Rons Bantwal
Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Nov 8: Celebrating 33 years of community bonding, cultural preservation and social service, the Ahmedabad Bunts Sangha, one of Gujarat's prominent organisations representing the Tulu-Kannada community, is gearing up for its 33rd anniversary celebrations and annual general body meeting on Sunday, November 22.
The grand celebration, featuring an array of cultural performances and social activities, will be held at Sardar Patel Hall, near Gandhi-Sardar Smriti Chowk, opposite Circuit House in Shahibaug, Ahmedabad. The programme will commence at 2 pm, with the annual general body meeting scheduled to be held ahead of the cultural festivities, the Sangha's office-bearers have announced.
The celebrations will be held under the presidentship of Ahmedabad Bunts Sangha president Nitesh S Shetty Shirvakodu. Kenjaruguttu Ajith Hegde, president of Pune Bunts Sangha and chairman and managing director of Royal Symphony Hotels Private Limited, will grace the occasion as the chief guest.
The distinguished special invitees include Shashidhar B Shetty, president of Baroda Tulu Sangha; Dr Chandramohan Shetty, an Ayurvedic physician and lifestyle disorders consultant; and Vijaykumar Kodialbail, director of Kala Sangam.
The guests of honour will include Shankar Shetty Surat, president of Ankleshwar Tulu Sangha; Radhakrishna T Shetty, president of Karnataka Samaj and managing director of Radhakrishna Group of Hotels; and Naveen Shetty Heruru, president of Tulunada Aisiri.
Adding colour and vibrancy to the anniversary celebrations, members, children and women of Ahmedabad Bunts Sangha will present a series of cultural performances from 2 pm. The formal stage programme will begin at 4.30 pm, followed by the much-anticipated staging of the award-winning Tulu play Shivadhoothe Gulige at 7 pm. The evening will conclude with a fellowship dinner at 9.30 pm.
A major highlight of the celebrations will be Shivadhoothe Gulige, a celebrated Tulu theatrical production written and directed by Vijaykumar Kodialbail, a distinguished and award-winning theatre personality from coastal Karnataka. Presented by the artistes of Kala Sangam, the play draws inspiration from Gulige Daiva, revered in Tulunadu as a divine and protective spiritual force.
The production is also being prepared as part of an initiative towards a Guinness World Records achievement, adding further significance to its presentation at the anniversary celebrations.
The programme will be compered by Naveenkumar Shetty Edmemar, a popular international-level Tulu presenter associated with Namma TV.
Extending a warm invitation to the community, Ahmedabad Bunts Sangha secretary Kiran Shetty, treasurer Prashanth Naik and other office-bearers have urged Sangha members, members of the wider Bunt community and well-wishers to participate in large numbers and make the 33rd anniversary celebrations a memorable success.
Beyond its cultural and community activities, Ahmedabad Bunts Sangha has consistently pursued social service initiatives, with particular emphasis on environmental protection, water conservation and other public welfare activities. The organisation has also been extending assistance to the local population, including people in the interior regions, earning recognition for its commitment to community welfare and service.
The Sangha is presently being led by its president, Nitesh S Shetty Shirvakodu, son of the organisation's founding president, Sanjeeva Shetty Ajekar, who was also the founding president of BSA.
He is supported by a dedicated team of office-bearers, including vice-presidents Raviraj M Shetty and Shakuntala I Shetty; secretary Kiran Shetty Vamanjoor; treasurer Prashanth Naik; joint secretary Santhosh Shetty; joint treasurer Deviprasad D Shetty; and coordination secretary Ravindra K Shetty.
The executive committee comprises Suresh N Shetty, Appu A Shetty, Vasanth Kumar Shetty Balebailu, Katapady (who passed away recently), Sudarshan D Shetty, Prashanth S Shetty, Ashok L Shetty, Prakash B Shetty, Saroja S Shetty, Suhas B Shetty, Dinesh Shetty, Suresh Shetty, Praveen Shetty and Jagannath Shetty.
Purushotham Shetty is a special invitee to the committee. Former presidents Sudhakar S Shetty, Jayaram P Shetty and Appu P Shetty also continue to extend their valuable service and guidance to the organisation.
The 33rd anniversary celebration is set to bring together the Bunt community and the wider Tulu-Kannada fraternity in Gujarat for an occasion that combines cultural pride, community fellowship and a renewed commitment to social service.