2004 AKKA World Kannada Conference

WKC2004-People's Comments

Finance Committee Report

Women's Forum

The AKKA 2004 Convention Women’s Forum is actively recruiting people from the community to present at the AKKA convention. The Women’s Forum Committee has strived to arrange for programs that are not only practical and useful for Kannada women but also more importantly meaningful to their lives. The committee is working with prominent women who have done outstanding work in their fields to talk about topics from psychology, entrepreneurship, health, nutrition and beauty. So far, we have finalized the following speakers:

Speaker Information – AKKA 2004 Women’s Forum

Dr. Kanchan Kamath from Florida

Dr. Kamath will be talking on the Role of Diet and Nutrition on Women’s Health. Her talk will focus on

Role of nutrition in the health and wellbeing of the Indian female
Weaving exercise with nutrition for optimum health
The low down on low carb eating and its role in the Indian diet

Dr. Kamath is a Registered Dietitian and has worked in this capacity for over 10 years. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Moffitt Cancer Center and is in charge of specialty areas such as critical care nutrition, nutrition counseling for diabetics, Weight Loss, renal failure, pediatric nutrition. Dr. Kamath joined University of South Florida Medical School in 1997 and recently completed her degree in 2001.

Mrs. Geetha Rama Murthy from Massachusetts

Mrs. Rama Murthy will be talking on Women and Leadership Within: Driven to Make a Difference. Her talk will focus on her personal story, prospering against all odds. Mrs. Rama Murthy will share her insights on how to how to use the right tools - Money, Technology and Mentoring to acquire and manage money, grow and advance your career to gain leadership responsibility and strike a work-life balance.

Mrs. Rama Murthy is the Executive Director of TIE Global, a company which fosters and supports women entrepreneurs. TIE Global has started a TIE Women’s Initiative in 2001. TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) is a leading not-for-profit organization in the northeast and it includes entrepreneurs, corporate executives and senior professionals with roots or interest in the Indus region.

Mrs. Sumithra Narain from Georgia

Mrs. Narain will be demonstrating "Vegetable Carving". Mrs. Sumitra Narain will demonstrate and display the Art of Vegetable Carving. She will show the basic techniques to carve and transform common vegetables and fruits into flowers using a knife and carving set. Vegetables and fruits such as carrots, radishes, cucumbers, turnips, onions, pineapple, papaya, watermelon and others will be intricately carved into flowers like roses, chrysanthemums, dahlia, lilies, sunflowers etc. or into flower-vases with special designs around them. She will also display the photographs of her book showing the arrangement of the carvings for different occasions ranging from informal children’s parties to formal banquets.

Mrs. Sumitra Narain, who hails from a family of artists in Bangalore, India, is a distinguished artist with extensive experience in the delicate oriental art of Vegetable Carving. Her book titled "The Ancient Thai Art of Vegetable Carving” was published in 1977 and the second edition in 2003. Mrs. Narain has received various awards and diplomas in Italy, in addition to the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award (in India) in 1994, and The Best Citizens of India Award in 1999 for her accomplishment, expertise, skill and talent in the field of Vegetable Carving.

Mrs. Sharada Rajanna from Mississippi

Mrs. Rajanna talk is titled, Making a Difference. She will be talking about the many ways of giving back to India and making a difference in the lives of children and women in rural Karnataka. Her talk will focus on

Empowering women in rural India to improve themselves
Improve living conditions of families in rural Karnataka

Mrs. Sharada Rajanna is the Founder/President of the KRS Education and Rural Development Foundation, Inc. a 501( c) (3) public charitable organization that provides resources in health and education to underprivileged children and women globally, including those in Mississippi. Mrs. Rajanna is currently a Computer Science instructor at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.

Dr. Shashi Jagadish from Florida

Dr. Shashi Jagdish talk is titled, Is the topic of domestic violence relevant to the Indian community? Her talk will be focusing on the dynamics of domestic violence, particularly with reference to the Indian community.

Dr. Shashi Jagadish started her work in the field of domestic violence in 1990 and has extensive experience in clinical intervention and program coordination. She is a licensed Mental Health Counselor and a state certified provider for domestic violence cases. At present she is a program supervisor for Miami-Dade Family & Victim Services which offers domestic violence counseling for perpetrators and victims. Being very involved in the community in fighting domestic violence, Dr. Jagadish has presented and coordinated numerous workshops. She has served on numerous boards such as Dade County Alliance against Domestic Violence and the City of Miami Commission on the Status of Women.

Ms. Jayanthi (Jay) Rao

Ms. Rao is young political entrepreneur with roots in India. She will talk on the leadership role women can play in American politics. Her love for politics, the role of women and small businesses will be the focal points of her talk. Ms. Rao is currently running for Secretary of State in North Carolina.

Jay Rao has a broad range of experience in politics and business. For almost two decades, Jay has worked in the political arena at the Federal, State and Local levels. Jay Rao entered politics because she feels passionate about our American freedoms. Currently, she is running for Secretary of State in North Carolina because she sees a need to help those who have lost their jobs. Jay Rao is a fine example for young Indians and a true inspiration to hear.