Delhi Malayali Home page A scene from Shakunthalam performed by Delhi based school children. Dr. Venugopal appointed Dean of AIIMS Special Report: Ayyappa Temple in New Delhi Detailed Report on Lord Ayyapa Delhi Malayali pages Kids Online...More Kerala Education Society is a pioneer in imparting quality education to the Malayali community in Delhi. Started from a modest level, it has to its credit four schools in which 6000 Malayali students study ...Read More. Delhi Malayali Association (DMA) gets plot in Central Delhi, to move head office   New Delhi:  After five decades of successful operation from a small office at West Kidwai Nagar in Delhi, the Delhi Malayali Association finally got government permission to allot a plot of land in Central Delhi to construct its own building. “The Association which has multifarious activities, is functioning in a humble way from a small accommodation at West Kidwai Nagar. We are glad to put on record that Government of India has decided to allot a plot of land in central part of Delhi,” says C.L. Antony, General Secretary, DMA. Go to DMA Page Malayalee Cultural Association (MCA) promotes Kerala heritage and culture among Delhi Keralites By M.P. Prasanna Kumar*  New Delhi: January 22:Malayali Cultural Association, (MCA) is one of the several socio-cultural organisations in the political capital of the country. The Association  has been trying to promote and protect Kerala culture and traditions in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. According to the Managing Committee headed by the MCA President Gilbert Chacko the Association encourages Malayali youth and children in Delhi to take part in various cultural, sports and entertainment programmes designed to develop their personality and retain their links with the homeland. Malayali pennanu naan: oru Malayali pennanu naan:  Delhi Malayali girls dancing during the MCA anniversary celebrations. Cultural programmes are the main focus of Malayali associations in and outside India. MCA has completed more than one decade of successful operation in Delhi, a place where all the king makers, politicians, money bags and business tycoons frequent. Thousands of Keralites are settled in this strategic place located thousands of miles away from the state. Since 1994, MCA has been operating from its own office premises. Its day to day activities are controlled by a managing committee comprising President Gilbert Chacko, Vice President M.P.S. Nair, General Secretary Gokuldas, two Joint Secretaries--Jomon Xavier and G.R.Kumar and an internal auditor  M Sunil Kumar. There are 13 Executive Members of the Association--Balachandran K.D, Biju Kuruvila, Jayachandra Kumar G, Johnson Philip, Madhava Dasan Nair, Manoj C, Nair K.S, Natarajan P, Oommen Mathew, Ramachandran P.S, Shivan Kutty N.K, Unnikrishnan K.V and Mohanan Pillai. Even though the Indian Parliament has been witnessing heated debates about giving proper representation to women, the MCA managing committee and executive membership appears to be male dominated bodies. Keralamonitor.com feels from its monitoring that the MCA should include at least one women member in its decision making bodies. As the entire country is discussing about giving more political power to women, the MCA which is representing the politically and socially conscious Malayali community in Delhi should become a role model for other organisations.    MCA Annual Day Celebrations:--14 October 2000.  From left to right: P.S. Gokul Das, General Secretary MCA, Gilbert Chacko, MCA President, Smt. Meera Bhardwaj (MLA -Mandalwali, Delhi), Dr. A.K. Walia, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Environment, Government of India K. Madhavan Nair, Member, Yamuna Vikas Board during the Annual Day Celebrations--Kerala Monitor Photo by M.P.P.Kumar "We have talented Malayali artists who present various cultural events in and outside Delhi. Sports personalities from our state participate in many competitions and bag trophies and prizes," says the Managing Committee President Gilbert Chacko. "Besides giving more emphasis on cultural activities, we are putting greater efforts towards educating children about Kerala culture and tradition. We have already started special classes and seminars with the guidance of leading figures," he added. MCA is not confined to sports and cultural activities. It has some humanitarian programmes to help the economically backward Malayali family members. "As a first step towards providing free education to the economically backward member's children we have started distributing text books freely to poor Malayali students from Nursery to the 10th Standard. Moreover, we are actively involved in the improvement of the colony and giving financial help to the needy members of the association and other colony residents. Keralamonitor.com did not get details about the humanitarian projects carried out by the MCA. The Association is also engaged in some patriotic deeds. According to the Managing Committee, the association carried out a massive fund collection for Kargil Fund and support the family members of Indian/Malayali soldiers who lost their lives fighting Pakistani troops and Kashmiri militants. "Our basic motto is to keep unity among the members. The Managing Committee has always tried to keep the same," says the committee president. *M.P.Prasanna Kumar is the New Delhi correspondent of Keralamonitor.com MCA Address: Malayalee Cultural Association, 96-A, DDA Flats, GAzipur, Delhi-110096.