May 3, 2005

To: Board of Directors, Trustees and Kannada Koota Presidents

My warm regards and namaskaras to all of you.

I wish to update you about AKKA 3 rd World Kannada Convention held recently at Orlando, Florida and give the final details of the convention.   Despite the hurricane and other problems associated with the convention, the WKC 2004 Convention was a thundering success. All our invited dignitaries and artists were able to attend the conference. It was a memorable event that has imprinted a lasting image on the minds of Kannadigas who were able to attend.

The WKC 2004 Convention financial account has been audited by Stone and Parker CPA Inc., I will be mailing the official reports to President Dr. Kudur Murali and Treasurer. It will also be presented at the next Board of Directors meeting. We are closing the account as soon as all the checks are cleared. Our sincere thanks go to Dr. Sundaresh, finance comptroller, for maintaining the books and ledgers of the convention finances with accuracy.  The expense and income account has been maintained with invoices.   We were able to refund 50% of registration money of the registered non attendees. For donors of $2000/$3000 (non-attendees), we refunded their complimentary registration fees. We raised funds for AKKA Charitable Foundation, in the amount of $2380 by way of raffle tickets.   A total amount of $1001 was given to Tsunami fund at Chennai from the Convention funds.

At the Srigandha Kannada Koota, Ugadi April 2005 celebrations, the official DVD of the WKC 2004 Convention was released. It was received very well.

Due to the hurricane and lack of personnel, some programs (off main stage) were not video taped. The edited version of DVD has 9 hours of programming on 2 DVDs. This DVD is available for purchase at the price of $20, including shipping. Another set of 12 DVDs with all the programming is also available for $80 + shipping. Please send email to srigandha@yahoo.com to purchase the DVD. Please spread the word regarding the DVD availability to your near and dear ones.   The DVDs have been diligently edited by Dr. S. Pallegar (who also worked very hard as the head of the Registration committee) and Padmanabha Bedarahally (also was instrumental with the convention website). They have invested many hours to edit and copy the video into DVD.   Please excuse us for any omissions in editing, it is not intentional. They have tried very hard to include a piece of all the programs and provide the viewer with a sense of appreciation for the length and breadth of all the programs presented. Our sincere thanks go to both of them for this effort.

DVD (set of 2) will be mailed to all the donors and registered non attendees (who have already requested). We are also planning to distribute the DVDs to the invited artists and dignitaries.

We have also mailed souvenir and bags to all registered non attendees and donors.  Mr. Prakash Doddamane has done all these mailings. He will also be mailing the DVDs to them and others. We sincerely thank him for his efforts in this huge undertaking.

During the WKC 2004 Convention we were able to enroll approximately 54 life members and annual members to AKKA. The exact numbers and details of memberships will be provided to the Secretary.

I am honored to inform you that for the first time, the WKC 2004 Convention hosted the following new programs:

• Chitrotsava
• Kavi Sammelana
• Sangeethotsava – with recognized Karnataka musicians
• Amerikannada Beauty Pageant
• For the first time we collected money for AKKA Charitable Foundation, through raffle tickets
• Recognition of Kannadigas in America, for their contribution to the community.
• For the first time in the history of the AKKA Convention, many dignitaries, namely Deputy Chief Minister, Ex Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Cultural Director and others attended the Convention.  

In addition to the above Convention firsts, a host of cultural events enthralled the conference delegates.   Dances, plays, Karnataka music, literary discussions,   yakshagana, business seminars, continuing medical education, religious activities, women’s   issues, youth activities, alumni groups, get-to-meet activity for young adults are just a few of the highlights of the Convention.  

We also had wonderful programs by local and invited artists from Karnataka.   S.P. Balasubramaniam, renowned musician, rejoiced the crowd with his melodious music.

I hope this letter gives you the highlights of the WKC 2004 Convention. I am thankful for your support in providing the opportunity to host the WKC 2004 Convention.   We look forward to the next Convention in Washington DC.   You can count on our support and timely suggestions for the upcoming Convention.

Sincerely,

Renuka Ramappa, MD
Convention Chair, WKC 2004
Vice President, AKKA