Newsletter – April 2021
| Presidential Message – V. Balaraman April is an unique month in many ways. Multitude of Indian Celebrations and various events of significance. It has also been a traumatic month in Hawaii to date and these events should not be ignored in our preoccupation with other things. So let us start at home and bring it into context nationally. We had two events of death in the community secondary to encounters with law enforcement even as the country reels with multiple events of traumatic death secondary to use of firearm. Although unclear as to the base cause of these events, there is always the issue of whether these events relate to our ongoing challenges of dealing with the pandemic. Pragmatically speaking this association cannot be dismissed and I would urge us a community to look out not only for ourselves but to our friends, neighbors and community at large critically to identify potential situations and do our part in helping curb these emotional challenges. On a more positive note, many a communities hailing from India celebrated New Year in their own way around April 12-14 with various names. Ugadi for people hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana; Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra; Bhaisakhi in several of the norther states of India; and of course Tamil Puthandu in Tamil Nadu. We can only hope that the beginning of this New Year will bring in some changes in how we interact with nature in a more positive fashion and some of the negative influences impacting our lives in the past 12 months ever so slowly can change to positivity. This reversal of direction is not going to be dictated only by celestial events but will need our active participation with continued vigilance and practical communal efforts as we move forward. Traditionally, April also hosts the “Earth Day” celebrations which are slated for the 22nd of this month. Let us collectively continue to work on sustainable approaches to our use of resources to meaningfully pave the way for longevity of these for eons of future generations. From the perspective of LOTUS, April is always celebrated as the Anniversary month in which we started doing Pooja at the Wahiawa site. The first of them was in 1989 with the original Healing Stones and this tradition has continued with monthly gatherings and we start the 33rd year this Sunday (April 18th, 2021) of this unbroken tradition. This event was the foundation of creation of LOTUS and as its current elected leadership, we are proud to help continue this tradition. As promised in the last newsletter, we are doing our Annual Elections via electronic ballot this year. All of you who have agreed to receive these communications and be a part of various LOTUS activities are defined as members of this organization per our By-Laws. It is your choice to participate in this process and we would appreciate your involvement to support and guide the future of the leadership of this organization. If you are aware of members in the community who are not on the distribution list of this newsletter and would be interested in participating in the voting process, please have them email to [email protected] to get a link to the Ballot. Please do not share your link in this newsletter with them. I wish you all a safe spring and the upcoming summer and continue to be very vigilant in managing your own personal safety even if you have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Stay safe and Warm aloha Venkataraman Balaraman President, LOTUS |
| Annual Elections – Maiju Kutty, Secretary As Defined by Article 7 of the By-Laws of LOTUS, the Annual Election for Officers is Open. You are considered a member of LOTUS as having opted in for participating in our activities. You can always op out or abstain from this process of voting in the Election. Once the results are finalized, this slate of Officers will serve a term of one year effective June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022. The current Officers have agreed to continue for an additional year as a group and are as such noted on the ballot. Additionally, you may self nominate or name up to three additional Officers for consideration to be a part of the Leadership. Please complete the balloting process by April 30, 2021.. The Link to the Ballot is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QQBB8XD |
| Community Corner – Kalpana Balaraman shares her thoughts about Celebration of Life event for Dr. Ramanathan held on April 16, 2021 Just a couple of days ago, the Indian community of the island of O’ahu celebrated the life of a foundational and inspirational member of our ‘ohana: Dr. Ramanathan. Smack dab in the middle of the workday, my father and I made the tedious scenic drive out to the Hawaii Kai Golf Course, and I couldn’t help but notice how perfect the weather was – with a slight breeze and the glistening Pacific Ocean looking like a stereotypical Hawaiian postcard. Despite the broken A/C in the ballroom, the spaced-out tables, and the masks and hand sanitizers, a small part of the community was given a motive to see each other in person for the first time in a long time, and what glorious conditions we were given to celebrate this occasion. About 30 of us spent two hours catching up, taking time to fill in the blanks over the last year of our lives. We had a wonderful talk story session, sharing our collective and unique memories of Ramanathan thatha amongst ourselves, with the crinkles in the corners of our eyes and raised cheekbones indicating laughter beneath our masks. |
| I can’t personally think of a singular anecdote involving Ramanathan thatha, but my memories are full of smiling story times and impactful lessons. We would be regaled with stories of his daughters and granddaughters (“who are the same-age as you”) – people who I’ve known my whole life but really only got to meet for the “first time” over this past week. I am certain, though, that not all of young Kalpana’s experiences with Ramanathan thatha had to be a walk in the park, as hanging with any Tamil-speaking member of the community meant that I was forced to part with my English for at least a couple hours. While specific memories, like Diwali functions or activities we did together, may slip my mind, the impact that he had on my family’s life will always be present. |  |
| On a gorgeous Hawaii Kai beach day, with Dr. Ramanathan once again gathering his friends and family for a chance to enjoy good food and even greater company, I was reminded of how special our Hawaiian ‘ohana is. I was reminded that no matter how much time I spend on the mainland, or how much time other people spend away from this little rock in the middle of nowhere, nothing can compare to this place we all call home. I was reminded that this community that we’ve built and the bonds that we’ve solidified over the years (bonds that were created long before I even existed and that I had the honor of being born into) are long-standing. I was reminded that even though we may all be physically distanced right now, we’ll never be socially distant from one another, and that we are a true family. |
| Temple Activities – April 18, 2021 Dr. Bhawuk continues with performing the monthly pooja on the 3rd Sunday of the month. This month is special as this will be the 33rd Annual anniversary of doin the pooja at the Wahiawa Temple site. In March we were able to have two Poojas (on March 11th and March 21st) to celebrate Mahashivaratri and our regular third Sunday Pooja – again with limited attendance but was very inspirational. Decorated Deities at the Temple during the March 21st Pooja  |
| April Calendar April 14 – Solar Hindu New Year April 18 – Wahiawa Temple Pooja Day April 21 – Rama Navami April 22 – Earth Day Rest of April – On going celebration of Ramadan |
