I read the emaayalee.com
news this morning. We know Mariamma Pillai for over 3 decades and she
deserves all the praises and not character assassination by people who are
ignorant of facts.
It will be a great service to the community and
FOKANA if we all agree to respect each other and not to slander
names or character assassinations. After 1992, Washington
waited 22 long years plus 4 more years believing the promises given to Washington by our
leaders.
I wish to state a few facts to emalayalee readers and others
about why Washington, DC should be chosen as the 2014 FOKANA
conventiion.
I believe that all the FOKANA patriarchs may have very
short memories. You may all remember that after Florida Convention, next to
chance to hold a convention is Washington.
Due to the election problem, and some sort of urgency, the next
convention was held in Pheladelphia, Paul Karukappallil as President.
Next convention also did not come to Washington
due to some internal jacking. Again, the convention was denied to Washington, and given to Houston, even though the president was
comparatively a NEW Person to FOKANA.
Washington
DID NOT MAKE ANY FUSS ABOUT THAT. After the New York convention,
most of them including the current president G K Pillai, Dr Anirudhan, Dr
Manmadhan Nair, Mathew Kokura, Paul Karukapallil, Thampy Chacko, T S Chacko, I
Varghese, Dr Mammen Jacob, Dr Parthasarathy Pillai, Mariamma Pillai Shibu
John, George Korath and many others promised to hold the 2014
convention in Washington DC after the Houston convention.
This was expressed at the National Committee which I also
attended in New York.
Paul Karukapalli assumed the presidency for the past two consecutive
conventions in Philadelphia and New York after making
adjustments and he did a great job, in that ! The committee agreed
to support G K Pillai to take the convention to Houston as its president. We believe in open
and fair negotiations and/or election and not back door dirty
politics.
Now why this change or politics at the last moment by
certain individuals? It is high time that our leaders keep their
promises. Washingotn will support Mariamma Pillai to be the FIRST
LADY President of FOKANA in 2016, and to have the convention in Chicago. This may
unite FOKANA rather than whirling around people and the area.
Washington
had its conventioin with Dr Parthasarathy Pillai as the president
and I was the convention coordinator in1990-1992. During that period we
have done some of the following:
1. First Indian American National Youth Leadership
conference was held at Catholic
University in 1991( 3
Days)
2. First time for youths, White House Briefing, Embassy of India Briefing, Washington, DC
sight seeing
3. FOKANA's Bhashakkorudollar was inaugurated in 1992 convention by the large
number of Literary luminaries from Kerala including N R S Babu, O N V
Kurup, MT vasudevan Nair, SugathaKumari, Vishnunarayanan Namboodiri, George
Kakanadan, K M Roy, and several others. Bhashakkoru Dollar project is
still going on strong after 20 years of continous operaton and now FOKANA'S
BHASHAKKORUDOLLAR is affliliated with the Kerala University
giving awards to the best Ph.D. thesis in Malayalam from the 5 universities in
Kerala.
4. For the first time Washington FOKANA Conention made a profit
financially.
5. Attended by about Seven thousand and five hundred Malayalees.
6. Chicago
alreday had two conventions and both were financially at loss. If the convention
is given to Chicago,
it will be their third time. It is unfair to deny Washington a convention even for the second time in
2014 rather than giving a third Convention to Chicago.
7. Tresa and I worked with Dr Anirudhan in the formation of FOKANA
when we had the first meeting in Washington,DC when the then Indian
Ambassador and past President of India, late H E K R Narayanan presided
over the meeting to form an umbrella association for all Keralites in North
America.
I was the General Secretary of FOKANA (1994 - 1996) and then
Member & Vice Chairman of FOKANA's Board of
Trustees, Bhashakkorudollar Coordinator with Dr Partha Pillai and others,
Election Chair with Dr. Parthasarathy Pillai and Mr. Manmadhan
Nair at California
convention.
Now all the 4 associations in Washington
DC area -- the Kerala
Association of Greater Washington (KAGW), Kerala Cultural Society of Metro
Washington (KCSMW), Kairali of Baltimore and Malayalee Association of Maryland
(MAM) and its members are unequivocally supporting our candidte, Sanil Gopinath
as the president for 2014. We have a group of younger generation
supporting this convention. All the four Association presidents were
present when we had the FOKANA Regional kick-off on May 5th under the able
leadership of Vipin Raj, the current RVP.