Bantwal: Thirty-Seven Couples Married in Public Ceremony
News and Pics by Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network—Bantwal (RD/CN)
Bantwal, Mar 1: Thirty-seven couples tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony held on Sunday March 1 at Kattemane Maidan organized by Swastik Friends Club, Punjalkatte, near here.
The couples were solemnized in marriage in the presence of state home minister Dr V S Acharya, district in-charge minister Krishna J Palemar and other dignitaries.
Dr V S Acharya congratulated the newly-wedded couples during the conferring of the Swasti Siri state award at the silver jubilee celebrations of Swasti Friends Club on Sunday.
Dr Acharya asked the couples to lead married life with regard for society and with an eye on the welfare of society.
“I will take up the issue with the minister concerned in order to upgrade the primary health centre (PHC) here to community health centre”, said Dr Acharya. “The state administration has been engrossed in modernizing the police force, in order to efficiently combat the challenges posed by internal security and criminal offences. The society plays a vital role in curbing crimes”, he added.
State Apex Bank president M N Rajendra Kumar after inaugurating the programme commended the social service of Swastik Friends Club in organizing mass weddings. The programme was presided over by minister Palemar.
Swasti Siri state awards were presented to K Krishna Kumar Poonja, Hajabba Harekala, Dr Durgaprasad M R, Vivek Vincent Pais and Shailesh Ambekall, for their extraordinary contributions in their respective fields.
National award recipient Satish Baikampady, teacher Rama P Salian, and Uday Kumar Kattemane and wife were also honoured during the decennial celebrations of Swastik Friends Club.
Coastal Development Authority chairman B Nagaraj Shetty and zilla panchayat president Sucharita Shetty also greeted the newly-wedded couples on the occasion.
Sri Esha Vittal Swami of Kemar Math graced the occasion and blessed the newly-wedded couples.
NRI committee vice-president Capt Ganesh Karnik, former MLAs Prabhakar Bangera and Rukmaya Poojary, zilla panchayat members Santosh Kumar Bhandary and Babu Mogera, Beltangady taluk panchayat president Tulasi Harabe, entrepreneurs Purushottam Shetty, Krishna Shetty, Laxminarayan Udupa, taluk panchayat member Shalini Jain, Sacchidanand Shetty, Vittal Shetty, Journalists’ Welfare Association president Rahim Ucchil, Pilatabettu gram panchayat president Laxmi J Bangera, Swastik Friends Club president Prashant Punjalkatte, and secretary Jayaraj Attaje were present on the occasion.
Club founder president M Tungappa Bangera delivered the keynote address. Silver jubilee committee president Gopal Anchan welcomed the gathering. Teacher B Ramachandra Rao and Dinesh Amin compered the programme.
Highlights:
- Sumptuous food was served to over 10,000 people who attended the ceremony.
- Former minister B Nagaraj Shetty enthralled the audience by singing two sandalwood hit songs during the musical concert held on the occasion.
- Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Krishna Palemar announced that Nalin Kumar Rai Kateel is likely to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
- One hundred twenty students of Sacred Heart College, Madantyar, served as volunteers.
- Although fans and drinking water facility were set up at the venue, the audience experienced severe heat.
- The puppet show by Kalladka troupe, peacock dance, melodies of Kerala, musicians, and band troupe from Nasik, in Maharastra, during the grand procession ahead of the mass wedding were major attractions.
- Thirty-seven couples from Uttar Kannada, Siddapur, Bantwal, Udupi, Beltangady, Sullia, Karkala, Moodbidri, Chikmagalur and Kasargod, were married in the ceremony.
- The marriage registrars were busy preparing papers to deposit Rs 10,000 in the joint accounts of the newly-married couples.
- A special stage known as ‘Kattemane’ was erected for the mass wedding.