On November 18, 2012, more than 150 volunteers from the New England area and beyond got together at the Sanborn Elementary school in Andover, MA to celebrate their passion for all things Kannada!

The evening began with rousing talks from Mr. Suresh Ramachandra and Dr. G. Ramappa, both founding members (Dr. Ramappa now serves on the NAVIKA board of trustees) and Dr. Keshava Babu, President of NAVIKA. We also had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Desh Deshpande of the Deshpande foundation and a renowned social entrepreneur in the New England area. As a member of the NAVIKA 2013 Advisory board, he offered valuable counsel about volunteering and philanthropy. The event was attended by many stalwarts of the New England Kannada association, including Mr. SLN Rao, who congratulated the “mighty Ashwath Vriksha” for pulling together this mammoth event.

The hall reverberated with the message that the ambitious goal of bringing the very first world summit to Boston is possible only with the help and cooperation of tireless and selfless volunteers.

The team announced marketing, fundraising, and program management plans, and unveiled the snazzy new website www.navika.org/2013. Facilities team announced the securing of the DCU Center in Worcester as the summit venue. The Cultural team announced a slogan contest and held a successful photo session to chronicle the many summit committees with their tireless volunteers.

The evening concluded as it commenced, with delicious food from Pongal, thanks to the efforts of the food committee and many young volunteers.

Dr. Sharanabasava Rajur, convener for the NAVIKA 2013 summit, believes that an event of this scale unites the community, forges common bonds and initiates friendships & partnerships that last a lifetime.

NAVIKA 2013 Summit is brought to Boston by NAVIKA, USA in association with Mandaara New England Kannada Koota, MA and Hoysala Kannada Koota, CT. It will be held from August 30 to September 1, 2013.

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