Bahrain: Karnataka CM Promises Rs 1 Crore for Proposed 'Kannada Bhavana'
by Ronald F D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Bahrain
Bahrain, Nov 15: It was a colourful as well as a memorable day for Kannadigas in Bahrain as the Kannada Sangh Bahrain held its much awaited 'Kannada Vaibhava 2008', on Friday November 14. An audience of more than 2,500 was present at the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam Auditorium, Segaya.
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B S Yeddyurappa, Karnataka chief minister, Ramchandra Gowda, minister for medical education, Shoba Karandlaje, minister for rural development and panchayat raj , Gopal Bhandary, MLA of Karkala constituency, and Satish U Pai and Sandhya Pai, Manipal Media Network Ltd., were given a 'Poornakumba' welcome by the womenfolk of the Sangh, at the entrance of the auditorium. It was a spectacular show with the ladies carrying 'kalashas' decked with coconuts and flower petals.
They were all accompanied by Balakrishna Shetty, Indian ambassador to Bahrain, to the main hall. Ravishanker and his wife Sangeetha sang old Kannada numbers and the audience applauded each of their songs. This was followed by 'Naada Geethe' by Sangh members.
Musical ballet 'Ramayana Darshanam', directed by well-known choreographer Sahana Bhat with 40 children of the Sangh participating, was staged for about an hour. Yeddyurappa and all the delegates appreciated the show. The inaugural ceremony of 'Kannada Vaibava 2008' was begun by Austin Santhosh with a welcome speech wherein he said that the Sangh was established in 1977 He added that till today the Sangh was conducting activities without any aid from the government. Santosh requested the chief minister for a Kannada Bhavana in Bahrain and sought financial aid from the government. In addition, he asked for an opportunity to be given to the children of Kannada Sangh members to perform in cultural programmes in Bangalore.
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Balakrishna Shetty in his address said that the culture and traditions of India dated back to the Harappa and Mohenjadaro civilizations, and are today admired by everyone across the world. He expressed his happiness that the Indian national flag now had a presence on the surface of the moon, through the success of 'Chandrayan I'. Ramchandra Gowda, talked about the Ramayana and requested the gathering to preserve the traditions of Kannada culture irrespective of where they live.
Shobha Karandlaje said that NRIs are a key factor of the Indian economy. She added that village development must be given priority for unless the condition of villages improves, society will not come forward to help them. Yeddyurappa,in his address, said that he was happy to be in Bahrain after his USA trip. He admired Bahrain, the people, the culture, and traditions. He told the audience that wherever one goes, or stays, one should always be always be a Kannadiga.
He promised to sanction Rs 1 crore for a Kannada Sangh Bhavana in his February 2009 budget and also promised to extend an invitation to the Kannada Sangh children to perform in Bangalore. He also requested the NRIs to invest in Karnataka, as IT and BT were gaining prominence in Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, and Hubli-Dharwad. The chief minister also promised that every district would have an airport so people can travel directly to Hubli or Belgaum, without touching Bangalore Airport. Yeddyurappa also promised that these two airports will have an international status .
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During the ceremony, all dignitaries were presented shawls as mementoes. Gopal Bhandary, MLA of Karkala, appreciated the people of Bahrain and said that it seemed as if he was back in Mangalore or Udupi. He wished the Kannada Sangh a bright future. Sandhya Pai in her speech told the audience that we should educate our children about our culture and keep in touch with our traditions.
Karavali Yuvaka and Yuvathi Mandala of Dakhina Kannada, performed folk dances. M Anil Basagi, general secretary of the Sangh,thanked everyone.
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