral boost to the Executive Committee.
It’s only $15 per year for a family, and an easy way to show your support for COMA. Memberships are annual and always for a specific year. Each year’s membership expires on Dec 31st of that year.
Visiting my motherland – by Adithya Nair
Hi everyone, this is Nandu here and I just wanted to share my most recent cross-cultural experience (not really, but still…) with all of you! I had just gone to visit my grandparents and extended family way down under in the beautiful, urban city of Vazhuthacaud in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala for a whole eight weeks of my twelve-week long summer! Yeah, I know. That’s a heck of a lot of time! But I just can’t settle for any less time than that (I went for close to 13 weeks once!). I had a great time (as usual) and also learned a great deal about myself and, I personally feel, grew a lot more as a person during my visit this year.
Unlike my previous trips, I also greatly maintained and supplemented my physical and mental health by way of daily tennis matches and practices with my younger brother, Kannan, at the prestigious and widely-known Trivandrum Club, as well as, regular visits to various magnificent temples, mosques, and churches within and around Trivandrum. One thing I absolutely love about visiting Kerala is that I get the humble and non-frequent opportunity to learn and hopefully, perfect my Mother-tongue, Malayalam, the beautiful Dravidian language of our Keralam. I also learned many new and interesting colloquial terms during my stay there such as “Palli” for Church, “Chillera” for change, and “Dickey” for trunk, just to name a few.
I also never realized how diverse and spectacularly handsome Kerala really is before this vacation! From the supreme, sandy beaches and 5-star resorts of Kovalam and Vizhinjam to the humongous malls and busy streets up in Kozhikode, Keralam is just such an awesome place in India and I believe, we are extremely fortunate to be able to call ourselves residents of its soil! As I have mentioned above, two of the highlights of my trip around the state were to the Leela 5-star beach resort in Kovalam and to one of my favorite cities in Kerala, Kozhikode. We also visited various towns within Trivandrum from Varkala to Mazhuthankuzhi to Pallode. All these places I visited by accompanying my grandfather, V. Ravindranathan Nair, a retired Chief Architect for the Government of Kerala and approved valuer, to his evaluations of various sites, buildings, and plots of land (he owns an architectural company called Wizards Kerala Pvt. Ltd., in Jagathy). This was another one of my highlights of my trip, and though I did not contribute much at all (I just took the photos of the sites…), I really enjoyed having a first-class, interactive tour of the family business and getting to know my grandfather on a level I hadn’t ever before. I was also surprised at the extent of people’s hospitality and decency when I was there (not all, but the vast majority for sure…), and though I knew of this vaguely before, I hadn’t really seen a lot of different people before I went on these evaluations with my grandpa.
Finally, I just wanted to wrap up by telling all of you, COMA members and the Youth of our community alike, about the most important and influential thing I gained on this recent visit to my Motherland, the psychological impact it had on me. To be honest and open with all of you, at the end of my freshman year, I was as burnt-out and exhausted as an old light-bulb. And let me tell you, I desperately needed a break and, by God’s grace, my wish was fulfilled fully and more! Whether it was sitting with my gorgeous grandmother at the dinner table, laughing hysterically at funny Malayalam movies or the local news (trust me, that’s funny stuff!), or taking a walk and talking to my grandfather about my school life and future, just being there was the biggest favor I could have done to my mental health and psyche. And that is why I want to end this month’s Voice of the Youth contribution by beseeching all of you to take yourselves (and your kids) to visit your Motherland at least once in your lifetime(s) and as frequently as you can! After all, we were nothing before our mothers gave birth to us!! Thank you all for your time, and have a great year, COMA!
COMA Onam – August 29th Saturday
The COMA Onam 2015 event is less than a week away. We are expecting to close tickets fairly soon, so do buy your tickets if you plan on coming. The event is pre-pay only, and we will not sell tickets at the venue.
Venue and Date
- August 29th, Saturday from 11 AM to 4:30 PM
- Gahanna West Middle School – 350 N Stygler Road, Gahanna, OH 43220
Tickets
Here’s the link to purchase tickets : [Link Expired]
If you’d like to take advantage of member pricing, not just for Onam, but for Christmas as well, just buy a membership (one / family), and we will send you the member-pricing info within 24-48 hours.
YWCA Host a Meal
The last COMA YWCA Host a Meal event of the year has been scheduled for Oct 11th Sunday. We are doing a breakfast this time. You will have to turn up at the location at 5:30 AM. You will be expected to spend about 4 hours at the venue.
We are looking for around 10 volunteers (aged 13+) for the event. If you would like to volunteer, please send an email to coma.officials@gmail.com. Thank you.