Newsletter – December 2024
| Presidential Message – V. Balaraman Happy Holidays all: The end of the year has crept on us and we are in the thick of the holiday season. This is a time of celebration with family and friends and I would like one and all of us to reach out and make at least one connection with person(s) whom we have not been in touch for a long time. Build back relationship and memories as time moves on without waiting for anyone of us who chooses to be left behind. Many of our O’hana volunteered at the Lanakila Kitchen on Thanksgiving morning putting together 700 meals to be distributed to our kupuna around Oahu. This event was a meaningful activity for us to participate and we will continue to look for opportunities to volunteer in the community. Please see this short news clip of the event on Hawaii News Now. If any of you are aware of such events that we could participate in, please do let us know. Lotus celebrated an appreciation for volunteers and participants of the Diwali event on December 1. This well attended event was to thank the tireless effort of all involved who made the Diwali event such a success. We have collected both verbal and written feedback about the event and will critically review the comments and appropriately incorporate suggestions for our next events. Past Sunday was Honolulu marathon. There were many from our community that participated. First time participants were Dr. Dharm Bhawuk, Karthikeyan Thangarasu, Jan Rumi and Meenakshi Kutty. Repeat participants included Maiju Kutty, Sundari and Balaraman. Many of us were introduced to and inspired to participate in this annual event by Mr. Aravind Patel almost a decade ago. He was an avid marathon participant whose dedication and commitment to physical activity knows no bounds. With the COVID pandemic, in an effort to minimize exposure, his participation in these events have ceased. But his legacy and encouragement paved the way for Dr. Bhawuk to embark on this long walk which he completed in about 8.5 hours. Congratulations to him and others. All of us have our own stories to share as a motivation to participate in this annual event – the Honolulu marathon has a gorgeous course and can be completed without much stress if one prepares for it. There are three events of different distance to cater for the preferences of multitude of participants. Hopefully this message will inspire more to join this event next year. I also take this opportunity to wish our Tamil and Malayalam colleagues on Karthigai Deepam and Magaravilakku celebrations. Please stay safe during these holidays and remain healthy. On behalf of the entire leadership of LOTUS, let me wish all of you “Mele Kalikimaka” and “Hauoli Makahiki Hou.” Warm aloha, V. Balaraman President |
| UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENT Aloha Natyam Performance in January – Information provided by Dr. Akshatha Samam: the beginning and the end. The strength in unity. The origin of Sankalpa (resolution), Sambhrama (celebration), Samanvaya (togetherness). In a historic first for the Indian community of Hawai’i, Aloha Natyam, the state’s only premier Indian classical performing arts company, presents Samam: A Bharatanatyam Margam. A margam, literally path or journey, is a traditional sequence of Indian classical dances that showcases both rhythmic and expressive proficiency. Samam boasts a dynamic group format and features Aloha Natyam’s trademark innovative, collaborative, authentic choreography honoring the guru-sishya parampara and other classical scholarship traditions. This production showcases of accomplished senior performers and spotlights up-and-coming Bharatanatyam dancers on island. Performing are the members of Aloha Natyam (Dr. Akshatha, Kavya Bhagawatula, Janani Lakshmanan, and Elizabeth Mager) and friends (Mia Davies, Aahana Agrahari Mishra, Rashmi Agrahari, Arini Shankaralingam, Padmathilagam Ramachandran, Piyusha Vijay, Sarithra Santhana Kumar) Samam premieres Saturday, January 18, 2025, from 3-4 PM at Ala Moana Centerstage in Honolulu. Come ring in the new year with us. |
| Wahiawa Temple Activities – December 15th, 2024 Our monthly pooja will start promptly at noon on the 15th. Following the pooja we will partake in a community sponsored potluck lunch. Being the last pooja for the year, I am hoping you will make all efforts to attend the event.  |
| December 2024 and January 2025: December 12: Karthigai Deepam December 15 – Wahiawa Temple Pooja Day December 21 – Shortest Day of the Year (Winter Solstice) December 25 – Christmas January 1 – New Year 2025 January 14 – Makara Sankranti, Makaravilaku and Pongal January 19 – Wahiawa Temple Pooja Day January 26 – Indian Republic Day |
