gama reporter 2014 january

Message from the President

2014 GAMA Board members

attending all GAMA events. I will not

go into a detailed report of all the

events GAMA organized last year,

rather let us focus on the broad posi-

tives and things we can improve go-

Happy new year to everyone!

2013 was definitely a big year from

GAMA's perspective. Our commu-

nity grew a lot in the last one year

and this reflected in the people

PG Ram was elected

as the President

unanimously.

The 2013 board members did

a wonderful job, organizing

various events throughout the

year. Congratulations to each of

them and a big THANK YOU on

behalf of the community. Six of

them have completed their

term of two years.

The 2014 board was formed in

the general body meeting held during

the GAMA Christmas event with the

addition of eight new members. Con-

gratulations to all new members. We

are looking forward to another great

GAMA year from you guys.

The first meeting of the new board was

conducted on the third Sunday of Janu-

ary and elected the new officials. Mr.

Inside this issue:

Short story by Jane 3

Poem by Sreevidhya 4

GAMA Christmas 5

Poem by Moni 6

Kidz Korner 8

Trip to the Ice cream Factory 9

• 2014 Board in place

• President, Ram!

• 2013 Christmas Pictures

• Poems

• Short stories

• Why join GAMA Board?

Greater Austin Malayalee Association

January, 2014

Christmas holiday decorations @ Legoland California, Carlsbad-Sharath Edathil

2014 President: PG Ram

Reporter

..cont on page #2

..cont on page #2

GAMA Christmas—2013

2013 President: Ani Jose

Sunny Thomas

was elected as

the Vice-

President, Govin-

dan Namboothiry

as the new Secre-

tary and Rakesh

Menon as the

2014 Treasurer.

From the editors’ desk

2014 is here!. We have a new Board of

directors for GAMA. A Very young and

energetic group of people. We have a feel-

ing that, this year is going to make a huge

difference to the Malayalee atmosphere of

Austin. Great team. Congratulations and

thanks for dedicating your time for the

community.

It’s been an year since we took the respon-

sibility as editors of this Newsletter and

that ends with this edition of the Re-

porter. In the next couple of weeks,

we will be handing over our responsi-

bilities to a couple of folks from the

new board. We had a great year. We

got quick responses whenever we

were in need of help. Thank you all

and please continue to do the same in

the coming years as well.

Wishing you all a great 2014!

..message from the president

..2014 Board

promise my fullest cooperation and help

on a continuing basis. I hope 2014 will be

an year to remember!

Thank You

Animon Jose—GAMA President (2013)

GAMA events have become very consistent

year after year, following a predictable

schedule which is familiar to everyone who

has been living in Austin for couple of years.

The event management has matured over the

time. After every event, the board gets feed-

back from the community and compile a list

of lessons learned which then is used to im-

prove the future events. Despite many set-

backs, we are actually making big progress

in making it better. it goes without saying that

this would not be possible without the coop-

eration of large number of community volun-

teers. A huge thank you to everyone who has

lend a helping hand during the past year,

your contributions are never forgotten!

The new board members has already been

confirmed during the General Body

meeting during GAMA Christmas cele-

brations. I see a talented and experi-

enced team who is extremely capable of

carrying forward the work we have

been doing. I wish them all the best and

Sunny Thomas

Vice President Govindan Namboothiri

Secretary Thomas Cyriac

Secretary– Backup

Rakesh Menon

Treasurer

Simpson Varkey

Treasurer—Backup

PG Ram Sajan Lukose

..cont on page #4

Cover Photo

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Decorations are expression of joyfulness,

Christmas brings full of joy in to our lives &

here is another Christmas season.... Merry

Christmas!!!

I live in Austin with my wife Shishija and

our 5 year old son Aarush and we like this

place. Especially our son. We are natives

of North Kerala and we moved to Austin an

year ago from Bangalore where I have

lived for 14 years. I love Photography.

Music and playing cricket are my other

passions.

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Sharath Koodali Edathil

െI��4 �I(N

..2014 Board

directors this year. They passed on

their advices to the new team dur-

ing the GAMA Board meeting.

The new members of the board are:

1. Anoop Nair : He moved to Austin

from California this year. He is origi-

nally from Ernakulam. He is staying

in Avery Ranch with his wife In-

dulekha Nair and son Krish

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The 2013 Board of directors in war room!

Sreevidhya Ajayan

Thomas Cyriac will be the

backup secretary and Simp-

son Varkey will be the

backup for Treasurer.

Animon Jose, Jithin Sasidha-

ran, Nitin Thomas, Leena

Mathew, Sajan Lukose, San-

thosh Nair, Ullas Pazha-

yaveettill are the retiring

..cont on page #5

Today when my daughter came back from

school, she had a book with her. The name of the book was “India”. She showed me some pic-

tures from it and asked. “Why do we dance with NO shoes?”

I didn’t want to say, the Indian Dances were fully developed before shoes were invented. Instead, I told her, we dance on very nice &

smooth carpets and hence don’t need shoes.! I know that’s not the right answe. Can’t we use something like the ballet shoes now? Is it too

late to make changes?

