COCHIN BACKWATER ROUND TABLE 131

Release of Waterline 2011-12 1st Edition by Area Chairman Bejoy Varghese

2012-01-11T00:43:00.002+05:30

Area Chairman BV Releasing our Table Magazine Waterline 1st Edition for 2011-12

National Awards for 131 @ 50th AGM of Round Table India Chennai

2012-01-11T00:39:00.004+05:30

Certificate of Merit National AGM 2012 Chennai for Best Magazine 2010-11 Krish Chitale Trophy

Certificate of Merit National AGM 2012 Chennai for Fellowship 2010-11

2011-12-19T12:39:00.002+05:30

Christmas Sergeanting - Jayanth

RTI Week 2011

2011-11-14T13:17:00.007+05:30

Tabling is not just about fun and fellowship but working for the humanity too. RTI week has been specially planned keeping aside a dedicated week to reach out to the lesser privileged souls around us.

THE WEEK THAT WAS...IN PICTURES !!

At the destitute ward in General Hospital, Ekm

Thursday 10th Nov 2011

Govt. General Hospital Ernakulam

The Round Table Week Kick started with the first project of distributing 12 beds to the inmates of the

destitute ward of Ernakulam General Hospital. CBRT 131 Chairman Tr. Rajesh Simon handed over the

beds to Dr. Junaid Rehaman the superintendent of Ernakulam General Hospital. The project was

Coordinated by Tr. Deepak Krishnan

Attended by: 8 tablers, 2 Honorary tablers

Thursday 10th Nov 2011

Govt. General Hospital Kitchen

Tr Faraz Javed sponsored an Air Curtain for the new Kitchen of Ernakulam General Hospital. The tablers

visited the newly erected Kitchen of the Ernakulam General hospital

Saturday 12th Nov 2011

Santhwanam Orphanage

Breakfast with children and Santhwanam orphange for children. The tablers and ladies visited the Santhwanam an orphanage for children.We took with us appam and chicken stew. All the tablers and ladies had breakfast with the children of 50 children of santhwanam orphanage.
Toys were also distributed to the orphanage.

Attended by: 11 Tablers and 2 Honorary tablers, and 12 ladies

Saturday 12th Nov 2011

Water purifier at Santhwanam orphanage

Area Chairman Bejoy sponsored a RO water purifier for the Santhwanam orphange

Saturday 12th Nov 2011

Girideepti tribal school:

The tablers and ladies visited the Girideepti tribal school and provided provisions for the inmates.

Tr. Rajesh Antony sponsored the provisions for the school.

Attended by: 4 Tablers and 2 Ladies

Saturday 12th Nov 2011

Medical camp in Girideepti tribal school

A medical camp for the students and staff of Girideepti tribal school was conducted.

2 Doctors conducted medical camp

Sunday 13th Nov 2011

Ladies and Twinkler’s day out

The Ladies and twinklers had a fun day out at I drive, Go karting center at Vyttila. Later they proceeded

to have some fun time at Amoeba gaming center @ Gold souk. The group then finished of the evening

with a sumptuous dinner at KFC Gold souk.

Monday 14th Nov 2011

Shilpa School: Tare Zameen Par- Painting competition and prize distribution for specially abled children.

A Painting competition was conducted for the differently able children of Shilpa School as part of theTare Zameen Par Project.
Crayons and other painting materials were distributed to the students for the competition.
The prizes were later distributed to the winners by the chairman and other tablers of CBRT 131.
The tablers and ladies then distributed snacks to the Special Children
The events were sponsored by Area HT Rakesh Ramachandran

Painting Competition @Shilpa School

Wednesday 16th Nov 2011

Edapally LP School

The Library of Edapally LP School.was earlier built and donated to the school by CBRT 131 as a FTE project initiative. This year CBRT 131 took initiative by donating for up gradation of the Library block.

