August 2022 Newsletter

KAGW Onam Celebration on Sep 10

KAGW is celebrating our flagship Onam Festival on September 10, 2022, at the Gaithersburg High School, 101 Education Blvd, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877. We cordially invite all the community members to join the Grand Onam celebration with delicious Sadya followed by scintillating entertainment programs. Please register for the event at https://events.kagw.com.

Registration will be closed on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Tickets will not be available to purchase at the venue.

We are looking for several volunteers to support the event, and if you are interested in helping, please contact socialservices@kagw.com.

KAGW Onam Athapookalam Competition

Pookalams (a rangoli made with fresh flowers in various intricate designs) are designed at home and around public places during Onam in honor of King Mahabali, who believed in returning to his people every year. KAGW is organizing an Athapookalm competition for the Onam festivities on September 10, 2022, with attractive prizes. The competition will start at 10 AM and end at 11:30 AM.

The rules for the competition are available here.

To register please contact cultural@kagw.com

KAGW Onam Greetings Card Competition

As a part of the Onam festivities, KAGW is organizing an Onam greeting card contest for students in the community. Elementary, Middle, and High Schoolers can participate in the competition and unleash their creativity. Winners will be decided by the card’s theme, design, and beauty. First, second, and third-place winners in each category will receive trophies

The card image must be sent to cultural@kagw.com with your name, category, and email address. All entries are due by Sept. 6, 2022. Copyright images or text will not be accepted. Winners will be announced at the Onam festival on September 10, 2022.

If you have any questions, please contact cultural@kagw.com

KAGW Open Tennis Tournament on Sep 17

The much-awaited annual KAGW Tennis Tournament will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at the tennis courts of Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20814. The games will start at 9 AM.

Registration for the tennis tournament will be available soon at https://events.kagw.com

KAGW Open Tennis Tournament Rules

KAGW Soccer Tournament on Sep 24

Hurry up! The much-awaited annual KAGW Youth Soccer Tournament will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2022. The venue is Artificial Turf Field at the Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20184. Please contact sports@kagw.com for registration.

Rules are available here

Adopt-A-Road, Cipriano Road Cleaning on Sep 25

KAGW Social Service Committee is organizing the annual Maryland "Adopt-A-Road" road cleaning program on Sunday, September 25, 2022. We plan to clean Cipriano Road, in front of the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple (SSVT), from Greenbelt Road to Good Luck Road. This road was adopted by KAGW. The address is 6905 Cipriano Road, Lanham, MD 20706.

All middle and high school students are eligible to receive SSL credit hours. Parents, please bring the county-specific SSL form. Snacks and beverages will be provided for the volunteers.

Please arrive at the SSVT premise by 9 AM so we can start the cleaning activity as planned. Looking forward to your participation and support! If you have any questions, please reach out to socialservice@kagw.com.

KAGW 2022 High Achiever Awards

High Achiever Awards
KAGW Vyavasaya Puraskaram - Business
KAGW Kayika Puraskaram - Sports
KAGW Sanketika Vidya Puraskaram - Technology
KAGW Sahitya Puraskaram - Literature
KAGW Sangeetha Puraskaram - Music

The nominations are due by September 2022. Please send the nominations to Longrange@kagw.com

KAGW Picnic on Oct 1

The love of a Family is life’s greatest blessing. The KAGW Annual Family Picnic will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at 11 AM. The venue for the picnic will be announced as soon as it is confirmed. Please join us with family and friends for a day full of fun activities, food, and networking.

KAGW Picnic is a free event that gives back to the community. Thank you for your continued support.

If there are any questions, please contact womensclub@kagw.com or socialservice@kagw.com.

KAGW General Body Meeting - Announcement

Secretary of KAGW takes this opportunity to announce/invite all KAGW members to the General Body Meeting on the sidelines of the Annual Picnic event. Venue details will be provided when available.

