Newsletter – September 2020
| Namaste/Vanakkam: As your President I love to share a lot of thoughts with you all not only mine but also try and be a voice for the LOTUS leadership and the community at large. Even as we come around the corner signifying an end to summer, it has been a very difficult one and we all will have to be prepared for as difficult a fall as the past six months have been. Even as we and the rest of the world deal with insurmountable challenges, it behooves us to be humble and practice common sense. We all will potentially face losses in many forms including losing individuals near and dear to us and the only way out is resilience and respect and love for one another. On that note, I would like to take this opportunity to make sure that all of you will commit to and get your Flu shot within one week of reading this. Although not a panacea, it does decrease both the incidence and severity of the illness and does also help with some herd immunity all of which at the end of the day are immensely beneficial to the community. Our community lost a dear friend and there is a short write up on Dr. Ganapathy in this newsletter. Even as we mourn his loss and those of countless people both in our state and the world, it is immensely important to follow the dictum of "Do No Harm" - Please mask up when in the close vicinity of others who do not share the same household, wash your hands regularly, Keep your hands from touching your face frequently, and most of all continue social interactions but limit to a few minutes and maintain appropriate physical distancing along with ample use of the vast amount of open space around us. This month we are trying a new format and hopefully you find it a little more meaningful. We continue to encourage ideas for Social engagement and community activities. This month, the Community Advisory Board will meet on September 26th at 4 p.m. on a video platform. Interested individuals who would like to participate can email us to get a link to attend the meeting. LOTUS is also registered as a non-profit with Amazon Smile. Qualifying purchases done on Amazon Prime will generate a small donation to LOTUS. The direct link to designate LOTUS as the recipient is https://smile.amazon.com/ch/99-0280494. The regular pooja at the temple will be on Sunday September 20th between 12 and 2 p.m. Again we will have restrictions on attendance consistent with the County Shelter in Place Orders. Even as we get more tech savvy, if we are able to we will figure out to provide a zoom link of the actual pooja or parts of it. If you are interested, please let us know. If there is enough interest we will work on it. On behalf of LOTUS leadership, warm aloha and please stay safe. Venkataraman Balaraman, President |
| In Memorium Family and Friends in our community are also mourning the passing of Dr. Vinoo Ganapathy. He died on September 6th after a brief illness related to the current Pandemic of COVID-19. Vinoo was a dear friend. He was a trained Emergency physician who did his medical training at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India. After spending a brief stint (relatively speaking) on the East Coast, the family moved to Hawaii and he started working at the St. Francis West Emergency Room before moving on to run an Urgent Care Clinic in Kunia. A very soft spoken person but he was extremely passionate in everything that he got involved in – among other things continuing to be closely involved in Cricket activities at Kapiolani Park till the end. He leaves behind Mina, his beloved wife, Tara (daughter), Varun (son) and Indra Bhatia (mother-in-law). Private funeral ceremonies are set for September 16th 2020. The leadership at LOTUS will continue to encourage the community to foster support to his family during these difficult times. |
| Youth Corner: Sreelakshmi Kutty shares her thoughts on the Festival of Onam which was celebrated recently all around the world. Hopefully this is the impetus for positivity in us. Onam, Kerala’s most prominent festival, is an annual celebration of the harvest and commemorates the return of King Mahabali. According to the western calendar, Onam is observed some time during August and September and lasts for roughly 10 days. A communal effort is combined to put up an array of festivities such as tiger dances (Pulikali), boat races (Vallam Kali), and various forms of dance and music. One of the most striking features is the Pookkalam, large rangolis made from colorful flowers. In addition to a wide assortment of sweets and snacks, the Onam sadya is the most important meal. The sadya includes at minimum rice, sambhar, erisheri, kaalan, avial, rasam, and pappadam, all served on a large banana leaf. This feast ends with the serving of payasam. While Onam is specific to the state of Kerala, it is nationally recognized as a time of solidarity, joy, and hope. |
| Events in September/October: Memorial Day - Sep 7 Autumnal Equinox - Sep 22 Gandhi Jayanthi - Oct 2 (Locally sign up at www.stillandmovingcenter.com and eventbrite.com/e/117349133417 to watch free virtual program from 2 PM to 6 PM on October 2, 2020.) Dussera - Oct 25 |
