Tenth FOKANA Convention in Chicago
Udayabhanu Panickar

The tenth FOKANA International Convention will be held from July 3 to 7, 2002 at Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. The ceremonial commencement will be at 4:00 pm on the 4th of July and continues till 6:00 pm. The preparations for the event are emerging together in a very well structured manner and shall be the best ever. The convention venue is named "Vivekananda Nagar" after the Great Indian Saint Swami Vivekananda.

The timing and site of the convention at the Great City of Chicago have given a very demanding task for the organisers. The week of the convention, Chicago will be celebrating "The Taste of Chicago", at the heart of the city. On July 3rd when the night begins the skyline of the city of Chicago will brighten with the unique fire works as part of the celebration of American Independence Day. The participants of the FOKANA convention will be watching the festival of light and thunder sitting in the most elevated box seats in the city - the very pleasant and comfortable rooms of the Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

"Next FOKANA Convention will make history" declared Dr M Anirudhan, president of FOKANA. According to him and other officials of FOKANA, all the preparations are gearing up to culminate in a climax in July at Chicago. The entire sub committees are working with dynamism and dedication to make this event one of the best festivals ever organised by Indians in North America. "After July 7 2002, Arts and Culture of Keralam shall be remembered as the Arts and Culture of the whole India by Americans" declared Dr Anirudhan. He was addressing the general council of FOKANA at New York recently.

The cultural programs for this momentous event shall begin in a carnival format. This will commence in the open space in the heart the city of Chicago between Sheraton Hotel and National Broadcasting Company Tower. This episode organised in the replica of the Brazilian Carnival will change the way exhibition of Indian Cultural events in North America, said Dr Anirudhan. The carnival will continue for two hours and then the festivities will move on to the Sheraton Hotel for the inauguration. This cultural experience will also project our beloved language in different shapes and characteristics and it will leave an unforgettable impact on the populous of Chicago" says one of the conveners of the convention, Jose Kaniyaly. This event shall exhibit the progress of Malayalam language in an artistically created exposure and that will create a distinguished and rewarding experience to all the Keralites.

The expose shall include representations of the creations of Kumaranashan, Vallathol, Ulloor, Keralavarma and many more of the poets and other writers of Malayalam. This experience will definitely make an impact on every one and the services of all these great authors will be brought into the visualisation of the world.

The carnival shall include Chundan Vallam, Muthukuda, Venchamaram and Kathakali costumes. A parade will be presented where more than thirty forms of art of Keralam shall be on hand. The parade will also include art forms from other states of India. One thousand female members of the Indian Community will present the Thalappoli. The parade shall further include Chendamelam, Kalari Payattu, Kuchupudi dance, Kolu Kali, Villadichan Paattu, Koithu Paattu, Thiruvathira Kali, Kathakali, Oppana, Margam Kali, Mohiniyattam, Theyyam, Garudan Kali, Mayilaattam, Panchavadyam, Nadaswaram, Mappila Paattu and many more items.

There shall be different seminars, discussions, business meetings, literary conferences and various competitions organised at the convention site.

The organisers are also planning a magnificent Souvenir publication. This publication shall be one to treasure for a long time to come. It will include articles, stories, poems and other materials for reading from almost every notable writer in Malayalam. The organisers promise that this publication shall also be a standard reference book and shall contain information and every knowledge-seeking individual shall take pleasure in treasuring this publication forever. Outstanding thinkers and writers like Sukumar Azikkode, Prof M K Sanu, K P Appan, Sugathkumari, O N V, Prof Madhusoodanan Nair, Pala Narayanan Nair, O V Usha, Kuripuza Shreekumar, Sachaidanandan, Balachandran Chullikad, Vijayalekshmi, M TVasudevan Nair, Zakhria, Shreeraman, Akbar Kakkattil, Sethu, M Mukundan, K M Mathew, P V Gangadharan, Sujathan M P Veerendra Kumar and Adoor Gopalakrishnan are expected to contribute for this publication.

