COMA

From the editor’s desk

Dear readers,

As I was preparing this Thanksgiving edition of the COMA newsletter, I took a few moments to look back at this year, and I am truly filled with joy and gratitude. I have had the privilege of being the editor for the COMA newsletter this year, and as always the pleasure of being part of the small and tight knit group that is our Columbus Malayalee community.

The COMA Christmas party is hardly a week away. Tickets have been sold out. Thanks for the astonishing response to the event. Read the detailed write up below for more information on the event.

I hope all of you enjoyed some time together with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend. Some of you may still be recovering from the turkey, ham, and shopping over-dose. Thank you all for your continued interest in the COMA newsletter. See you all at the COMA Christmas event!

Thank you,
Smitha Nishant

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From the editor’s desk

Welcome to the October edition of the COMA newsletter. This edition highlights upcoming COMA events that you do not want to miss out on, and has a short write-up on the revamped COMA website.

It’s a fall tradition in my family to carve a jack-o-lantern two days before Halloween, and put it out in the unlit porch with flickering LED tea lights inside to light it up. My son looks forward to this activity every year, which has helped us create lasting memories that we cherish as a family. Do you have fun family traditions for Halloween? We’d love to hear about them! Send in pictures of your Halloween traditions, or you or your family members dressed up in costumes, and we will share it on the COMA Facebook page for everyone to enjoy.

Wishing you all a spooky, fun filled, and safe Halloween!
Smitha Nishant

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From the editor’s desk

Hello friends,

Fall is very much my favorite season. The start of fall is an exciting time for everyone, with visits to orchards and farms, and a ton of other fun activities for the whole family. It can also be a little overwhelming for some of us with school work gearing up for the kids and temperatures slowly dropping down.

This edition of the COMA newsletter has a lot of the usual items, but in addition has a very interesting interview with one of my favorite COMA patrons, our beloved trustee Jacob Vengal. His story is a true inspiration to all of us and teaches us the importance of giving back.

Thank you.
Smitha Nishant

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We are thrilled to announce that this year’s COMA Onam program will be on August 29th, Saturday from 11 AM to 4:30 PM. The venue is the Gahanna West Middle School, located at 350 N Stygler Road, Gahanna, OH 43220. There will be a full-course Onam Sadya as well as a cultural program including Onam favorites like Maveli, Thiruvathira, and Onam songs.

There will also be patron-submitted programs including dances, songs, and skits. Due to the high volume of participants, we have stopped accepting new programs.

This year’s highlight is that Maveli will be present throughout the program and will be a key element in the event storyline. The roles of Maveli and Maveli’s friend are played by two of the most talented folks in Columbus.

Tickets are sold out!

• This event is prepay-only.
• We will not sell tickets at the venue.
• Outsiders who don’t want to have the Sadya but are part of a group event will require Attendee Tickets. This includes anyone accompanying minor participants.

Note to COMA annual members

If you are a paid COMA member, you will receive a separate email with member-special pricing. If you are not a member and would like to take advantage of member-pricing, just purchase a membership, and wait 24-48 hours to receive an email with instructions on getting member-pricing.

We have a finite limit on the number of people we can accommodate for the Sadya, so we will close payments once that limit’s been reached. Please buy tickets early to ensure that you will be able to attend.

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

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We’d like to officially announce the COMA 2015 summer picnic on July 25th Saturday at Liberty Park, 2845 Home RD, Powell (Shelters 1 and 2) from 10:30 AM to 5 PM. This year, to spice things up a bit, we are dividing the attendees into 4 teams that will play against each other in various group games. The four teams we have formed are the Powell Panthers captained by Anjana Hari, Columbus Cheetahs captained by Vikas Gopal, Dublin Dragons captained by Sachin Sugathan, and Westerville Warriors captained by Girish Manoharan.

• Tickets are $5 per person (ages 5+) and are to partly cover the event expenses.

Fun and games

Each captain can pick 2 key players for their team prior to the picnic date. On the day of the picnic the rest of the team will be randomly allocated to each captain from the pool of attendees. Individual games will have additional rules, example for the volleyball games, each team would need to have 3 men, 2 women, and 1 youth member. We will have more detailed guidelines closer to the event date.

We will have games and fun-activities for adults and kids. Planned games include volleyball, hillbilly golf, card games (28, rummy), brain games, puzzles, kids’ entertainers/performers, face painting and we’ll have food, drinks, and light energy snacks for everyone. If you have game/activity suggestions or are interested in helping us organize games, please let us know.