Bengaluru man elected as President of AKKA in US

Bengaluru-based Kannadiga Ravi Boregowda has been elected as President of the Executive Committee of AKKA (Association of Kannada Kootas of America) for the year 2024-25.

"The first AKKA World Kannada Conference (WKC) after the Covid Pandemic would be held on August 30, 31 and September 1 in 2024," Ravi told DH.

A Software Engineer by profession, Ravi is serving as the President of an Information Technology company in the USA, (which is involved in providing IT services to the State and Federal government within the USA) and he is a resident of Richmond, Virginia in the USA.

"Akka WKC is held once every two years. It was last held virtually, in 2020 during Covid Pandemic. Post Pandemic, since people were still trying to settle down AKKA WKC was not held in 2022," said Ravi.

Bengaluru-based Kannadiga Ravi Boregowda.

As President of AKKA, Ravi plans to work towards having Kannada language as an accredited course in all the Schools in the USA, besides encouraging International Kannada students. He said, "I plan to work as a liaison between the Karnataka government and the US local and State governments to build a bilateral relationship and promote Foreign Direct Investments to India among the Indian community, especially for Kannadigas. I plan to encourage and involve more women in AKKA committees," he said.

Ravi has been serving on the board of directors of AKKA since 2020. He has served as Vice President of AKKA for the period 2015-2016; and as Joint Secretary of AKKA for the period 2013-2014. During his stint in AKKA in the past, he has visited all Kannada Kootas (KK) across the USA and involved Presidents of all those KKs in strengthening AKKA. Ravi has also served as secretary of Richmond Kannada Sangha in 2007-2008 and president of Richmond Kannada Sangha in 2013-2014. He has been serving as Chairman of Richmond Kannada Sangha too from 2023. Passionate to promote Kannada language and culture outside Karnataka, especially in the United States, he has promoted the 'Kannada Kali programme' with the support of local Kannada sanghas.

Born as the son of late B Boregowda who had served in the Karnataka State Government, and Jayamma B, a homemaker, Ravi studied in St Joseph's school, and PUC in government PU college, in Channapatna, Ramanagara district. He has done BE in Automobile from Malnad College of Engineering Hassan, University of Mysore, and a Postgraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. After working in Bengaluru, and Canada for a while, he moved to the USA in 2000.

Ravi is married to Saraswathi Gowda an IT professional, from Mysuru, and he has two daughters, Nidhi Gowda, studying at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia and Isha Gowda who is studying in 11th grade.

During the Covid pandemic, Ravi has participated in several AKKA charity events and has raised funds to help covid patients in Karnataka, and also for Mysuru Zoo (Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden). He plans to enhance AKKA charities, fundraising and cultural activities further to help needy Kannadigas, and for the cause of Kannada language and culture.

Other office bearers elected for AKKA 2024-25 include Madesha Basavaraju (Secretary), Nagashankar Chandrashekar (Treasurer), Dr Mani Sreenivas (Vice President), Raghu Shivaram (Vice President), Suresh Babu (Vice President), Dr Lavanya Rudrapatna (Joint Secretary), Dr Nagaraj Nagathihalli (Joint Secretary), Chandrashekar Rayannavar (Joint Treasurer), Srivathsa Ramanathan (Joint Treasurer).