🙏 HAA Convention 2026 – Presidential Thank You Note 🙏
The recently concluded Havyaka Association of the Americas (HAA) Convention 2026 will be remembered as a landmark celebration of our heritage, unity, and cultural pride. Under the inspiring theme Havyaka Samāgama, and guided by the profound tagline “Namma Jana, Nammatana, Namma Dhana, Namma Runa,” our community came together in a manner that truly reflected the strength, warmth, and spirit of Havyakas across the Americas.
🎉 A Historic Milestone
This year’s convention achieved a historic milestone, recording the highest attendance in the 21‑biennial history of HAA, with 675 delegates participating on Saturday, July 4th. This extraordinary turnout stands as a testament to the deep love, commitment, and enthusiasm our community holds for its culture, identity, and collective belonging.
The convention was vibrant, meticulously organized, and filled with unforgettable experiences. The energy in every program, the enthusiasm in every session, the excellence displayed in breakout discussions, and the joy shared by families and friends made this Samāgama one of the most impactful gatherings in our association’s history.
To all attendees, thank you for your wholehearted participation. Your presence brought positivity, connection, and life to every moment of the convention. Many of you traveled long distances, rearranged personal commitments, and dedicated your weekend to be part of this celebration. Your engagement — whether in cultural programs, youth activities, breakout sessions, homa activities, participation in the Havyaka Jātre, dining hall interactions, or community networking — made the event truly meaningful.
Every program this year was executed with excellence. The Homas conducted by our own Havyaka priests, the Grand Procession, and the Sabha Karyakrama featuring an insightful keynote by Sri Vishweshwar Bhat set a dignified and inspiring tone. Cultural showcases from all chapters, special youth performances including Youth Dance and Youth Symphony, the mesmerizing Hindustani–Carnatic Classical Jugalbandi, and invited artist productions such as the “Hima Maya” Dance Drama enriched the convention with artistic brilliance. Spiritual messages from revered Swamijis added depth and reflection. The grand highlights — Anuradha Bhat’s Live Music Concert and the spectacular Yakshagana by our own Havyaka professionals — captivated audiences and showcased the extraordinary talent within our community. Every food session, cultural moment, and artistic expression was world‑class, reaffirming that our Havyaka community in the Americas is abundant in talent, dedication, and cultural richness.
🌟 Youth Programs Shine
A special highlight of this year’s Samāgama was the Youth Programs, which reached new heights in participation, creativity, and impact. Youth enjoyed a full spectrum of activities including Indoor Sports (Pickleball, Badminton, Volleyball, Cricket), an exciting Bus Tour to downtown Chicago with dinner and skyline views, a joyful Kite Flying session, and a well‑received Youth Breakout Session that encouraged leadership, collaboration, and cultural connection. These activities not only strengthened youth engagement but also showcased the vibrancy, confidence, and promise of our next generation.
The success of Havyaka Samāgama rests on the extraordinary dedication of our Organizers & Volunteers, Committee Members & Leads, HAA Executive Committee, HAA Board of Trustees, HAA Activity Leads, and Midwest Chapter Members. Their months of preparation, countless hours of coordination, and unwavering commitment ensured that every detail was executed with precision and excellence.
A special note of gratitude goes to our sponsors, whose generosity and wholehearted support made this convention possible. A huge and sincere thank you to each one of you and your families.
Our organizers & volunteers were the heartbeat of the convention. They welcomed guests, assisted elders, supported performers, managed logistics, ensured smooth food arrangements, enabled everyone to experience the blissful homa, coordinated decorations — including the remarkable achievement of building a real bullock cart and chariot from scratch — set up photo booths, organized exhibitions and sales, managed hospitality, prepared the Havyasiri Souvenir Magazine, curated a thoughtful souvenir bag, handled registration, and operated media, communication, and technology systems seamlessly. Every responsibility was carried out with humility, enthusiasm, a warm smile, and a spirit of service that embodied the true essence of “Namma Jana and Nammatana”. Each team ensured that cultural programs, youth activities, food arrangements, stage management, registration, decorations, homa arrangements, Jātre activities, exhibitions, accommodation, transportation, and hospitality all ran flawlessly.
Together, this collective effort created a convention that honored our identity, our culture, our wealth of traditions, and our gratitude to our roots.
As President of HAA, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to each one of you.
Thank you for making Havyaka Samāgama 2026 a proud, historic, and truly memorable celebration.
With warm regards,
Muralidhara Kaje
President, Havyaka Association of the Americas (HAA)