End of term report

Here are matters to report - a sort of Presidents report for the end of term :

A year with me as president is coming to a conclusion. The founders of this organization maintained excellant records and minutes of previous meetings - unfortunately, this team has been very poor at doing that, and it is important that this error be corrected by the next team.


The president was side lined on many matters and there was a poor attitude by the members of the Board to work in unison with the president - a matter I am taking responsiblity for and hereby acknowledging and acknowledging. The organization is NOT to be run by the secretary, rather by the president. A written constitution is to be prepared and this will be presented at the anual general body meeting - as this was approved at the last Governing Board, with me, being given the responsiblity to draft, such a constitution.


The family is far from cohesive and there is an unspoken respect and unity - yet a very poor colaboarative nature in the large family we are. This needs to improve.

There was a regional gathering in malabar on April 11, 2010, and this is a good thing. We should have 3 such gatherings and the 4th one being the anual gathering - in my opinion.


My proposed minimum 10 points for the constitution :


1. The term of office bearers is only one year. Return to same office by past holders only after a year of being not in the same post.


2. Elections be done by ballot that is mailed, so the elections do not cloud the annual gathering.


3. The secretary MUST NOT be the treasurer. There is need for a treasurer who reports monthly to the board and the general body in writting.


4. Draw up a strategic plan and develp a tust fund, with participation from anyone who is interested being welcomed.


5. The directory publishing committee MUST have the right to review material before it is publised. The material should NOT become the work of one individual, and there must be an open forum wherin ideas and suggestions are welcome.


6. Daughters and grand dauaghters who have ties to Theempalangad family must be allowed to become associated members of the organization - invited to annual gatherings with their families. These dauaghters may not have voting rights - however, they must be welcome to the annual gathering and welcomed as part of family. There is a negative trend to married daughters and their families - and we must improve the relationships with the families that have become affiliated with theempalangad through marriages.


7. A new branch has come to be - called Alphonsa. There are 4 branches now. A more clear history of the reason for the former names and their use and purpose must be evaluated. I for one has always identified with theempalangad and not with any of the sub groups.


8. There must be minutes maintained of all meetings of the Board, and all discions taken. Meetings must be announced 2 weeks in advance to give time for people to plan to attend.


9. There is need to have a greater sense of co-operation and collaboration. The meetings must be chaired by the president and the agenda must be prepared ahead. meetings must be conducted in a proffessional manner.


10. Youth must be encouraged to participate. I suggest we have presidents for each of the 4 groups in the family. A chairman and a president.


This was written sometime in May of 2010 and is posted now.. though it was existing as a draft.. so here it is.. still true. A few things I would change though..

       Mind to page is the magic of writing.

Again.. to this remedy called writing we return
Time and time again, cyclical like, oftentimes
Unplanned, unprepared, unknowingly, unedited
Seeking wisdom, solace, freedom, faith, rest.
Or whatever it may offer - to write is therapy.

For the human beings that we are, in this world
From the human condition transforming it to divine
Is this magical activity called writing.. for it is digital
As well as manual, it has the making of human drama.
With civilizationing of humans.. with it we survive.

But for the ability to write, we would have been lost
With no ability to communicate, no history or culture...
With it, we are a different beast, be it one that still needs
Reformation, restoration, repentance and redemption.
Awakening our selves to an external and internal dimension.

Take away the maladies and comedies:  what have we left
Will we know of the great writers and their writings ?
Without which we would be so much the poorer,
Unlettered we would be worse than beasts, below all.
In the plan of nature, mankind is known by our thoughts.

It is a healing, this thing called writing: what with computers
All must pursue it, to regain sanctity and review one's own self
For in our scribbling we reckon with our souls, our conditions
As we think aloud, alike and alone all at once, soul as well as self.
Body mind and soul are one in this exercise of yoga like action.

Onam 2015

On this day of Onam
2015 August 28, Friday
In Kerala, land of Mahabali
Prosperity of ages gone is celebrated.

Be it really a commemoration
Of days gone by of plenty, peace
Of good rule and governance
So absent today... in Kerala.

Pretending that all is well
When much is not well
Suffering in silence the decay
Seemingly devoid of any reason.

