Shri Kadakampalli Surendran, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism  & Devasom,

Shri Ramesh Chennithala, Hon’ble Leader for Opposition,

Shri O. Rajagopal, Member of Legislative Assembly,

Shri Mammen Jacob, Trustee Board Chairman, FOKANA,

Shri Georgy Varghese, Chairman, Kerala Convention, FOKANA,

Shri G. Rajamohan, Working Chairman, Keraleeyam,

Shri Madhavan B. Nair, President, FOKANA,

Shri Tommy Kokkat, Secretary, FOKANA,

Priyappetta Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Ellavarkkum Ente Namaskaram.

       I am very happy to inaugurate the Kerala Convention of the Federation of Kerala Associations in North America [FOKANA].

Let me at the outset, appreciate the sincere efforts of the Federation of Kerala Associations in North America in maintaining very close relations with the social and economic life of Kerala.

I am informed that FOKANA, which has a history of nearly thirty five years, has been promoting the culture of Kerala in the United States and championing the cause of the Non Resident Indians. As the largest and oldest umbrella organization with more than sixty Associations of Keralites spread over North America and Canada, it has been noted for many cultural and charitable initiatives.

The story of how FOKANA evolved from the collective wish of Malayalee organizations in North America and the initiative of Dr. M. Anirudhan of Chicago to organize the first meeting is well known.  This first meeting was chaired by the then Ambassador to United States, Shri K.R. Narayanan, who later became our Hon’ble President of India.  It merits special mention that the collective wish of some of the participants of that meeting to establish ‘Bhaashakku Oru Dollar’, a fund for the promotion of Malayalam, the mother-tongue. Today, as Chancellor of the Universities of Kerala, I am happy that FOKANA’s ‘Bhaashakku Oru Dollar’ Project continues to give a cash award of Rupees Fifty Thousand annually to the best research thesis in Malayalam.  I am also happy that FOKANA is building and contributing one house per district to the homeless and extending help in the computerization of some schools in Kerala.

As we all know, as per the Non-Resident Malayali Census of Kerala, done in 2013, we have around 16.25 lakh Non-Resident Malayalis. I am told that nearly three lakh of our non-residents are in the United States.  Keralites form a large share of the 13 million Indian Americans in the United States.

The migration of people from Kerala to various parts of the world has been one of the reasons that made our State appear to economists as a marvel in terms of development.  In fact, the Kerala Model of Development was hailed by economists all over the world and in the 1990's, emigration had continued to be the single most dynamic sector in Kerala's economy.  At that time, our economists had called this a special model of export – led growth, because the commodity that we exported was human labour.  The economic and social impact of migration is clearly evident in the progress we have achieved in the last three decades.

The contribution of the Non Resident Keralites can be seen not only at the family level, but also at the community, State and national level.  I would say that the greatest change it   brought about was in the family level, by improving household earnings, which had led to better health, education and so on. Such contribution may be more in the case of people who migrated to the Gulf countries, but the contribution of people in the US and Canada is not at all small.

As a person hailing from another State, I have admired the attachment shown towards Kerala by its non-resident citizens. This attachment has been visible in recent months with many organizations of non-residents contributing generously to the flood relief activities in the State. I recall that many foreign governments and agencies had come forward to offer monetary help to Kerala for rebuilding its infrastructure. I am certain that such willingness to help Kerala comes from the recognition earned by our people as active and honest partners in the growth and development of those countries. Recently, when our Government thought of forming a ‘Loka Kerala Sabha’ to speed up the process of development, we had very active participation of our people from the United States.

I am sure that all of you are aware of the changing demographic scenario in the world. Today, India is one of the youngest countries with the largest population in the working age group. No wonder, we expect our youngsters to secure important jobs in different sectors all over the world.  A good number of them would be planning to work in countries like the US and Canada. Though most of our youngsters are now upgrading their skills to equip themselves to take up jobs, their knowledge about the current realities in the job markets of these countries may be quite limited. I would suggest that organizations like FOKANA should develop some facilities to guide our job-seekers in such matters.

One of the areas where our professionals work in the US and Canada is Health care. It is a sector that requires several skills including communication and soft-skills for which there is the need for continuous training. The services of professionals who have returned from the US after doing such work could be utilized for such training with the cooperation of the Government outfits that take care of the affairs of Non Residents.

I am happy that FOKANA continues its relations with Kerala society through conventions like this, in which it registers its solidarity with the people and events of their motherland. The discussion on ‘Nava Keralam’, the ‘Nightingale Award’ to honour the services of Mrs. Liny Puthussery, the nursing professional who died fighting the Nipah virus and the ‘Saanthvanam’ project point to the non-resident Keralites’ interest in the welfare of this State.  I hope this interest in the welfare of Kerala will continue to grow in the coming years giving rise to a new Kerala model of development. After all, it will be the dream of every non-resident Keralite to come back to a more developed Kerala. 

I greet all the delegates attending this Convention and wish the deliberations all success. I also compliment the organizers for conducting this function in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Thank You

Jai Hind