30 books,
Encyclopedia CDs
2 library shelves
6 reading tables
Tr Mathew Jose sponsored the reading tables for this project while Tr. Binu provided the CD

Chairman Rajesh with RTI Week Convenor Anuj

Tables for School library

Wednesday 16th Nov 2011

South Chittoor LP School

The school is the adopted school of CBRT 131 and this project is being done in this school without fail for more than a

decade. This year too CBRT 131 participated actively for the students and teachers of the school

Uniform to all the students of South Chittoor LP School.
Scholarship for 20 Students
Honorarium for teachers along.
Lunch was provided for all the students and staff.

At chittoor School our Long term Project

Thursday 17th Nov 2011

Cooking demonstration for the ladies by Chef from Taj

A cooking demonstration of some lip smacking dishes was arranged for the ladies at ABAD Bay pride

mall. The project was sponsored and coordinated by Tr. Faraz Javed and Asma Faraz

Attended by: 8 Ladies attended

Friday 18th Nov 2011

Movie- Tintin 3D

33 members of 131 including tablers, Sq Legs, HTs and ladies along with twinklers had a great Movie outing at Q cinema to watch the movie Tintin. This was followed by a sumptuous dinner at Lokah

Saturday 19th Nov 2011

Evangel Ashram

Evangel ashram is a home for destitute from the street. In view of their need for shelter

CBRT 131 donated construction material. Following Donations were made

o Cement

o Sand,

o Steel

o Aggregate

The table also provided breakfast to the inmates.
A small Medical camp was also conducted for the needy.

Attended by: 3 Tablers and 1 Sq Leg

Saturday 19th Nov 2011

National Fellowship Day

CBRT celebrated NFD along with QRT 85, GCRT 102, ERT 214 in style at Hotel Le Meridian. Theme was Black and red. The short meeting culminated with Sergeants Act by Area HT Rakesh Ramachandran along with Bindu with a beautiful Mime act.

CBRT131 celebrated the birthday of LMF Tr. Joseph Simon and Iona who were celebrating their birthday on NFD. Masquerade Ball was the Fellowship theme and Tablers enjoyed their after party till wee hours of the morning.

Mime by Bindu

The Ra.One Effect

2011-11-14T11:41:00.001+05:30

Who would want to miss out on an opportunity to watch a movie first day first show with family and friends? Nobody would, especially if it was the most expensive Bollywood movie made yet. The much-awaited Shah Rukh starrer, Ra.One had a grand opening on 26 October 2011 the world over. Knowing the hype the movie had created, well ahead of its release, CBRT 131, as part of its fund raising project, booked 2 screens completely at the Cinemax in Oberon Mall for the evening show.

The tickets were completely sold out for the day. Excitement filled the air and expectations were high. It was a treat to watch the special effects on the big screen and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. But the majority was completely disappointed as movie did not live up to their expectations. One had aptly put it when she said, “either the movie will brighten up Diwali or it will ‘bomb’ and ‘burst’ like a Diwali fire-cracker”. A frustrated viewer said he would have preferred a play station over the movie while another remarked, it’s a “horrible disaster”, not caring for the double negative usage! Nevertheless, it was a good outing and a great way to celebrate Diwali.

Ladies' Rendezvous with Nature

2011-11-04T13:19:00.009+05:30

Are you really bugged with the hustle and bustle of daily routine?

Are you worked up with the jostle of the family??

Do you wanna scream as a free bird and chill out???

Then this is it!!! We are gonna freak out. Day is Sunday, 23rd October 2011.

A sail on the serene backwaters all by ourselves to detoxify from within with guzzles of sweet coconut water( Madura kallu)

Lets go and have a rendezvous and rock ourselves in the castle on waters.

Cheers,

Chairmiss Tisha Rajesh

Thus read the invite to our ladies for the much-awaited, much-wanted, well-planned Ladies' Day Out for the ladies of CBRT 131.

The ladies of CBRT 131 would never forget their latest rendezvous with nature, for it was their first break-free experiences on a house boat on the serene backwaters of Kumarakom all by themselves. The late night party at Gigy’s social the previous night could not dampen the spirits of the 13 ladies, who were determined to chill and freak out.

