Malayalee Association   Southwest Florida 

The Malayalee Association Southwest Florida is a non-profit organization devoted to the awareness and promotion of Malayalee culture in Southwest Florida. Dedicated Malayali families with a vision to bring together all Malayalees who migrated to this region founded the organization.

The association strives to preserve and promote Kerala culture, traditions, and heritage through various festivals and events organized throughout the year. The Malayalee Association Southwest Florida conducts kid’s activities, an Onam festival, a Youth Festival, picnic, sports tournament, debate, chess competition, Gandhi Jayanthi, Independence Day, Mother’s Day, and Women’s/Youth forum activities. The Women’s forum is one of the most active branches of the association and has a vibrant and enthusiastic group of women working behind it. This year, the association formed a Youth forum to bring youths together to foster their leadership skills, provide a sense of belonging, create social connectedness, learn the importance of helping, and improve the social-emotional well-being of the young Kerala community in Southwest Florida.

The association also conducts charity events. It has donated towards the COVID relief fund, flood relief fund, and nursing student scholarships.

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Mission

The Malayalee Association Southwest Florida’s mission is to accomplish personal connections and a sense of belonging among Malayalees through collaboration, the promotion of Kerala’s cultural heritage by celebrating festivals, and by providing its members (including women, youth, children, and senior citizens) a platform to socialize, share their talents, and promote positive social relations with other Malayalee organizations in Florida.

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Vision

The Malayalee Association Southwest Florida’s vision is to bring together all Malayalee families who migrated to Southwest Florida while celebrating all Malayalee and Indian festivities with the same cultural and traditional finesse of our motherland.

 

Kerala

Kerala, also known as God’s Own Country, is a small state located on the coast of southwest India. The state has an area of 38,863 km² and is bordered by Karnataka to the North and Northeast, Tamil Nadu to the East and South, and the Arabian Sea to the West. It was formed on November 1st, 1956. The language spoken is Malayalam. According to Hindu mythology, Parasurama (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) threw his axe to identify a land where people could live peacefully and happily. Traditionally, women in Kerala wear a saree and blouse, and men wear a “mundu”.

The culture of Kerala is a combination of both Indian and Dravidian traditions. The main Keralite performing arts are as follows: Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, and the martial art form Kalaripayattu. Kerala is famous for its ecotourism, beautiful backwaters, lush green tea plantations, and spice plantations. Kerala's climate is mainly wet and tropical, influenced by the seasonal heavy rains brought on by the monsoons.