A large number of expatriates from the Indian state of Kerala gathered to celebrate the 60th Formation Day (Kerala Piravi). Indian Ambassador P Kumaran was the chief guest at the programme organised by Friends Cultural Centre (FCC) on November 1.
The state of Kerala was created on November 1, 1956, and the date is therefore known as Kerala Piravi Dinam. Malayalees around the world celebrate November 1 as Kerala Piravi, which in Malayalam means ‘birthday of Kerala’.
The southernmost state of India, Kerala was formed long after Indian independence on August 15, 1947. Prior to that date, the region was three independent provinces of Malabar, Cochin and Travancore.
A cultural programme was presented at the occasion. Teachers from Bhavan’s Public School — Shiju, Muhammed Swalah and Vijeesh — entertained the gathering with folk music while Akshaja, a student of the school, presented a Malayalam poem.
A thematic song presented by the students of Shantiniketan Indian School Sanooja Sulaiman, Sana Sulaiman and Naja Hameed was another highlight of the event.
Speaking at the occasion, Kumaran lauded the “commendable strides” made by the Keralite community and asked them to keep up the good work and add to the reputation of their country. “Everyone I have met in the leadership here, all the way from HH the Emir to the cabinet ministers, everyone has uniformly thanked us for the support given by the Indian community in the growth and development of Qatar,” the ambassador told the audience.
The Keralite community, he added, has played a very important role in building this reputation. A large share of this credit should go the Malayalee community in Qatar.
“India is like a beautiful garden. Kerala is like one section of that garden. And to keep our section of the garden beautiful, we should also contribute to the larger beauty of the country that is the larger garden,” elaborated Ambassador Kumaran.
He urged all Indians living in Qatar to connect with the mission using social media and the embassy website so they can reach out to all the Indians in Qatar in all ways possible. “I would specifically request you to do what you can to promote tourism and investment in Kerala. You should do what you can to promote Kerala as destination that can offer good value for money and unique experiences,” added the ambassador.
He also asked the community to promote tourism and investment in India especially using Kerala as the best destination for ayurveda and wellness programmes.
The ambassador also urged the community members to support other members from their community who faced any difficulties here. He cautioned the community about the exploitation and cheating related to recruitment. The ambassador urged the community to promote Pravasi Bharatiya Divas scheduled for January 2017 with their participation.
In the programme organised jointly by FCC and Media Plus, ICC president K Gireesh Kumar, IBPN president K M Varghese, INCAS president K K Usman, Dr K M Shafi Haji (KMCC) , K T Abdul Rahiman (IIA), Shamseer Arikkulam (Samskriti) Aneesurahman (Cultural Forum) Shukkur Kinalur, Usman Muhammed and C K Rahel also spoke on the occasion.
Habeeburahman Kizhissery, the executive director of FCC, delivered the keynote address. He underlined the importance of retaining communal harmony and values in the society to ensure peaceful existence and fraternity between various communities in the state. “Unless we initiate a change in the trends and course of the society there can be no change in the state,” he added.
Abdul Gaffar, managing director of Orchid International and Jossy Mathai, managing director of Quality Lab gave away prizes to the students and teachers who performed various cultural items.
Explaining the importance of the day, Media Plus CEO Amanulla Vadakkangara told Community that a year-long campaign was launched in Kerala this year in which all aspects of the overall development of the state would be taken care of.
“The focus of the campaign will be on different development sectors from agriculture, healthcare, education and infrastructure development. The campaign will ensure that every child goes to school and every person in the state has access to healthcare facilities for instance,” said Vadakkangara.
“The efforts will focus on the point that the results of development in Kerala are delivered to everyone in the state, and are not just limited to a few,” he added.
Vadakkangara said directly or indirectly Keralite expatriates living in the Gulf countries were contributing towards the development of the state. And more than 300,000 Keralites living in Qatar were also contributing their share, he added.
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