After a quick breakfast at Sarovaram on Sunday, 23 October 2011, the ladies, all dressed up in cool casuals and goggles, reached the venue on time. The Kumarakom Castle luxury house boat was soon on the roll. The dining table was filled with a variety of snacks from chicken pie, hot fish fingers to chocolate cake to name a few. A sumptuous meal of Kareemeen, Kappa and meen curry was followed by the traditional lunch. What started off as a drizzle soon gave way to heavy rains. Some even tried their hands at the wheel of the boat. The day had ended perfectly but the memories lingered. It was a refreshing change for the ladies who wanted a total break from the hustle and bustle of the routine chaotic world.

Happy Birthday Chairman !!!!

2011-11-02T13:54:00.006+05:30

 As you turn a milestone 40 years,
Here is a prayer to bless your way ; a wish to lighten your moments ;
a cheer to perfect your day; and a team of  131-ers " wishing you a memorable HAPPY BIRTH DAY !!!!

Tabling is all about fun and fellowships. And we never miss out on Birthday celebrations especially when the Chairman of the table is celebrating his milestone 40^th Birthday. Tablers and ladies gathered around 7.30 pm at the Yacht Club with a bunch of flowers and loads of good wishes and cheer to wish our dear Chairman and what followed was the clatter of glasses and bottles and wine and rum amidst lots of clicks and pictures. Cake facials have become a way of life during Birthday celebrations and the Chairman was not spared either. A delicious Choco Mocha cake found its right place on the Chairman’s face before it was gobbled up in minutes. A good dinner and a relaxed evening made up for a tiring day.

The After Party

2011-11-01T12:52:00.003+05:30

How would you like to attend a social with no themes and dress codes? An evening of gossip & chit chatting? One such social was the family social for the month of October, hosted by Dr.Gigy & Reeni on 22 October at their Residence in Kadavanthara. Tablers poured in with their family in full attendance. Cocktails & mock tails did their rounds followed by an array of exotic, lip smacking starters, short eats and a delicious dinner. Tabler Mathews’ birthday was celebrated in style, not to mention the never-to-be-missed chocolate facial he got with his birthday cake! All in all, a beautiful evening of pure fun & fellowship.

Onam Celebrations with a Difference

2011-10-19T16:06:00.007+05:30

After joining Tabling, I have seen many sorts of permutation and combination of themes of our socials. However while residing in Kerala, I used to wonder why is Onam not celebrated as a theme in our table. After becoming a chairman, I thought of having our first social of CBRT 131 in 'nadan' style of Onam to reminiscence the pride of being a Keralite and enjoy the evergreen story of Maveli with the delicious and healthy vegetarian sadhya……WHAT??? This was the common question from almost all the tablers. None wanted it.

I realized why my predecessors had avoided this theme. Well here I was, who had already told everyone that our first social of this year would be an Onam social and the acceptance from all the tablers and ladies alike with a frown…. Oh no not one more Veggie. An idea of Onam games to cover up the all too poorly accredited sadhaya was planned. Out of the blue there came a silver line from the problematic theme. The connoisseur of the foodie came to my rescue. Tr. Faraz better known as the Seafood man is always reckoned when topic is related to any type of food especially seafood. As our Secretary Tr. Jayanth suggested if there was any award for food fellowship then 131 will get the awards year after year. He took the responsibility of the sadhya and that was it. It was Seafood sadhya. Preethi and Tr.Jayanth came out with a brilliant invite. The lobster Maveli was now in place.

The social started with tablers and ladies in their best of the mundu and shirt/kurtas and ladies in their beautiful attire all looking great welcomed by traditional chandanam . The men flocked around the bar, with fried lobsters coming in frenziedly while the ladies made the occasion more attractive by laying a beautiful pookalam based on RTI emblem with 131 on the top led by Tisha, Preethi and all stunning ladies. The brief officials meet had the Maveli (Tr. Binu George) being the sergeant, blessed the occasion and wished everyone a great year.

