Dear Friends!  It is time for another e-Anjali. We hope you have been keeping up with the KHNA activities through our web site!

KHNA Kerala Scholarships Program Continues: Applications invited for 2008-09: With the enthusiasic support of our community, we are continuing the program to support poor Hindu students for higher education in Kerala, as we have successfully done in the past two years. Each scholarship is usually $250 per year, and the applications from the students are due by January 10, 2009. KHNA requests everybody to get behind our "One family, One scholarship" motto for fundraising. Please see our news release announcement or go to www.khnascholarships.org for more on the program and the details from the past years. The topic for student essays this year is: "Casteless Society: Can Sree Narayana Guru’s vision be realized?"

Convention Highlight - "Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam": The memorable speeches are often short and sweet. Many who attended the KHNA convention at New York last July would remember one by the Thiruvithamkoor Princess Smt. Gowri Parvathi Bai who had some remarks on how we should view the elders in our own families and how our culture differs from that of the western world. It is poignant to note that the royal family lost the mother she refers to, a few months after this speech. Please view the Princess' speech (3 minutes) on Youtube. We will upload videos of many more memorable moments at the last convention in subsequent eAnjalis, as everybody is beginning to look forward to the next time we all get together, at the Los Angeles convention (July 10-13, 2009)

... and oh, for a good laugh, please see this stand-up comedy routine at the Youth meetings at the NY convention. If you are one of the malayalees who say "Texaaaahs" and "Hooooston," you would want to see this! Listen to our youngsters and we can learn a lot too ...

A concert tour to remember: Sankaran Nampoothiry in the USA: Well-known to malayalees as a child prodigy, singing for the president of India at age 11 over two decades back, he has never toured North America. In fact, many supporters and fans of music and arts in the continent had always found the lack of network among the community preventing the success of such tours. Things are beginning to change, though - the enthusiasm from many in our community including a few KHNA office-bearers and regional coordinators made the 10-city concert tour by Sri Nampoothiry, in just four weeks, a memorable one. Please see the KHNA news item. We need to work together in the future too, to ensure that we support and enjoy many a visit from artists and eminent people from Kerala who help strengthen our cultural roots!

KHNA Thanksgiving Meetings in Texas (Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston): "Don't Mess with Texas," says the Texas Highway Department - we KHNA folks will try not to add to the turkey wrappers (poor birds!), as we do a four-city driving tour to spread the word on KHNA activities, and about the upcoming convention. President Dr. Ramadas Pillai, Trustees' Chairman Mr. T.N Nair and trustee R. Jayakrishnan will be joining some of the KHNA office-bearers in Texas on a road swing, visiting Austin (Nov 27th - Go Horns!), San Antonio (28th), Dallas (29th), and Houston (30th) for get-togethers with several families. All are welcome to join us. Please email us for the meeting venues and other details.

Moola Bhagavatha Sapthaha Yajnam (Nov 22-29) Underway in Dallas: The yajnam was inaugurated this past Saturday and will continue through this week. It is a rare opportunity for all of us to request poojas to be done at the sapthaham and support the yajnam with sponsorships, annadaanam and pushpadaanam. Please see our news article for all the information on this spiritually uplifting event conducted by the Kerala Hindu Society of North Texas.

Kerala News: The First International Sreemad Ayyappa Sathram: The sathram will be held soon at the Pithampil Sree Dharmasastha Temple in Harippad (Dec 22-28, 2008). It is organized by the Kerala Kshetra Samrakshana Samithi, an organisation started in 1966 by the joint efforts of the Kerala Gandhi Sri K.Kelappan and the Spiritual leader Madhavaji. Please see the website www.ayyappasathram.org for more info.