[Indic-computing-users] NEWS: U.S. Keralites, click and learn your mother tongue

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U.S. Keralites, click and learn your mother tongue

By Sanu George, Indo-Asian News Service

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 21 (IANS) Coming up is a website that will help
second and third generation Malayalees in the U.S. learn their mother
tongue.

The site on Malayalam is set to be launched by the Federation of Kerala
Associations in North America (FoKANA).

Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony will inaugurate it Friday at the start of
the two-day FoKANA Convention in Kovalam near here.

"The site is basically meant to educate the Keralite Americans who
are now losing touch with their mother tongue," said George Koshy, president
of  FoKANA.

"We attach a lot of significance to this and have made 'mathurbasha' (or
mother tongue) the first topic of our two-day convention."

Through the website, FoKANA is planning on-line classes, tutorials and also
interactions with leading Malayalam literary figures.

This is the second time FoKANA is hosting an international convention in
Kerala. The first was in Kochi in 2001.

Around 1,000 members, along with their families, are expected to take part.

"We expected more but due to SARS, a large number has stayed away," said
Abey Kuriakose, Kerala coordinator of the convention.

The second day of the event will see a business session with discussions on
cash rich Keralites in the U.S. investing in their native state.

"Even though the new generation of Keralites in the U.S. is not very keen to
come back, the older generation does wish to return and invest here. But
they require strong assurances from the government that red tape and
bureaucracy will not be an impediment," said Kuriakose.

The second day will also include a session for youths and a discussion on
healthcare. The convention is to end with a cultural programme.

The Kerala government which is looking towards private initiatives and
investment attaches a lot of importance to the event and eight state
ministers will attend the meet.

The first FoKANA convention was held in 1983 in New York and since then it
has become an active organisation in North America and, of late, in Kerala
as well.

--Indo-Asian News Service