Press release

Baltimore, Maryland, Aug 22: Preparations are in full swing for the Fourth AKKA World Kannada Conference(WKC 2006) which will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA from September 1 through 3, 2006.

The Conference is being hosted by the Kaveri Kannada Association of the Greater Washington area (MD, VA, DC) and nearby centers such as Baltimore and Harrisburg.  WKCs are held once every two years, and previous Conferences were held in Orlando (Florida) in 2004, Detroit (Michigan) in 2002 and Houston (Texas) in 2000.

The number of participants has grown steadily, and WKC 2006 is expected to attract about 4500 participants.  While the majority of the participants will be from the US, this conference will be attended by several visitors from Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the Middle Eastern countries as well. A large contingent (over 100 guests) comprising both government officials and private citizens will arrive from India.

The main objective of these biennial Conferences is to provide continuing opportunities for members of about 37 Kannada associations in the US and also some guests from abroad to rediscover their culture and heritage, further social and business relationships, and promote global understanding and harmony.

The Conference will also afford our Kannada youth, particularly those born and raised outside India, an opportunity to understand some of our heritage, and also to network and exchange ideas on contemporary issues concerning world peace, education and career development.

While the initiative, enterprise and plain hard work of hundreds of volunteers of the host area constitutes the back bone of the massive organization needed to mount this large Conference, their work is complemented by the extraordinary talent of hundreds of artists, literary personalities and youth from all parts of the US and many from India.

The result is expected to be a veritable three day festival of music, dance, drama and humor reflecting great variety and diversity.  To complement the entertainment part of the Conference, there will be a Business Forum, youth oriented activities, and a Women's Forum featuring highly successful women from all walks of life who symbolize professional achievement of the highest order. And finally, to complement the wide variety of entertainment programs with those aimed at our often forgotten spiritual needs, there will be a day long session of meditation, prayer and discourse with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, and also other philosophical discourses, lectures and discussion groups.

WKC 2006 will have the honor of welcoming the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, five other ministers, several senior State officials and some parliamentarians. The Government of Karnataka is also supporting the participation of about 33 artists in fields such as classical and light music, literature, folk dance, and yakshagana. The blending of Karnataka's talent with those of local artists is expected to produce a veritable feast for the eyes and ears of our discerning audience.

In order to offer such a varied fare, there will be two auditoria specially prepared for the Conference and several meeting rooms where parallel sessions will be held from dawn to almost midnight. Participants will have a wide range of programs to choose from based on their own preference. To enable parents with young children to enjoy the programs there will be a day care center which can accommodate about 100 children.

Starting with dinner on Friday, September 1, seven meals will be served to over 4000 people in two locations - a logistical feat in itself - including one immediately next to the Convention Center which will cater for families with children, seniors and the disabled. During the entire period of the Conference there will be full security both within the Convention Center and in the adjoining areas so that participants can relax and enjoy the rich cultural environment with complete peace of mind. In order to ensure that all participants obtain the respect of each other and enjoy the Conference, a set of values to be observed by all is being distributed to all.

On the final day there will be a dinner cruise in the inner harbor area which enables guests to reflect on the three day program while reluctantly getting ready to return home the next day.

A special feature of this year's Conference will be a Business Forum which brings together entrepreneurs and businesspeople from Karnataka and the US to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for business promotion and collaboration. The State of Maryland is co-sponsoring the Business Forum, and several senior State officials are expected to join their counterparts from Karnataka. The Chief Minister will be an active participant, and it is expected that the Governor of Maryland may join him.

WKC 2006 will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Friday evening with the traditional lighting of the oil lamp and against the backdrop of a specially compeered dance sequence entitled "Suvarna Sangama". On Saturday the very first item on the program will be a traditional "Meravanige" which will symbolize the history, culture, costumes and traditions of every Karnataka District. Kannada associations all over the US have each "adopted" a district from the State. The Dollu Kunitha team and the Kodava dancers from Karnataka will intermingle with men, women and children from all over the US in marching to specially composed music, from a location in the Inner Harbor to the Convention Center.

In sum, Kaveri is planning a great feast for our guests - a feast for the eyes, one for the ears and one the palate, and, of course, one for the mind and spirit - so that they carry with them not only happy memories of a well spent three days, but a sense of fulfillment from experiencing Kannada and Karnataka in all its glory.