About Us

We

Colorado Kannada Koota is an association of Colorado residents hailing from Karnataka, India.

Our mission

The primary mission of Colorado Kannada Koota is to promote, preserve and maintain the cultural and linguistic heritage of Karnataka, to foster the interests of Kannadigas, and to enrich the diverse cultural mosaic of Colorado with the best of Indian traditions.
 

Our Past
From a historical point of view, the early settlers from the Karnataka State in Denver metro area (who still actively participate in Kannada Community events) are: Hari and Meera Narahari (1969), Damodar and Shobha Kini (1970), Ashok and Shashi Bhatt (1971), Prabhakara and Revathi Rao (1972), and Anand and Rama (1972). In Fort Collins area, the Kannada families, who have settled in early 1970’s and promote Kannada culture are P. K. and Kamala Vedanthan, Vishwanathan and Sreedevi Bringi, and Krishna and Ratna Murthy.

How Far we have come
The Colorado Kannada Koota, started in early 1970’s. The number of Kannada families in Colorado has grown from less than 10 families in early 1970’s to more than 120 families today in the past 30 years. Today, we can find  Kannada families who have come from all parts of the Karnataka State, India. In addition to Kannada language, three commonly spoken languages in certain regions of the Karnataka State are Tulu, Konkani and Coorgies.

The Colorado Kannada Koota has come a long way in achieving it's objectives and in expanding it's activities to new horizons. In addition to organizing music, dance and other cultural programs, several members of the Kannada family actively organize to promote humanitarian causes. To bring all Kannada families together, members of the Colorado Kannada Koota organize three major festivals: Ugadi, Ganesha Chaturthi, and Deepavali. Parents get an opportunity to involve themselves in various activities and to expose their children to the rich Indian culture and traditions of Karnataka.

In addition to the celebration of festivals, Kannada families also organize annual Mother’s Day picnic in a nearby park. It is a Colorado Kannada Koota tradition to provide an opportunity for men and children to show off their skills in cooking to honor their loved-one and Mother, respectively. The day is filled with fun and games, where children gang up to beat their parents in both physical and mental games.

In Summary
The success of Colorado Kannada Koota is entirely attributed to the dedicated people who have voluntarily taken responsibility to enrich the Kannada culture in the community without any formal organizational structure.