Date: Saturday, October 1 at 2 PM

Venue: TBD

Agenda:
- Welcome, and Thank you
- The state of KAGW
- Constitution amendments
- New members update
- Updates on activities and upcoming events
- Q & As from the KAGW members
- Announcement of Election Committee for KAGW 2023 Committee

KAGW Online Chess Tournament

By popular demand from the chess-loving members, KAGW Youth Club is organizing an online CHECKMATE Chess Tournament on Saturday, Oct 8, 2022, from 9 AM to 12 Noon. The event will be held in three different Categories online on chesskid.com. Registration will open soon at events.kagw.com.

Categories:
Grades K-3
Grades 4-7
Grades 8-12

Please contact sports@kagw.com if you have any questions.

KAGW STEM Competition and Youth Homecoming

KAGW Youth club is celebrating STEM Day and Homecoming on October 15, 2022, at the Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814. As a part of Youth Science Day, we plan to conduct a STEM research competition. STEM competition topics, rules, and important dates are available here. Please sign up for the stem competition and submit your research papers.

We will also have a KAGW Youth Homecoming Day to celebrate the students who have moved out to college and settled in life and bring them back to lead KAGW. The bridging of the Youth is essential for the growth of KAGW as an organization and for delivering the best community service.

KAGW 2022 Cricket Tournament

KAGW Cricket Tournament was held on August 6, 2022, at Strawberry Knoll Park, 18810 Strawberry Knoll Road, Gaithersburg, MD. It was played in an eight-player eight-over format. Four teams competed in a round-robin league, and the top two teams went to the finals. The games were all of high quality, and the details can be found at https://cricclubs.com/KeralaAssociationofGreaterWashington

Winner: Baltimore Khiladiz (Captain: James George)
Runner Up: St. Jude Soldiers (Captain: Jereesh Jose)
Final Man-of-the-Match: Samuel Lalzare (Baltimore Khiladiz)
Best Batsman (most runs): Sachin Balagopal (St. Jude Soldiers)
Best Bowler (Most Wickets): Rahul Rajendran (St. Jude Soldiers)
Congratulations to all the participants and winners!

Charity Fundraising for the Differently Abled Center of Prof. Gopinath Muthukad

KAGW, other Greater Washington DC area Malayalee Organizations, and Sri Siva Vishnu Temple (SSVT), 6905 Cipriano Rd, Lanham MD, hosted the world-famous magician with a mission, Prof. Gopinath Muthukad on Saturday, August 13, 2022, 6 PM. The function was held at the beautiful SSVT Auditorium.

Gopinath Muthukad was welcomed by the SSVT Temple Chairman Shri. Murali Elambilan and Shri. Sasi Menon with garland and fruit basket as a usual procedure of welcoming dignitaries by the temple authority. After a complete tour of the temple, Prof. Muthukad was greeted by a large audience in the auditorium of the SSVT Temple.

The program started after a prayer song by Sadhika Anilkumar and a welcome address by KAGW President Dr. Madhu Nambiar. The Temple Chairman introduced the popular magician to the crowd by citing all his past magic accomplishments and humanitarian work. Smt. Sherli Nambiar greeted Prof. Muthukad by handing over a lovely rose bouquet by gently warning him of the thorns. Later, Muthukad used the “roses with thorns” example to compare the pain and pleasure of human life and signaled that one must always be careful. Community leader Shri. M. G. Menon presented a ponnada to Prof. Gopinath Muthukad; reversely, Prof. Gopinath Muthukad presented the ponnada to Shri. M. G. Menon.

Prof. Gopinath Muthukad delivered a heart-touching motivational speech and requested everyone to kindly support his differently-abled arts center to care for those gifted differently-abled children. He also answered many questions from the audience. Shri. Paul Karukappilli, a twice past president of FOKANA and a staunch supporter of Prof. Gopinath Muthukad’s work and the fundraising program, also urged people to support his charity work and encouraged people to contribute to this great cause.

Mr. Sandeep Panicker spoke during this occasion, extending support as needed. Annie Jacob, Nalini Pillai, and Pushpa Unnithan spoke about various charity work they are conducting in the Washington area and extended their support to Prof Muthukad. Newly elected FOKANA Secretary Dr. Kala Shahi assisted in fundraising as a part of FOKANA charity program efforts. Thanks to all the Greater Washington area community members who contributed to this great cause. Approximately, $25,000 plus, including direct annual sponsorship of differently-abled students, was raised in the evening and contributed to the Share and Care Foundation to support the Differently-abled Arts Center.

