Date:07/11/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/11/07/stories/2009110755500300.htm

Kerala - Pathanamthitta

ABASS meet on Monday

Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom State meet will be held at the Venugopala Menon Nagar (Sree Lakshmi auditorium) at Nenmara in Palakkad district on Monday.

In a statement on Friday, ABASS national vice-president D.Vijayakumar said sanghom president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai would inaugurate the day-long meet. Mr. Vijayakumar would preside over the inaugural function.

As many as 3,000 delegates were expected to attend the meet.

Focus

He said the meet would discus the issues facing Ayyappa devotees at Sabarimala as well as the major base camps during the coming Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival that begins on November 16.

Mr. Vijayakumar said Devaswom Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran would inaugurate the valedictory function of the meet in the afternoon.

M.P. Veerendrakumar will launch the ABASS website and Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC president, will release a souvenir brought out by the Sanghom.

O. Rajagopal, former Union Minister, will inaugurate the functioning of the ABASS women’s wing and sanghom general secretary N.Sreenivasan will deliver the keynote address.

Deputy Speaker Jose Baby, K.Achuthan and Chenthamarakshan, MLAs, will also address the valedictory meet.