Looking back at the history of HAMFEST, it was started in a very small way at 'Kuttikkanam', Kottayam, Kerala in 1991 by Joseph Mattappally (VU2JIM) and he was declared the HAM of the year. The idea of organizing a get-together of needy and helpless HAMs,called 'HAMFEST' wherein all HAMs would come individually irrespective of their club or society and collectively work for the HAMFESTand with the spirit of the hobby.