Yet we must accept the unfailing turn
Of the wheel of time.. and time has moved
Much ... taking with her many dear ones
Over the last 5 years... mom and dad as well.

Tomorrow is another day
Yonder in Calgary where it will be 24 years
Tom passed away in 1990
August 29, 2015... a day to remember.

Happy Onam.. Yes, after a lapse of 5 plus years we are back.  To blogging.. so here goes hhwhfeheevvdnnjddvkjndgdbdj...

There is a new team at the helm

Yes, it has been a long while since there has been a posting here.

SO here is an update.

A new team of office bearers has been installed for 2010 - 2011

Mr Mathew as president and Mr Avarachan as secretary with 11 other members.

The former team handed over records and accounts.

A new directory, a new website and a new photo album as well as digital directory was released at the annual re-union.

A new constitution needs to be written.

A long range plan needs to be developed.

Mailing adress of all needs to be compiled.

The web - site and bank accounts must be managed efficiently and under supervision and knowledge of the committee.

I do not wish to be boring and I will conclude with a brief footnote.

We have had many losses in and related to the family. % have dies since the start of this year and we need to pray and remain closed to God.

As for other matters... less said the better.. for now.

The times are changing !

Our family is moving forward. Our telephone directory, a small one with all the new and correct information is printed and is soon to be available for all.

A new directory with photographs and listing of all members is under final stages of printing and preparation, and will also be ready for all to see and have, in the near future.

A cxlub house - a guest house is a plan I have in mind - yet to be materialized. We are looking for land, and a few persons have been approached within the family - for a donation of land or site. Construction plans are yet to be drawn up.

Two gatherings are under plan - one on 11 th of April in Malabar and another in May in Ponthenpuzha.

A family trust and fund is to be developed, and initial planning towards that has been started.

How many families are we related to by marriage ?

If we were to see the families that Theempalangad girls have been married into - that would be about 100. If we see the families from which women have come to Theempalangad family by way of marriage, that too would be about 100. Thus there would be about 200 families that are related to us, by way of marriages. There maybe more than one such affiliation or relationship with a number of families and that will reduce the number 200 to an even smaller number.

Many of the members of the family - actually all of us, have a second family we are associated and related to and Theempalangad family is related to - it is called our "Mother's family". In my case it is "Otaplackal" given my dad married my mother, from the Kadakuzha branch of the ottaplackal family, daughter of Mr and Mrs Thomas Mathew.

Every member of the family has a "mother's family" side to them, and it would be interesting to tabulate the relationships and to see who we are connected to by marriage, and thus geneticaly, for that is the make up of the family tree.

Likewise, my Dad's Mother's family is "Olessa" and that brings another relationship into the equation. My dad's brother married from "Plackad" and The sisters of my dad were married into "Thachenkerry" where 2 of them into different branches of the family was done. Also to "Marathinal" and "Karanthanum" families. Our grandfather's mother's family was "Kannanthanam" and one of our great grandfather's sister was married into "Kannanthanam" family. Of the many sisters my grandfather Koshy Geeverghese had, one of them was married into "Karipal" family. There are daughters of Theempalangad family married into families such as "Karippaparambil", "Kadanthode", and where our men have married from "Powathil" and "Thekkekara" families.

I would be amiss if I did not mention the Ferns and the Silas families here, as they too were connected to Theempalangad family by marriage, even if that has been ruptured due to the modern day trends unfortunate in some ways, yet a reality - the other side of marriage or after the marriage called divorce.

My own four sister have been married, respectively, beginning with the oldest to youngest, into these four following families, namely "Polachirackal" "Edassery", "Elamatha" and "Padinjattekara".

So in a brief synopsis, looking at merely the affiliations primarily formed by my grandfather and his wing of the family's affiliation, we see 20 families connected by marriage to the Theempalagad family. This list is not even complete even for my Grandparents wing f the family meaning none of the marriages of the children of T. V. Thomas, Dad's brother are mentioned here, and that is another 7 family affiliations. We will update the list as we get details of family names and further data.

Se how important this information is, and how little we know of each other's family ties.. so much to learn, so much to cherish.