The organisers are also trying to get the President of India K R Narayanan to attend the convention. Prominent leaders, artists and writers are expected to be present. Some of the names of famous people expected to be present are Vayalar Ravi, M T Vasudeavn Nair, K M Mani, M M Hassan, Nalakath Soopy, Ganesh Kumar, cine artistes Vineeth, Samyuktha Verma, Prof Madhusoodhanan Nair, K Roy, V K Madhavan Kutty, Sukumar and P V Gangadharan.

Competitions for younger generation will be conducted in four groups. Grade 1 to 3, Grade 4 to 7, Grade 8 to 12 and youth of 18 years and above. The items for competition in the individual category are Indian classical dance, Indian folk dance, song (English and Malayalam), painting, mimics, instrumental music, essay (English and Malayalam) and spelling bee. The items for competition in the group category are Indian classical dance, western film song, western film dance, Thiruvathira, group song and FOKANA jeopardy. Performance of the individuals shall be graded on a point basis and the titles of "Kerala Thilakam" and "Kerala Prathibha" shall be awarded to the highest point recipient of the individual competitions. Only the people registered for convention can participate in the competitions.

For the first time a Malayalam Film Festival shall be organised at this convention. The Malayalam movies censored in 2001 shall be considered for this. The following awards shall be presented on the last day of the convention. The awards will be given for the best picture, director, actor and actress. Gallop poll conducted amongst American Malayalees shall select the winners. The best movie will get Rs 200,000 and others will be awarded Rs 100,000.


As in the past, this convention will also conduct a beauty pageant and Mr and Miss FOKANA titles will be awarded. The registration for this competition must be done before May 30, 2002. Competition is open to people of age between 18 and 23 years.

The registrations for the convention are progressing fast and it is definitely going beyond every expectation. Registration rates are Single - $175.00, Family $300.00 up to March 31st and the rates will increase after that date. Sponsors and grand sponsors will get hotel accommodation. Others must book the accommodation direct with the hotel.

Strict security arrangements will be in force and all participants must wear their identification badges. Without badges no one will be allowed to enter the area of convention.

On July 4th, there will be more than a million people across the Chicago River at the Grand Park. The convention participants will be at the other side of the river and will be the "Prima Donna" of that evening in Chicago and this is the day of the inaugural ceremony.

In the past the opening ceremonies varied, but they followed a similar pattern since the third convention in Chicago. This year the organisers want to present the thrilling sounds of Kerala's cultural drums of the past and present exploding across the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. The stirring parade of various Kerala Organisations with the spectacle of light, music and dance will surprise the guests. The electrifying moment shall be when the mesmerizing sound of Panchavadyam shall roar high in the sky, and a thousand feminine faces will glitter with the radiant natural beauty of the distant land of Kerala while welcoming the guests to Chicago with Thalappoli, the traditional illuminated welcome presentation of Kerala.

This two hour-long Kerala Carnival on the streets between National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Tower and Sheraton Hotel will be broadcast live by the competing national and international television media. On this evening of American Independence Day, a few blocks away from Vivekananda Nagar, where the convention will be hosted, the "Tastes of Chicago" celebrates its festival at Grand Park with an expected crowd of more than a million.

According to Sunny Sunny Wycliffe, the executive director of FOKANA, "In the annals of global Indian immigrant cultural history the words of Kerala and FOKANA are going to be synonym with India and it's culture." He further stated that the organisers take every opportunity to make this the best ever event because "FOKANA is second to none".

Some of the people you may contact for more information are Jose Kaniyaly (630) 539-7187 or (630) 728-7956, Kottayam Joseph (847) 583-1705, Paul Paramby (847) 581-9771 or (312) 671-2629, George Nellimattam (847) 533-9029, George Panicker (847) 524-0777, Nisha Chandran (847) 635-6250, Abhilash Karimkuttiyil (630) 205-5266, Clara Job (914) 636-6288, Ani Paul (845) 623-8549.