Atlanta(Georgia): Bunts Association of North America “BANA” is hosting the grand BANA 2022 Convention at “The Starling Atlanta Midtown, Curio Collection by Hilton” Atlanta, United States from July 1st thru July 4th, 2022.
Preparations are already underway, and members from all over America will attend the Convention. This is a celebratory moment for the Bunts from the Karnataka coastal, Mumbai and other areas of India who are residing in the United States.
More than four hundred people are expected to attend the event. This convention is the first big celebration to be held in the aftermath of COVID pandemic.
Atlanta BANA has taken up the complete responsibility of this mega event and BANA President Sri Shirish Shetty and the Executive Committee have meticulously planned this event
BANA was launched in the year of 1979 in the United States and to date organized twenty-two biennial conventions in the States, and the present event is the twenty-third. In July 2019, the Atlanta Executive Committee took the reins of the organization for two years. This obligation continued for three years because of COVID pandemic.
The three-day long BANA 2022 event will begin on Friday, July 1st with the lighting of the lamp by the Priest of the Sri Krishna Vrindavana Temple
On the first day, programs start with a welcome speech followed by youth networking, magic show, and evening Casino games and other entertainments.
On the second day, a picnic is arranged in a nearby park with Tennis, as well as several attractive games that would recall childhood memories. In the evening, renowned entrepreneur Reshma Shetty, founder of Ginkgo Bioworks will be the keynote speaker followed by performance by RhimJim Music Band from Seattle.
A general body meeting of BANA will be held on the third day in the morning followed by Youth Networking, Zumba, Golf and Atlanta City Site Seeing. In the evening there will be a closing ceremony, Entertainment, Sri Shashi Kiran Shetty of AllCargo Group will deliver his keynote address followed by presidential address by Sri Shirish Shetty and Banquet Dinner.
Special delicacies are arranged for all three days resonating the Indian cultural cuisines.
There will be a huge festive celebration of Tulu language, Bunts cultural heritage and splendour of community’s vigour and valour in the city of Atlanta as many of the community’s dignitaries, friends, family and other delegates from all over the United States and Canada come and participate in this colourful convention.
Since many years BANA has been making sincere effort to see that Bunts who are staying far away from their native places will remember their language, cultural heritage, rituals, and values of life and introduce and transmit it to the next generation. To support this, President Shirish Shetty has launched a very unique initiative, KNOW Your Heritage Foundation (www.kyhfoundation.org) , in collaboration with Nitte Education Trust, which will provide children who are born and raised outside India an opportunity to revisit their ancestral lands, learn their Tulunadu heritage, culture and values in a fun and relaxing manner. Please visit the KYH Foundation website for more information regarding this initiative.
A few of the activities accomplished by the Atlanta team are:
- BANA being a non-profit and charitable organization gave financial support to Village TV Trust Mangalore to open E-Learning Center and to Udupi Rural Bunts Association to Furnish the Computer Learning Center. Also donated to Food Bank of Atlanta.
- BANA also conducted number of COVID awareness programs for its membership base during the pandemic.
- Supported the Tulu language learning workshop in collaboration with the All-America Tulu Association (AATA).
- Continued to provide yearly scholarships for deserving children of BANA members.
- Supported the formation of Bunts for BLM an independent youth run organization.
Many dignitaries have sent their wishes for the grand success BANA2022 convention. For more details, you can contact the organisers through the email banaship@gmail.com or visit www.bana.org.
Author: Santhosh Shetty, Atlanta
