Samajam to mark day

MORE than 600 people are expected to attend the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam's (BKS) celebration of the 51st anniversary of the formation of the Indian state of Kerala tonight.

Known as the Keralapp-iravi, the celebrations will take place from 8pm at the BKS in Manama and will include songs and dances.

The BKS will also host a dinner reception for CHAPO Bahrain contracts manager P V Mohana Kumar, who supported the BKS during the construction of its new clubhouse. All are invited to attend. Contact 36662215 for more information.

Samajam set to honour top Indian businessman

A top Indian businessman, who employs more than 30,000 people in the Gulf, Dr Ravi Pillai is to be honoured by the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam on Thursday.

Kerala's Irrigation Minister N K Premachandran will arrive in Bahrain to take part in the ceremony.

Dr Pillai, who has been awarded a PhD by Excelsior University in Washington, also holds a Masters degree in business management.

He is the managing director of Nasser Al Hajri Corporation, which has an annual turnover of $2 billion.

The company has its regional office in Bahrain.

Nasser Al Hajri Corporation, which mainly works in the oil and gas construction sector in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, employs more than 30,000 people of different nationalities.

Dr Pillai, who has been living in the Gulf for the past 29 years, is also the chairman and managing director of Upasana Nursing College & School in Kerala.

His business empire also includes the Upasana Nursing College and School in Kerala, Arabian Choice General Trading Company, Gulf Asia Contracting Company, Versalilles Hotel, R P Hotel Management - all in Dubai, and Air Choice Travel & Tourism in Abu Dhabi.

A well-known philanthropist, Dr Pillai has contributed substantially to various charity and community projects both in India and the Gulf.

Mr Premachandran, who was a member of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) from 1996 to 1999, and Rajya Sabha from 2000 to last year, has been a minister in Kerala from last year.

Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty will also attend as a special guest at the reception ceremony.

"The Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam considers it an honour to arrange a reception to Dr Pillai, who is one of the top Indian businessmen and philanthropists in the Gulf," said samajam president G K Nair.

BD10,000 aid for Samajam building

THE Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam has received the third major donation from the Indian business community in the UAE, towards its new building fund.

Euro Emirates Group of Companies director and chairman of the Jai Hind TV channel company, Vijayan Thomas, has pledged BD10,000 towards the samajam's new headquarters.

Earlier, UAE-based business tycoons MA Yousiffali and Dr BR Shetty donated BD25,000 each for the building fund. The donation has given a major boost to the samajam's effort to build its own headquarters, said its president GK Nair.

"We have already spent BD180,000 and are still short of another BD70,000 to complete the first phase of the project," he told the GDN.

"The project is at the finishing stage. Landscaping and other works are also to be undertaken."

Seventy per cent of the work on the project in Segaiya, near the Kerala Catholic Association, has been completed, said building committee chairman PV Radhakrishna Pillai.

"We want the total support of the community to complete the project," he noted.

"Because of the rise in the prices of building materials including steel and cement, the cost has gone up by another 20 to 25 per cent. Our original estimate was BD200,000, but it would now go up to BD250,000."

Mr Pillai said the committee is expecting to have an official opening of the new premises by September this year.

The new headquarters is a dream project for the samajam, which was established in 1947, said general secretary Madhu Madhavan.

Samajam ladies panel named

A NEW committee for the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) ladies wing have been elected for the 2007-2008 term.

They are convener Anu Manoj, members Smitha Girish, Jolly Jose, Indra Pavithran, Jolly Rajan Varghese, Noorjahan Siraj and Geetha Janardhan.

A ceremony to mark the new members' induction to the office will be held at the BKS auditorium, in Manama, tomorrow at 8pm.

Indian film director Lenin Rajendran will be the chief guest at the event, which will feature a musical presentation Monsoon Waves by Jaya Menon.

BD25,000 gift for Samajam fund

THE Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) has received a second BD25,000 gift towards its building fund, from a second UAE-based Indian business tycoon. NMC Group chairman and UAE Exchange Centre managing director Dr B R Shetty gave the money towards the construction of the samajam's new headquarters in Segaiya.

Emke Group managing director M A Yusuffali, who is also based in Abu Dhabi, earlier also contributed BD25,000 towards the project.

"We are extremely grateful to Dr Shetty, who has readily come forward to help our dream project," said samajam president G K Nair.

"The support from well-wishers has reached about BD130,000. Our members have raised BD30,000. However, we are still short of more than BD40,000 to complete the first phase of the project which is expected to cost BD200,000."

Dr Shetty, who is the winner of this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest civilian honour to be given by the Indian government to a non-resident Indian, said he was proud to make this donation to the BKS.

"It is befitting for the samajam, established in 1947, to have its own headquarters," he told the GDN.

The new headquarters is a long cherished dream project for the samajam, said fund-raising committee chairman P V Radhakrishna Pillai.

Doha-based Behzad Group chairman and managing director C K Menon, and Saudi-based Nasser Al Hajri Corporation managing director Ravi Pillai donated BD10,000 each towards the building fund last year.

The civil work is being carried out by Wafeeq Civil Mechanical Contracting. The project has been designed by Mimar Architecture & Engineering and supervised by Global Consulting Bureau. Mr Nair said he expected the first phase of the project to be completed by August this year.