If you know the answer, please share!! Send your comments to

[email protected].

Why do Indians dance barefoot?

..2014 Board

GAMA Xmas programs were

held at Akins High school in Aus-

tin. It was a perfect entertainer

with an excellent mixture of

dances, songs and musicals for

the audience.

GAMA General body meeting

was held and 8 new directors

were announced during the

meeting. All directors that were

exiting the board were honored

by President Mr. Animon Jose.

The stage program coordinators

and participants put so much effort into stream lining the programs,

the execution was almost flawless. As

soon as Santa Claus arrived several kids

were on the stage sharing a moment of

glory. Children as well as children at

heart were after Santa Claus for the

treats that he was handing out.

The food at GAMA Christmas was a deli-

cacy which included a dessert and grape

juice. The GAMA Xmas 2013 celebra-

tions was one of the most kid friendly

programs.

More pictures on Page #10

2. Dijoy Divakaran: Dijoy works for Charles

Schwab , he moved to Austin about 6

months back from Cleveland, OH. His

native place in Kerala is Thrissur. He lives

with wife Dhanya and daughters Kalyani (9

years) and Nanda (4 years). Dijoy is a Bad-

minton player.

3. Laxmi Sankar: Laxmi is from Ernakulam.

She and her husband Sankar has been

moved to Austin from Boston.

4. Rajalal Karunakaran: Rajalal has been an

Austin resident for the past 8 years and a

member of GAMA since 2006. He works for

the State of Texas (Dept. of Aging and Dis-

ability Services). He lives with his wife

Raji and children Radhika, Gopika and

Ambika .

5. Ramakrishnan: Rama works for Oracle

and he and his wife moved to Austin a

year ago. He is originally from the town of

Kalady in Kerala. Rama regularly volun-

teers for cultural events, and also play

cricket.

6. Satheesh Iyer :Satheesh, his wife Push-

kala and 2 children live in Round Rock

from 2005. Satheesh works at Dell and is a

regular GAMA participant.

2013 GAMA Christmas celebrations

7. Satheesh Kumar : Satheesh is originally

from Karunagappally, Kollam (Dist). He

moved to Austin in 2007 from Lansing,

Michigan. He lives with his wife Lekha

and daughters Silpa and Sandra. His

hobbies include Movies &Politics!

8. Teresa Joy: Been in Austin for 8 years,

married to Antony Sebastine and have

two kids- Michelle & Aiden. Belong to

Kottayam in Kerala. Currently I work at

Dell. Favorite unwinding pastime is trav-

elling , reading and photography.

Taking care of your gums

Gum disease is an infection of the

tissues that surround and support

your teeth. It is a major cause of

tooth loss in adults. Because gum

disease is usually painless, you

may not know you have it. Also

referred to as periodontal disease,

gum disease is caused by plaque,

the sticky film of bacteria that is

constantly forming on our teeth.

Here are some warning signs that

can signal a problem:

• gums that bleed easily

• red, swollen, tender gums

• gums that have pulled away from the teeth

• persistent bad breath or bad taste

• permanent teeth that are loose or separating

• any change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite

• any change in the fit of partial dentures

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�7�� >ഴ

Dr. Satish Thirumalai, D.M.D.

La Frontera Dental, PLLC www.lafronteradental.com

The proper brushing technique is to:

Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to

the gums.

• Gently move the brush back and forth in

short (tooth-wide) strokes.

• Brush the outer surfaces, the inner

surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of

the teeth.

• To clean the inside surfaces of the

front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and

make several up-and-down strokes.

• Brush your tongue to remove bacteria

and keep your breath fresh.

• Of course, brushing your teeth is only

a part of a complete oral care routine.

You should also make sure to:

• Clean between teeth daily with floss

or an interdental cleaner. Tooth decay

-causing bacteria still linger between

teeth where toothbrush bristles can’t

reach. This helps remove plaque and

food particles from between the teeth

and under the gum line.

• Eat a balanced diet and limit between-

meal snacks.

• Visit your dentist regularly for profes-

sional cleanings and oral exams.

Some factors increase the risk of developing

gum disease. They are:

poor oral hygiene

smoking or chewing tobacco

genetics

crooked teeth that are hard to keep clean

pregnancy

diabetes

medications, including steroids, certain types

of anti-epilepsy drugs, cancer therapy drugs,

some calcium channel blockers and oral con-

traceptives

See your dentist if you suspect you have gum

disease because the sooner you treat it the

better. The early stage of gum disease is

called gingivitis. If you have gingivitis, your

gums may become red, swollen and bleed

easily. At this stage, the disease is still re-

versible and can usually be eliminated by a

professional cleaning at your dental office,

followed by daily brushing and flossing.

Advanced gum disease is called periodonti-

tis. Chronic periodontitis can lead to the loss

of tissue and bone that support the teeth and it

may become more severe over time. If it

does, your teeth will feel loose and start mov-

ing around in your mouth. This is the most

common form of periodontitis in adults but

can occur at any age. It usually gets worse

slowly, but there can be periods of rapid

progression.