It was time for a Seafood Sadhya. The menu could not have been better. After the barrage of short eats of lobsters, prawns and crabs there was hardly any space left. But when the sadhya was laid, the tummy suddenly grew bit larger to accommodate the best. How can one avoid a Sadhya that boast of prawn’s avail, crab rasam lobster… to name a few of the endless menu. A look of complete exhaustion after the last sip of the paysam with a satisfied burp was the end result of all who came in. The night was not over yet. Area HT Rakesh Ramachandran was entering a new year and how could Tablers not enjoy the occasion. The usual zeal and enthusiasm of icing facials and the cake was devoured. All in all a great evening which would be remembered for a long time to come.

- Chairman LMF Tr. Rajesh Simon

Meeting with our Dost Table, BKRT 174

2011-10-19T15:40:00.003+05:30

When: 09 September 2011
Where: Biere Club, Bangalore

It was one of those mails that came from Round table office which gave me a smile while reading my mails on the way to Bangalore. BKRT 174 from Bangalore had been chosen as the Dost table of CBRT 131. Without wasting much time I contacted our Area chairman Bejoy Varghese to help me to get the contact list of the BKRT Chairman and Secretary. AC Bejoy Varghese known for his perspicacity did not disappoint me. He sent me the numbers of both Chairman and Secretary. But then I heard news that gave me both awe and disappointment. I was awed with the news that the Chairman and the 7 of the fellow tablers had gone to Europe for the Round Table world meet but then at the same time disappointed that I could not meet them. I called upon the Secretary Tr. Deepak Gadi. As I have always heard before from the other tablers, when I called upon Deepak the moment he discovered that I was a Tabler from CBRT 131 he immediately fixed up a time and place. We met in The Beire Club with a awesome crowd around us. With one pitcher of beer in front of us we enjoyed our evening with delicious food. We promised each other to have a more splendid party with the whole quorum of 131ers and 174ers soon.

- LMF Tr. Rajesh Simon

Birthdays, Birthdays & more Birthdays

2011-10-19T13:28:00.009+05:30

It seems like the Tablers and Ladies never fail to celebrate their fellow tablers’ birthdays no matter how busy they are. Amidst fervent practice sessions for the dance competition to be held in Kollam for the AGM, Birthdays were a moment of let away from the exhausting dancing schedule. And when you have a birthday spree of beautiful ladies,131 never misses out on the celebrations. This was again an occasion to be enjoyed. Birthdays of Tessy, Laniya, Preetha, Unniamma and Bindu happened in quick succession. With the dance practice culminating on 1st September, we had 5 successive cake cutting ceremonies of all the ladies.

- Tr. Rajesh Simon

Publicity at 131- Deccan Chronicle

2011-08-09T23:31:00.005+05:30

White party @ Bolgatty Marina

Sailing & Serenading!

KoCoA Meet @ Kumarakom

2011-08-02T11:26:00.006+05:30

KoCoA meet – so aptly termed was a joint social of Kottayam 121, Aleppey 103 and Cochin CBRT 131, held at Kottayam Club, Kumarakom on 26 June 2011. The theme being Monsoon, tablers with family came dressed in Blue and White. There were games for kids as well as tattoo painting and other fun stuff, besides fellowship and a grand lunch.

Slumber Party

2011-06-20T12:41:00.006+05:30

Slumber party: The social for the month of June, was special in more ways than one. It had an innovative theme to it and was also clubbed with the Area Chairman Tr. Sejoe’s visit to our Table. Held at Harbour View, it was fun to see the tablers with their families attending the social dressed in stylish Pajamas and slippers. The meeting began as usual where Tr. Sejoe presented the table with a plaque of Round Table England and gifted our Chairman with the Area Flag. The fellowship soon followed with a good dinner and dumb charades. It goes without saying that everybody enjoyed the evening.