KAGW Youth Meeting with Prof. Gopinath Muthukad

KAGW Youth Club Coordinators Smitha Menon and Lin Thomas organized a Youth Team program with Prof. Gopinath Muthukad at the residence of Shri. M. G. Menon. At first, the Youth Team got an opportunity to watch a beautiful video of Prof. Muthukad’s differently-abled center activities.

Youth Team Chair Deepak Menon introduced Prof Muthukad. In his remarks, he highlighted all the accomplishments of Professor Muthukad, including a list of awards received.

Prof. Muthukad started with the magic of making money from plain papers. Then he explained the value and why value is important in life using a dollar. Based on that, he delivered a motivational speech with many heart-touching small stories. Later he answered all the questions from the youth. Prof. Muthukad was happy to hear about the KAGW Youth charity activities from Alan Saju.

Thanks to all the members who contributed to the cause. Thanks to all the parents who arranged a delicious brunch.

Inauguration of KAGW Thangum Thanalum Charity News by Prof. Gopinath Muthukad

KAGW Thangum Thanalum Team, including Chair Jay Varkey, past president Saju Thomas, and Annie Jacob, spoke about the ongoing KAGW Long-term Charity program “Thangum Thanalum” and our continuing activities during the fundraising and Motivational Speech by Prof Gopinath Muthukad. The inaugural copy of the KAGW Thangum Thanalum Charity News, including all the KAGW Charity Activities of 2022, was released by Prof. Gopinath Muthukad.

KAGW Thangum Thanalum Charity News aims to communicate all the KAGW Thangum Thanalum activities and provide transparency to sincere donors and supporters. The Newsletter can help to increase the awareness of the KAGW charity activities, spread the message to wider groups of people in the community and bring it to mainstream donors.

All articles related to the charity programs by KAGW members will be showcased in the Newsletter. It will be a semi-annual or quarterly publication based on the activities. We thank all the generous donors for the KAGW Thangum Thanalum Long-Term Charity program. Whole-hearted support for charity programs and humanitarian work will keep us and future generations connected with the homeland.

Amendments to KAGW Constitution

Per Article XI of the Kerala Association of Greater Washington Constitution and By-Laws (http://kagw.com/kagw-constitution/) we hereby amend Article VI. Committees include our Long-term Charity Committee, “Thangum Thanalum,” as the 13th standing committee.

The Thangum Thanalum Long-term Charity Committee will have six members, including the President, Treasurer, and four members elected by the general body. The Chair of the committee shall be elected by its members. Any vacancy created by resignation or otherwise shall be filled by a duly called general body meeting.

The function of the committee shall be to:

• Initiate goals and plans for KAGW’s long-term charity work.
• Identify donors and raise funds to achieve the goals and plans. A separate bank account specific to the Thangum Thanalum will be used for charity work.
• Disburse the donor funds to the appropriate charity organizations.
• The treasurer shall manage and disburse the funds in consultation with the Thangum Thanalum Chair and executive committee.

So far, there have been no comments on proposed amendments, and per Article XI, after 30 days, it will be finalized.

Donate online at recurring or one-time.
or
Mail a check payable to “KAGW Thangum Thanalum” to KAGW Treasurer 22649 Cricket Hill Ct. Ashburn, VA 20148.

Federation of Sree Narayana Organizations of North America (FSNONA) Global Convention

Per Article XI of the Kerala Association of Greater Washington Constitution and By-Laws (http://kagw.com/kagw-constitution/) we hereby propose to amend Article VI. Committees include our Long-term Charity Committee, “Thangum Thanalum” as the 13th standing committee.

In a grand display, the Federation of Sree Narayana Organizations of North America (FSNONA) held its global convention from August 4-7 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Baltimore North, 1726 Reisterstown Road, MD. A large number of KAGW members volunteered and also participated and performed at the event. The magnificent convention concluded on August 7 with several recognitions, remarkable presentations, and a Ganamela by Sudeep Kumar, Aparna Shibu, and several others.

