The Kerala Center Presented The 2024 Annual Awards In A Glittering Ceremony

Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center, Inc. (The Kerala Center) celebrated its 32nd Annual Awards Dinner at the Center’s auditorium in Elmont, NY on Saturday, October 19, 2024.  The Center honored eight individuals who made notable contributions in their professions and to the society with their selfless dedication.

The program started with American and Indian national anthems by Ms. Riya Alexander. This year’s honorees were: Johnson Samuel (Long Island, NY), Humanitarian and Social Service; Suja Thomas (Albany, NY), Nursing Leadership; Wesley Mathews (Trenton, NJ), Public Service; Dr. Sunanda Nair (Houston, TX), Performing Arts; Hashim Mooppan (Washington, DC), Legal Services; Samcy Kodumon (L.I., NY), Pravasi Malayalam Literature; Sibu Nair (Buffalo, NY), Community Service; and Varkey Abraham (Long Island, NY), Business Leadership.

The program commenced with introductory remarks and welcoming of the MC, Daisy Stephen Pallipparambil, by Raju Thomas, General Secretary of the Kerala Center.  Following the remarks by the MC, American and Indian National anthems were sung by Riya Alexander. President Alex K. Esthappan welcomed everyone and provided a brief description of the   activities and goals of the Kerala Center. New York Senator Kevin Thomas and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages were the dignitaries present to say felicitations and present awards. They were given special recognition awards for their support to the Kerala Center and larger community. Also present were Ragini Srivastava, North Hempstead Town Clerk and John Isaac, candidate for NY State Assembly from Yonkers.

Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of the Trustee Board and Award Committee member explained the process of selecting the awardees and introduced keynote speaker and one of the awardees, Wesley Mathews.  Mr. Mathews praised Kerala Center’s activities promoting our culture and making aware of our civic duties. Sen. Thomas, a prior awardee himself, praised the Kerala Center for honoring individuals who excelled in their professions and serving the society with dedication.  Assembly woman Solages was so impressed by the ceremony and declared herself a Malayalee for the evening. 

Sen. Thomas, Assemblywoman Solages and Town Clerk Srivastava presented proclamations honoring the awardees.

The award for excellence in public service went to Wesley Mathews, President & Chief Executive Officer of Choose New Jersey, the State’s leading nonprofit business attraction organization.  He was a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, he served as a federal executive to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, is Chair of the New Jersey-India Commission and serves on several boards, including the New Jersey Innovation Institute and the FIFA World Cup 26 New York New Jersey Host Committee. Mathews was introduced by Dr. Thomas Abraham and Sen. Thomas presented the award.

The award for excellence in business leadership went to Varkey Abraham, Founding Director of Hanover Bank U.S.A. He is also the CEO of the A and S Leather Company, V A Smith Shoe Company International, Chairman of the Pravasi television channel, a member of Loka Kerala Sabha (Invitee), a former president of Indo-American Malayalee Chamber of Commerce and is well known in the South Indian community as a philanthropist. Abraham was introduced by Samuel Joseph, Secretary of Kerala Center Youth Forum, and Sen. Thomas presented the award.

 The award for outstanding contribution to Pravasi Malayalam Literature went to Samcy Kodumon, who has published several books of Short Stories and Novels. He has been actively involved with LANA (Literary Association of North America) and KCANA (Kerala Cultural Association of North America). He founded the literary forum known as Vicharavedi NY. Samcy was introduced by Manohar Thomas, coordinator of Sargavedi at the Kerala Center. Abraham Philip, CPA presented the award.

The award for community service went to Sibu Nair, Deputy Director of Asian Affairs for NY State in Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration. Mr. Nair is CHAI's founder and Executive Director (Council of Heritage and Arts of India, Inc.). He was the past president of the India Association of Buffalo, served as the Vice President of the Hindu Cultural Society of WNY in 2018, and is a recipient of the prestigious Overseas Indian Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.  Mr. Nair was introduced by Joel Thomas, youth forum Treasurer of the Kerala Center, and Sen. Kevin Thomas presented the award.

The award for excellence in Nursing leadership went to Suja Thomas, President of the National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA) and an Advisory Board Member of the CGFNS Alliance for International Ethical Recruitment Practices. Suja was introduced by Dr. Anna George, a past awardee and Assemblywoman Solages presented the award.

The award for outstanding legal services went to Hashim Mooppan, who is nationally recognized as a leading appellate litigator and legal strategist.  Hashim is currently a partner at the law firm of Jones Day, previously held leadership positions in the U.S. Department of Justice, as Counselor to the Solicitor General and Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Appellate Staff, was a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, and has argued five cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and dozens more in the lower federal courts, including several high-profile cases concerning the scope of the President's authority.  Hashim was introduced by Samantha Joseph, Joint Secretary of Kerala Center Youth Forum, and Attorney Appen Menon, Kerala Center Trustee, presented the award.

The award for outstanding contribution to performing arts went to Dr. Sunanda Nair, a distinguished Mohiniattam dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She is widely recognized as the “Global Ambassador of Mohiniattam,” promoting its nuances and practices through her dance school, SPARC, and with numerous performances on national and international stages. She is an A-grade artist for Mumbai Doordarshan and has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Sunanda was awarded the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akademi Award in 2010 and the ‘Kala Ratnam’ Award by Kerala Kalamandalam in 2016.  Sunanda was introduced by Dr. Benzy Thomas, founder patron of the Kerala Center, and Asha Ramesh, CEO of Sabinsa Corporation, presented the award.

The award for excellence in Humanitarian service went to Johnson Samuel (Sam/Reggie), the Founder of Life and Limb, an organization established in 2013, dedicated to serving the needs of amputees throughout Kerala, by providing the highest quality of prosthetic limbs to them. Johnson was introduced by Annie Lachhander, youth forum member of Kerala Center, and G. Mathai, Kerala Center Trustee  presented the award.

The ceremony was attended by leaders of many community organizations including FOMAA, FOKANA, Pioneer Club, KCANA, and SACSS. As part of the Award Ceremony, a souvenir was released by the souvenir committee, that consisted of P. T. Paulose, G. Mathai and Mary Philip, by giving a copy to Gemini Thomas, president of Staten Island Malayalee Association. Entertainment for the evening was provided by students of Noopura Dance School directed by Mrs. Chandrika Kurup.

During the event, Kairali TV’s short film competition winners were presented the prizes. Best short film was Oasis and the award was presented to its director Sreelekha Haridass by Paulose Palatti, best actor award was presented to Josekutty Valiyakallunkal by Jose Kadapuram and best actress award was presented to Deepa Menon of Oasis by Daisy Stephen, Vice President of the Kerala Center. Sarah Stephen was the MC of this program.

Abraham Thomas, founder patron, was the chairman of the Award Dinner. Committee members Mathew Vazhappally and John Paul coordinated the event. The MC of the program, Daisy Stephen Pallipparambil, impressed everybody with her outstanding performance. Indian classical dances performed by Chandrika Kurup’s Noopura School of Dance made the awards night a colorful one. Secretary Raju Thomas concluded the ceremony with a vote of thanks to honored guests, awardees, sponsors, photographers, audience and everyone worked so hard to make it a successful event. With dinner catered by Cotillian, the 2024 Award Night came to the end.