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A planning meeting for the World Kannada Conference 2004 was recently held in Gaylord Palms, Orlando (the site of the conference). Several members of the Srigandha Kannada Koota of Florida (hosts and organizers for the WKC 2004 convention) took part in the meeting. Following below, you will find the key highlights of the meeting.

• A grand tour of the Gaylord Palms resort and convention area was given to all guests at 2:45 pm. The tour last 45 minutes and portrayed the several resort and convention area details and features. The guests were shown the state of the art convention center and Broadway Style stage area. Guests were allowed to ask questions during the tour and a question and answer session was held at the end of the tour.
• The meeting was convened at the Orange Blossom ballroom at the resort. The meeting was opened with a welcome statement from Dr. Renuka Ramappa.
• Two invocation songs were sung by members.
• An update of the conference planning was provided by Dr. Renuka Ramappa, Chair of the WKC 2004 convention.
• The key note address was given by Mr. Amarnath Gowda, President of AKKA. He stated that AKKA firmly supported the WKC 2004 convention and that Srigandha Kannada Koota had their undivided support. He provided the history of AKKA and gave a brief history of the planning processes for both the WKC 2000 and 2002 conventions held in Houston and Detroit respectively. He mentioned that all Kannada people attending the conference should take on the role of being hosts of the conference and not guests of the conference. Since this is a Kannada conference, we should take pride in hosting such a gathering and take in pride in the convention and its mission. He encouraged all Florida Kannadigas and Kannadigas worldwide to join hands together to make this convention a successful one. He commended Renuka Ramappa for her lead on the WKC 2004 convention and wished her and Srigandha Kannada Koota the very best in their planning process.
• The second address was given by Kudur Murali, the outgoing chair of the WKC 2002 convention. Mr. Murali shared some of the ups and downs of the 2002 convention and praised the efforts of Dr. Ramappa and her team in leading the WKC 2004 convention. He said, on behalf of the Pampa Kannada Koota of Michigan, he supported the WKC 2004 convention and wished the Kannada Floridians the very best.
• An honorable mention was made for Mr. Ramesh Gowda, coordinator and organizer at the WKC 2002 convention. Mr. Gowda mentioned that he is pleased to provide any assistance to Srigandha as they plan the 2004 convention. Renuka Ramappa said special thanks to Mr. Gowda for all that he has done for AKKA and his continuing support to Srigandha as they plan the 2004 convention.
• Each of the committee chairs gave a brief report on the status of the committee progress. Question and answers were asked to each of the committee chair. Suggestions were made to all chairs for improvements.
• The meeting was adjourned at 6 pm.
• Dinner was served at the residence of Dr. Iyengar’s house in Orlando. Srigandha Kannada Koota would like to thank Dr. Iyengar and Udipi Palace caterers for hosting this dinner.

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