Dubai: Sandalwood Stars Regale Packed Audience at 'Rajyotsava - 2011'
Report by Shashidhar Nagarajappa
Pics by Deepak D'Silva
Dubai, Dec 11: Dubai witnessed one of the finest Kannada events hosted in recent times to showcase the rich language and culture of the land. It was a perfect tribute to the state and the language as Kannadigas from every corner of Karnataka residing in the UAE were present.
Sandalwood celebrities and religious leaders from Mandya added special attraction to the show. The event was held on Friday December 9 at JSS Private School, Al Safa in Dubai.
Young and dynamic leader Girish Shetty who took over as the president of Karnataka Sangha proved that he has tremendous ability to organise events of this scale and bring the Kannada speaking community under one umbrella. It was the first major event hosted by Karnataka Sangha under his leadership.
The Karnataka Sangha, a pioneering organization which was founded 27 years ago, has been hosting Rajyotsava event every year. An overwhelming number of Kannadigas attended the event and the auditorium was chock-a-block - many of the people in the audience were seen standing around the auditorium, and the enormous parking lots were full leading to a bit of discomfort in Al Safa area.
The Rajyotsava programme was inaugurated by Girish Shetty by lighting the lamp.
A big number of dignitaries graced the occasion - guest of honour Sri Sri Thrinethra Mahantha Shivayogi Swamiji from Shri Mahantha Shivayogi Mutt, Baby Gram, Mandya district of Karnataka, Challenging star Darshan, his wife Vijayalakshmi, mother Meena Thoogudeepa Srinivas and his little son Venish along with famous Kannada musician, director and comedian actor Sadhu Kokila and noted comedian actor Bullet Prakash came to attend the event from Bangalore.
Counsel labour M P Singh from Indian consulate Dubai, Zafarullah Khan, a strong supporter and advisor of KSD who was also the platinum sponsor of the event, C R Shetty, patron of KSD, Sadiq Hussain, advisor of KSD, Praveen Shetty, managing director of Fortune Group of Hotels and gold sponsor of the event, Harish Sherigar, managing director of ACME building materials and gold sponsor, Karunakar Shetty from President Hotel and gold sponsor, Shekar Shetty from Arab Udupi Group of Restaurants, a gold sponsor, managing director of Chilli Willy Foods and entertainment secretary of KSD Satish Venkataramana a gold sponsor and Walter Nandalike, editor-in-chief of Daijiworld were present. Ramee Group of Hotels & Resorts was also one of the gold sponsors for the event. Guruswamy Kallooru, CEO of JSS Schools in Dubai and silver sponsor, Shreedharan Nair, sales director, Core Edge technologies and silver sponsor, Manjunath Sagar of Hrudayavani, and Kikkeri Krishnamoorty were present on the dais during the felicitation programme.
Vice-president Krishnaraja Tantry introduced the guests, general secretary Daya Kiriodian and joint secretary Shashidhar Nagarajappa presented the mementos to the guests.
Sri Sri Thrinethra Mahantha Shivayogi Swamiji blessed all the dignitaries and praised Karnataka Sangha Dubai for having conducted a well-organized event to unite Kannadigas in a foreign land.
Swamiji in his speech said that love between people is very necessary. His elaborate speech touched the hearts of those present, with the audience giving him a huge round of applause.
In his presidential address, Girish Shetty said, "It is the first event organized by the newly-elected executive committee of KSD. This Rajyotsava event has grabbed the attention of many individuals and organizations in the UAE. An open invitation sent to all sanghas of the UAE, to work together to achieve the common goal of uniting the Kannadigas in the UAE, has been welcomed by the invitees."
Girish Shetty's popularity was proved when the audience gave a thunderous applause to his speech.
The lively crowd made the event even more interactive and responsive, especially when Sadhu Kokila and Bullet Prakash took the stage for a performance. Challenging star Darshan also joined the comedians to entertain the crowd. The enthusiastic Kannadigas were enthralled by colourful and variety of programmes by local and international teams of performers. A semi-classical dance was performed by Karnataka Sangha members Sarita, Rashmi, Poonam, Vijetha Tantry, Sudhakar Thumbay, choreographed by Prasanna. It was one of the superhits of the evening.
'Dubai Rockers' team performed to the tunes from Kannada hero Darshan's movies, while Kikkeri Krishna Murthy's orchestra team stole the show with some lovely singing by playback singer Ramesh Chandra, Nagachandrika Bhatt and Zee TV Little Champs star Ashwin Sharma.
Hilarious comedy skit by Rajesh Kutthar’s team, Bharatanatyam by Aishwarya Gajre and Pallavi, solo singing by Harish Sherigar were among the most loved performances.
Stage coordination was done by KSD treasurer Jayanth Shetty, KSD sports secretary Manohar Hegde and Lawrence.
The show overflowed with gift hampers generously handed out by Chilli Willy Food Products & Sapil Style Cents, along with well-wisher sponsors Al Maha Steel Yard cont LLC, Reliable Fabricators, Eurobase Trading, Jansport , Mosacco shipping Co, Dar Al Salam Trading, Canara Restaurant , Lu Lu International Exchange, Speed Star cargo, Glow Star Creations and official caterers Shiv Sagar Restaurant. Attractive stage setting was done by Satish Shetty of Sai Vision Furniture Manufacturers. Media partners Daijiworld.com, Gulfkannadiga.com, Namma TV and Radio Spice covered the show.
Free dinner was served to all.
Up and coming young Kannada film hero Rohit (actual name Larry Fernandes, who acted in Konkani movie 'Kazar' and Kannada movie 'Ellellu Neene Nannallu Neene) was felicitated during the event.
Daya Kirodian, one of the key persons behind the successful event and who always works hard behind the screen, thanked all the supporters, sponsors and executive committee members for hosting a successful show.
Another highlight was the fluent and spontaneous Kannada compeering by Shashidhar Nagarajappa and Shilpa Sudhakar. Executive committee members Susan Gowda, Arun Kumar, Chandrashekar, Peer Mohammed, Lawrance Nazareth, Satish Shetty and Marina Menezes played remarkable roles in making the show a big success.
Sub-committee members Ravi Kumar, Karthik, Bhaskar, Sachin, Santhosh and Shuba Arun’s were lauded for their efforts in organising the event.