Holiday @ Holiday Inn, Cochin

2011-06-20T10:28:00.003+05:30

Who would have dreamt of an overnight stay at a dream hotel in the very heart of the city you are living in, without shelling out a single penny from your pocket? Yes, it was a dream come true for the 17 tablers with family when they checked into the newly opened Holiday Inn in Cochin on 14 May 2011. It was a family outing of a different kind, a short one night stay at the hotel, to get feel of the place and experience its ambience as well as the food. The Italian restaurant was a class apart with its amazing spread of pizzas, pastas and desserts. The 131-ers were a relaxed contented lot when they checked out from the hotel the next day.

400th Meeting of CBRT 131

2011-06-10T11:39:00.002+05:30

It was the 400^th meeting of CBRT 131 and what better way to make it memorable than with an overnight trip to The Park Vembanad Lake hotel in Alleppey. 15 tablers with the ladies and kids checked in to the hotel on 16 April 2011. The Park Resort had a yacht with 10 rooms in it which was a wonderful experience in itself. After a sumptuous lunch, the kids headed to the pool overlooking the Vembanad Lake to be followed by others later. The night started out with the meeting, followed by hours of fun, frolic and fellowship. Rock band played some good music and after dinner, the group headed to the yacht for an amazing round of dumb charades which had everyone in splits. The fun ran on till 3am the next time. No words minced, when one says it was a much needed, much appreciated break, a total getaway from the busy routine city life.

“Health is Wealth” Medical Camp 2011

2011-06-10T10:26:00.004+05:30

To promote wellness and the idea that health is indeed wealth, Cochin Backwater Round Table 131 in association with BCG Group had conducted a Health Camp on Sunday, 13^th March 2011 at BCG Healthsquare, Palarivattom, Cochin from 10:00am to 1:30pm. The camp was inaugurated by our Chairman, Tr. Thomas Chacko and Dr. Rajesh Simon convened the entire camp. Reputed doctors from various disciplines which includes Orthopedics, ENT, Dental, Ophthalmology, Gastroenterology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and others offered free consultation for all who had walked into the “Health is Wealth” Medical Camp that day. In some cases, the Random Blood Sugar and ECG tests were also taken to give further insight into one’s health. Free medicines were also provided for the patients during the camp. As we have quite often heard “prevention is better than cure”, the response to the medical camp was tremendous and many went home feeling good about themselves. The medical camp was very much appreciated among the tabling fraternity. Kudos to all the tablers and ladies, especially the doctors who worked tirelessly and went out of their way to make it a success.

Denim Social

2011-06-10T10:10:00.003+05:30

The table social for the month of February 2011 was co-hosted by Tr. George Kuruvilla & Tr. Rajesh Simon at The Mercy Hotel on 27 February 2011. It was a Blue day so to speak, with the theme being Blue Denim. The meeting went on as usual, followed by fun games and fellowship. While the tablers were challenged to drape themselves in a Sari within a minute and do a catwalk, the ladies were tested on their “drinking” skills of soft drinks. There were a few couple games too and prizes were given away to the winners. Tr. Deepu Cherian was adjudged the best draped Tabler and Asma Faraz for her drinking skills. Nevertheless, it was a great party; a totally Sunday Funday.

Twinkler's Day Out

2011-05-11T13:03:00.002+05:30

Twinklers are always special. They need to be made special too. And what better way than to celebrate their day - 14th November, the Children’s Day. The twinkler's day out was celebrated in grand style in the brand new mall Abad Nucleus 14th November 2010 with twinklers along with their mothers. Tr. Faraz's son, Ayaan's Birthday was also celebrated together with loads of fun and games.

