North American Konkani Association (NAKA) was formed in 1998 when Ms. Nina Padukone, Damodhar Baliga, Vasanth Bhat, and (Late) M. Vasudev Nayak saw a need for an all-encompassing national organization to help unite the North American Konkani community, intending to preserve our language (our means of communication), showcasing our culture, and nurturing our customs and traditions.
With this vision guiding us, NAKA strives every day to serve as a resource, provide a helping hand when needed, and create a national presence for the Konkani Community.
NAKA was created to be a central resource to provide support to regional planning committees through its board members' vast experience in planning Sammelans. Since its inception, it has served in financial, charitable, and informational capacities for Sammelans, youth conventions, and other ventures.
Aside from Sammelans, our goal is to support the youth conventions, local Konkani organizations throughout North America, and most importantly, to unite Konkanis throughout North America.
Worldwide, the Konkani Community is very small. A fraction is in North America, widely spread across the U.S.A. and Canada. Several Konkani regional Associations have been trying to cater mainly to the local community.
There was a real need for a national body to provide a national framework for joint initiatives, while still leveraging the local strengths of the different regional associations. NAKA strives to fill this role, acting as the umbrella organization for North American Konkanis.
To be the premier organization for the North American Konkani Community — serving as a hub for cultural, charitable, and community activities, ensuring that Konkani language, culture, and traditions are preserved for generations to come.