Welcome to Kerala Association of New Jersey

HISTORY

On a spring Saturday in 1979, a few Malayalees in New Jersey area gathered under the leadership of Dr. Emmanuel Thomas at the Grace Church premises. Among many other topics like their childhood in Kerala and parenthood in America, the future of their kids under the influence of the American Culture and media became a subject of detailed discussions and concerns. They thought deeply on the necessity and possibility of a forum for the get-together of the Malayalee Community in the area so that the culture and tradition that we inherited from our ancestors might be kept up forever and be shared to the coming generations too. A vision of the ever-growing number of Malayalee immigrants was the core of the discussions that resulted in the formation of an ad-hoc committee, thus giving birth to Kerala Association of New Jersey on the 12^th day of May 1979. It was then registered in the Newark hall of records as a non-profit organization.

 The inaugural meeting of the association was conducted in the Grace Church Hall in Orange NJ. Several months of weekly discussions resulted in the formation of a detailed, and a fair constitution. The constitution was adopted and the association started functioning with a General Body and an Executive Committee. Ever since, all Onams went through the hands of the association. A board of trustee was formed to safeguard the interests and objectives of the association. Many notable personalities including President K. R. Narayan attended the meetings of the Association. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Mother Teresa are still remembered for their good wishes for the Association.

VISION ON KANJ!Activities of Kerala Association of New Jersey are still going on the same way with Annual Picnic, Onam Celebration and other Cultural Programs. With the openhandedness of some short-term executive committees, we have been trying to achieve a lot over the years. Our very dear people who had volunteered to spend a lot of their valuable time for the formation of this association will always be in our collective memory. Although some of them are not physically present in our midst, the association will always cherish the valuable contributions of the founding members and active workers of the association like Dr. George Valiaveedan, Rev. John Mathews, A. T John, Dr. Samuel Philip etc. May their souls rest-in-peace. Their vision on KANJ will never fade.

 The problems in our community grow along with our growth in numbers. We could have regular discussions and studies about the various problems that our families are facing. We need a place to get-together to exchange our views and share our dreams. We need a permanent place to perform our cultural activities and extend it to future generations. We need a place for our kids to practise our culture. We need a place to sit together and look back to Kerala to support our fellow citizens. All our committees have been trying to achieve these targets for a quarter of a century. Is it an impossible task to achieve? Each and every-one of us should work together and support our committees to fulfill their tasks and objectives.

 WHAT CAN WE DO?

 It is time to build a strong foundation for our next generations. It is time to think about our responsibilities for the betterment of our community. It is time for our umbrella organizations to get out of the convention shells and work broadly for the needs of our people. It is time to get into local politics and speak up for our needs. It is time to raise our voice to show Malayalee identity in American soil.

 As a growing community, we have a lot to do and we can do a lot. We cannot simply hide behind the doors of our homes and let someone work for us. Let us come out and do our part for the Malayalee community. Each one of us has a responsibility. The capabilities and talents that the almighty has bestowed on us are to be utilized for our brothers and sisters. Do not wait for that time to come, the time is NOW!

 As we approach our silver jubilee year, let us work together to achieve our goals. Let unity and integrity be the core of our strength. Let us be proud of being a Malayalee. Instead of blaming Malayalees and Malayalee movements, let us discuss our views and find solutions for the problems that we face. There are malicious individuals in all communities. There can be politics or business-mindedness in any organization. Let us try to eradicate these adversities from our community and have a wonderful journey with Kerala Association of New Jersey. Let us be proud of ourselves, our tradition and our culture. Let KANJ be a symbol of our Culture and Tradition for the future generations to follow the footprints that we setup here.

 ***KANJ  A Symbol of Our Culture and Tradition***

Bridgewater- Raritan High School