KOCHI: Over 1,600 people of Kerala origin from around 100 countries will converge in the city next year to take part in a pioneering three-day Global Malayalee Festival coinciding with the country’s Independence Day celebrations.
The gala 2025 event at Le Meridien Hotel at Kundannoor on August 14, 15 and 16 will give away an array of Global Malayalee Ratna awards, besides hosting a Global Malayalee beauty contest and other cultural programmes, organisers said.
The Global Malayalee Ratna award will be given for excellence in nine fields: science, technology, medicine, engineering, economics, art, drama, social service and political activity.
Delegates from any country, but with a Malayalee parent, can participate in the beauty contest (18-25 years), to be held on August 15.
The celebrations, amid the cultural extravaganza, will feature a grand Onasadya feast and snake-boat race on the Kochi backwaters, besides a Kerala Trade and Investment Meet.
Organisers said they are expecting participation of new-generation Malayalees from all over the world, urging them to attend the festival to “discover our roots, heritage and bond beyond borders”.