Aggressive periodontitis is a highly destruc-

tive form of periodontal disease that occurs in

patients who are otherwise healthy. Common

features include rapid loss of tissue and bone

and may occur in some areas of the mouth, or

in the entire mouth.

Research between systemic diseases and

periodontal diseases is ongoing. While a link

is not conclusive, some studies indicate that

severe gum disease may be associated with

several other health conditions such as diabe-

tes or stroke.

It is possible to have gum disease and have

no warning signs. That is one reason why

regular dental checkups and periodontal

examinations are very important. Treatment

methods depend upon the type of disease

and how far the condition has progressed.

Good dental care at home is essential to help

keep periodontal disease from becoming

more serious or recurring.

Remember: You don’t have to lose teeth to

gum disease. Brush your teeth twice a day,

clean between your teeth daily, eat a bal-

anced diet, and schedule regular dental visits

for a lifetime of healthy smiles.

Brushing:

• Brushing your teeth is an important

part of your oral hygiene routine.

• Brush your teeth twice a day with a

soft-bristled brush or an Electric

toothbrush

• Replace your toothbrush every three

or four months, or sooner if the bris-

tles are frayed.

• A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job

of cleaning your teeth.

• Make sure to use an ADA-accepted

fluoride toothpaste.

...taking care of your gums.

By: Sruti Ramachandran

Kidz Korner

Piles of leaves on the ground.

Making Lots of crimson mounds

The wind howls a mourning call

Summer fades away and turns into fall.

By: Shruthi Namboothiri

By: Roshan Paul By: Leah Sajan

The moment my eyes flew open, there was

only one thought in my head: we have to go

to the ice cream factory today. The tour was

fun but getting ready for it was a bore. I just

didn’t think that breakfast, bathing, and

brushing teeth had any meaning. All this pre-

cious time could have been spent at the ice

cream factory. However all these thoughts

were forgotten the second we reached the

factory.

The factory was a sight for sore and bored

eyes. When we got inside, instead of a lot of

machinery, I saw a history lesson. I wouldn’t

say this was the best part of the trip but, it

was quite interesting reading about the daily

requirement of milk coming from sixty-

thousand cows and how commercial story-

boards were back in the day. However, this

bore of a history lesson was about to be over.

The best was soon to come.

“1:25,” a lady yelled. “All 1:25 people please

come to the double doors. My family

and I rushed over as the lady opened

the doors to heaven. We were walked

through the entire ice cream making

process starting with the ingredients.

First the ingredients were mixed and

pressed with tons of pressure to make it

nice and creamy. Then it would be fro-

zen and packaged. It would be placed

upside-down to create a natural seal.

Lastly it would be sent to the blast

freezer and then shipped in beautifully

decorated boxes just for us. After this

amazing tour, it was time for the grand

finale: free ice cream.

After ordering, we sat at our table and

chowed down our ice cream at speeds

that mocked the tick of time. I didn’t

talk much. I was too busy eating my ice

cream and thinking about the tour.

This concludes my story. This adven-

ture would have been better if I didn’t

have to write this essay but, this was a

very good trip.

A Trip to the Ice Cream Factory

One day a little butterfly was born. He

was lonely. When he was older he was

lonelier. Then one day there were two

lovely peacocks. They helped the butter-

fly for many days. They helped but they

never found a perfect friend. One day, it

was a special day! It was the butterfly’s

birthday! The peacocks were delighted

so they found a pretty girl. She made

friends with the butterfly. From that day

onwards, the butterfly was never lonely

again. Every 10 minutes the girl would

come visit the butterfly to play. They

would eat pizza and chipotle together at

the butterfly’s table at home. The butter-

fly lives in the girl’s backyard. They

have fun together. The lovely peacocks

are always there for the butterfly and the

girl.

My Butterfly Story

By: Siddharth Iyer, 10 years By: Vandana Iyer, 5 years

1. You can get an "early snoop" into what your "Mallu Ranch“ neighbor will be performing for Onam 2014

2. The crowd will recognize you as the chicken running around with its head cut off 3. Your toddler thinks you are rich since you collect $s sitting at the front desk 4. You will get a chance to invite yourself to Onam going through the calling list 5. Risk free (didn’t say “theri free”) management training 6. You will realize that “Program committee” is similar to “Bitcoin”, it should stay as a vir-

tual entity 7. You realize that it may be easier to find the real “Maveli” and “Santa”, getting someone

to dress up as one for an event is harder 8. No drug screening required, you could be a “crack head” and be part of the board. 9. No director has been “laid off”, even during deep recession 10. GAMA Board membership isn’t “some thing money can’t buy, for everything else….”

Why join GAMA

board of Directors?

By: PG Ram &

Animon Jose This must be true! Look who wrote it!

GAMA Christmas—2013

Please support our sponsors

Contact one of the GAMA

directors if you would like to

be a sponsor.

This is a community newsletter for us to keep in contact and to brush up our interests in arts & literature. We call upon all to provide your feed-

back so that we could be more useful. We are also looking forward for any articles you can provide for the next issue of the GAMA Reporter.

[email protected]

gama reporter 2014 january

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