HAA or Havyaka Association of Americas is a group of Havyakas who have migrated to the North American subcontinent and are living in either USA or Canada. A convention is held every two years and the recent biennial convention was held between July 5 and 6, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. It was a fabulous turnout and everyone who came to the convention thoroughly enjoyed it and went back feeling refreshed, energized and proud to be a Havayaka!

Preparation for the convention began more than a year ago with core committees being set-up. Even though the convention was meant for two days, there were events on the preceding and concluding day. On July 4, 2019, for the first time ever at a HAA convention, was a Youth Camp wherein our young Havyaka children ranging from 12 to 20 years old, lived and mingled with each other for a day at SVBF temple premises. They enjoyed outdoor activities like tree-top trekking and indoor workshops with eminent scientist Dr. Asim Biswas, Professor of Soil Physics and Soil Health, and active HAA member Anoop Shreedhara. They ate, sang and danced together for a day and built lasting relationships with each other. The youth camp helped them to bond with each other like cousins in a faraway land. Concurrent to the youth camp at SVBF was a financial education seminar being held at the Chinese cultural center in Toronto in the evening.

The actual convention began on a gloriously sunny day with a picnic at Thomson memorial park on July 5, 2019. As the delegates started arriving at around 9:00 am, they were treated to a sumptuous breakfast of idli, wada, uppitu and manohara. The adults were involved in activities like Yogic jogging, Zumba, and Yaksha Zumba that combined fast and slow rhythms to help energize the mind and body. Simultaneously kids were involved in various games in different age groups like ball throw, treasure hunt, panty-hose bowling and balloon race. There were others who had taken to cricket and volleyball on the fields. Delicious watermelon slices, majjige neeru and kokam sharbat along with an assortment of other fruit juices provided a much deserved respite from the sweltering summer heat. Everyone then relaxed to Antakshari, singing kannada songs by both the men and women groups and things became extremely competitive. Lunch was a grand feast and was topped off with mango ice-cream. People then rushed to the convention venue at the Havyaka Kshetra at the Chinese Cultural Center in the heart of Toronto.

People changed into their traditional Havyaka finery of Sarees for women and Panche-Shalya for men. The reception committee welcomed the delegates with flowers, rosewater and fragrant scents along with a welcome package. The convention began with a traditional Mervanige, where in little kids dressed up as gods and goddesses walked to the auditorium to the sound of music. They were followed by kids dances and ladies doing kolata (dance with sticks). The procession was long, beautiful and grand with some ladies holding kalasha, men holding pallaki with Lord Ganesha (remover of obstacles), followed by delegates from various states from USA. There were delegates from India, Australia and some other parts of the world as well. The audience was welcomed by a Sabha pooje, Veda ghosha, Pushpanjali (traditional bharatnatyam dance) and finally a Swagatha ensemble. The afternoon was packed with multiple entertainment programs. The highlight of the evening entertainment was a wonderful, spellbinding Yakshagana performance by eminent visiting artists from India – Thotimane Ganapati Bhat and Sanjay Belleyuru in the Mummela (theater performers) and Ananta Hegde, Dantalige and Shankar Bhagwat, Yellapura in the Himmela (singer and Maddale respectively). They were well accompanied by local artists from both Canada and USA. The Yakshagana was titled Karthaveerya Arjuna and was a short skit to highlight how Karthaveerya Arjuna had humbled Ravana. There was an intermission where people enjoyed yet another Havyaka feast. The evening ended with a mesmerizing performance by singers Ratnamala Prakash and Pancham Halibandi, both visiting artists from India, accompanied by local artists on the tabla, drums and synthesizers. Concurrent to the events on the main stage, there was a fabulous exhibition on display and included arts and crafts by local Havyakas – both kids and adults. The exhibition also highlighted Havyaka achievers, and what being a Havyaka meant to kids. There were traditional havyaka utensils on display as also recent agriculture related improvisations for all to see, absorb, learn and possibly buy something new like adke rasam pudi and herbal soap made by Havyakas. Simultaneous to the events on the main stage, auditions were conducted for Havyaka Youth got talent. The evening was late around 11:00 p.m. when everyone dispersed for the day.

The next day (July 6, 2019) dawned early and delegates arrived at 8:00 am to pray for world peace by conducting a yagna under the auspices of Pandit Ramakrishna Bhat, a havyaka priest based in Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation’s temple in Toronto. This was a culminating homa (sacred fire) as the participants had been chanting the revered Gayathri mantra for almost a month prior to the day. Together the participants had chanted the Gayathri for almost 1,00,000 times to ensure that the world remained peaceful and prosperous. The morning programs on stage began with Bhagwad Gita chanting by kids, followed by traditional performances by kids and adults including Bharatnatyam, Mridangam, classical vocal performances and short skits. This was followed by an enchanting Hindustani vocal performance by Smt. Radha Desai, accompanied by Shri Gopalkrishna Hegde on Tabla (both eminent visiting artists from India) and Vinayak Hegde on harmonium. 

Following a delicious feast of holige, payasa for lunch, was an enthralling and enchanting Youth Symphony wherein Havyaka children played musical instruments like the flute, clarinet, Saxophone, Guitar, drums and sang both traditional Sanskrit and modern English songs. A plenary session was conducted in the afternoon by Dr. Parameshwar Bhat, HAA president. There were talks by HAA Krishi, which discussed the current travails faced by Havyaka farmers in Karnataka and how modernization has become the need of the hour, since children are moving away from traditional agriculture based occupations, labour shortages and ageing of current Havyaka farmers. Subsequently, folks managing Vidya-Nidhi talked about how HAA can contribute to the education of young children in Havyaka families in India. Next there was a talk on how we can best maintain our Havyaka-ness in today’s day and time when children are no longer marrying within the Havyaka community and how we can help today’s children to relate to our traditions, values and help to carry on the Havyaka life cycle. There was a youth perspective on being a Havyaka and a report by youth on the recently concluded youth camp and what they took away from being a part of the convention. Subsequently, our youth who had spent countless hours managing the CMCK website (Children’s magazine Chitra Katha) were honoured.

The afternoon was packed with more entertainment and began with the final round of the Havyaka Got Talent show, where the audience voted to judge the winners. The afternoon performances included a fascinating, spellbinding kathak performance, and enthralling classical music. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the Havi Taranga dance performed by thirty Canadian delegates, and was considered as a treat for the eyes. The new team from California presented a memorable welcoming invitation for the next biennial convention to be held in 2021. The evening performance was concluded by a captivating and outstanding Laya Lasya Gana performance by Shri Gopalkrishna Hegde on Tabla and Vinayak Hegde on harmonium in a jugalbandi style with the Himmela artists Ananta Hegde, Dantalige and Shankar Bhagwat, Yellapura. The evening ended with a banquet hall thanking of all the delegates and volunteers who helped to make this a memorable, record-breaking turnout ever.

The concluding day (July 7, 2019) was the annual general body meeting that was well attended by most delegates. A brief financial picture was shared with everyone and included the current state of affairs of the Havyaka convention. A packed lunch for delegates travelling far, made it all the more memorable and Canadian volunteers were thanked profusely for their hospitality and consideration of the needs of the guests. This concluded the almost four days of Havyaka convention that was held recently in Toronto, Canada and will leave ever lasting memories in the hearts and minds of every Havyaka who attended the event.