Stag Trip - Silent Valley National Park, Palakkad

2011-05-11T12:47:00.003+05:30

The stag trip of CBRT 131 has been in the planning phase for quite a long time so when it finally rolled out, it came as no big surprise that the destination was finalized as Silent Valley, in Palakkad. All that the guys wanted was a weekend getaway to a serene place, away from the maddening crowds, city bustle and the deafening traffic. Silent Valley National Park, the core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is a unique preserve of tropical evergreen rain forest and is a rich storehouse of bio diversity. The Tablers, 9 of them, stayed at Silent Valley resort, inside the forest, with the nearest town being Mannarkkad, 40 kms away. A beautiful camp fire in the night and Barbeque added to the fun. Other activities in the resort included a 10 km trekking in the wild forests, fishing and bathing in the nearby river etc. The fact that there were no televisions in any of the rooms, no internet and mobile connectivity, was a welcome change for those ‘connected’ people who wanted a total break from the hustle and bustle of the chaotic world.

Baby Shower of Mary Antony

2011-04-22T11:03:00.003+05:30

Baby Showers are always fun, be it for the expectant mother or for the people who organize it. And this time around, the ladies along with their kids and infants were present in full attendance for the baby shower at the residence of the Mother-to-be Mary Antony on 28 January 2011. The expectant mother was showered with a basket full of gifts. There was fun and laughter and clatter all around. Mary and Antony played the perfect host and treated the ladies to an array of delicious snacks and pastries. The kids also enjoyed the baby shower thoroughly as much as the ladies did.

A well 'Co-ordinated' Social

2011-04-22T10:35:00.007+05:30

The first social of the New Year 2011 was co-hosted by Tr. Rajesh Antony & Tr. Pradeep Mathew at Avenue Regent on 29 January 2011. The theme being Co.ordinate, it saw the tablers with their family all dressed up in a coordinated manner…Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, White, striped, the colours were many. The meeting went on as usual, followed by fun games and fellowship. Couples got to know each other better with the games played. Prizes were given away to the best coordinated couple. Tr. Deepu Cherian and family won it hands down, so also Tr. Jayanth and Preethi. Needless to say, it was a fun party. Check out some of the co.ordinated couples & families...

GG in Blue

The 'white' family

Fiery Red

Co-ordinated to the T

The best co-ordinated family

"Check" out this couple

Go Red

Another Red & White Christmas

2011-04-21T16:43:00.004+05:30

The festive season of Christmas is always special and so was the Christmas Social, hosted by Tr. Binu George at his residence on 19 December 2010. It was grand in every way with the entire house beautifully decked up with lights, stars, decorated crib, Christmas tree and live music. Every detail was planned meticulously keeping the Christmas theme in mind. It was a proud moment for CBRT 131 for having accomplished a never-before achievement of winning 4 awards at the National AGM and what better way than to celebrate with a bottle of champagne!!! Past Chairman Tr Rakesh was also felicitated at the meeting and Tr Anuj, who won the Christmas Hamper. To add to the festivities was the traditional carol singing by the Tablers followed by hours of pure fun and enjoyment. The live food counters ensured unlimited snacks followed by a grand dinner. The highlight of the evening was the amazing display of fireworks specially brought in for the evening. The social will be remembered for a long time to come.

Joint Social - Mein Hoon Don

2011-04-21T16:39:00.004+05:30

The RTI week witnessed a social of a different kind when 7 tables from far and near turned up at Casino Hotel on the night of 13 November 2010. The Joint Social of CRT 71, GCRT 102, ERT, ART 103, PENTA 101, PRT81 led by CBRT 131, was one of a kind. And the theme was just perfect for the evening: the Don effect saw majority of the people dressed in Black and some others in vibrant flashy outfits and props to suit the theme. It was wonderful to see the Chairmen of 7 Tables raising a toast to RTI and singing aloud the Round Table Anthem. A memento was also given away to the Chairmen of all the participating tables. The meeting was followed by hours of pure fun, excitement, food and fellowship. DJ Savio and his team ensured the fun element by playing some good music and foot tapping numbers which had even the kids shaking a leg on the dance floor. Anish, a bar tender by profession, enthralled the audience with his fire antics. Needless to say, it was an evening to remember which ran till 3AM the next morning.