Thanks to the community leaders and organizers of the FSNONA Global convention for recognizing the Kerala Association of Greater Washington on this memorable occasion.

75th Independence Day of India Celebration

India's 75th Independence Day and Azad Ki Amrit Mahotsav were celebrated on Saturday, August 27, at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Pkwy, Greenbelt, MD 20770. The National Council of Asian Indian Associations (NCAIA) organized the event

Attractions for the day included a Multi-State Cultural Showcase from various cultural organizations, dance schools, food, and goods through vendors. On August 15th, India’s Independence Day was celebrated grandly in-person and virtually at the India House in Washington, DC. Many KAGW members participated in the event.

Perumbavoor MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly Visits Greater Washington

Kairali of Baltimore and Kerala Association of Greater Washington organized a meet and greet with Perumbavoor MLA Adv. Shri Eldhose Kaunnappilly on August 17, 2022, at the Paradise Indian Restaurant, Whitehead Ct. Baltimore, MD. The MLA was visiting USA and traveled from Philadelphia to Baltimore.

Both the Association members extended a warm welcome to him. After the icebreaker, the official program started with an introduction of Mr. Kunnappilly by Kairali of Baltimore President Shri Jijo Alappat. President Dr. Madhu Nambiar of the Kerala Association of Greater Washington briefly introduced the Association and its activities. A past co-worker of Mr. Kannappilly, Mr. Joby Sebastian from the Kerala Association introduced the MLA to the crowd explaining his achievements for the community and people

Mr. Kunnappilly visited America in 2013 to study local government operations under the International Visitor Leadership Program. In his remarks, he alluded to the large number of students going abroad for education trying to settle there and are supported by their families in Kerala. Many of them although wish to support Kerala normally do not take initiative to come back to the homeland. He mentioned that his goal is to bring changes in his own way to the highly educated community for a better life. He thanked the Baltimore Washington Community for hosting him. He wished every progress and success to Kerala and the people.

A friend of Mr. Kunnappilly from middle-east who accompanied him during the tour also spoke at the event. There was a question and answer session. Kairali president-elect Vijoy Pattammadi spoke at the event and he made all the arrangements for the meet and greet. The program was concluded by a vote of thanks from Jijo Alappat.

ONAM at SSVT

Golden Jubilee Celebration of Kaveri Kannada Sangha

On August 27, 2022, Kaveri Kannada Sangha celebrated their historic Golden Jubilee at the North Bethesda Marriott. Thousands of Kannadigas, including Malayalees, settled in Karnataka, participated in the grand celebration. Kaveri started in 1972, and its pathway of growth in the last 50 years was showcased beautifully at the event. More than a dozen special Committees were made to organize each segment of the celebration to bring out a grand event.

A beautiful chariot was created and showcased at the event that attracted everyone. The hall was decorated with many creative ways to bring the meaning of Kaveri. There were varieties of entertainment programs, including fashion shows and musical nights. A souvenir of more than 200 pages was released, capturing the moments of the last 50 years and also the life of leading Kannadigas now. Earlier, many sports and talent events were held as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebration.

Bhoomi Pooja for JSS Temple

On Sunday, August 28, 2022, Bhoomi Pooja for New JSS (Jagadguru Shri Shivarathreeshwara) Temple was held next to the Barn at the current Temple, 7710 Hawkins Creamery Rd, Gaithersburg, MD. His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji along with His Holiness Ganapathi Sachidananda Swamiji and many other dignitaries including Secretary from the Indian Embassy Anshul Sharma, County Executive Marc Ehrlich, MD gubernatorial candidate Aruna Miller performed the (Groundbreaking Ceremony) to inaugurate the construction of a new temple.

We thank the Poojya Swamijis and JSS Temple authorities for inviting the Kerala Association of Greater Washington to this historic occasion. We also thank them for welcoming the KAGW on the stage and presenting with plaque, shawl, and garlands. Thanks to JSS spiritual mission for the respect and blessings showered upon KAGW.

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