'If Cock Gets Horns…' KCA, Bangalore Presents Nellu's Konkani Comedy
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

BANGALORE, JUL 22: ``If Cock Gets Horns…” or ``Kombyak Shingam Ailyar…” is the title of a popular Konkani comedy play by the promising Konkani playwriter Nellu Permannur being staged by the Konkan Catholic Association, Mathikere, Bangalore, in aid of its scholarship fund at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall in Bangalore on July 25 Sunday evening.

With the Konkani comedy drama, which has already worn laurels in Mangalore and other places where it has been staged so far, promising to be a sell-out success, KCA, Mathikere, Bangalore,  will indeed succeed in earning the crown of glory and also raise sufficient funds for its scholarship fund and social service activities.

Nellu Permannur has earned laurels for several plays to his credit, top among them being Bongo, Bonglo, Bokro and Bolpo, and has won the Yuva Puraskar from Daiji Dubai. The Konkani play, Kombyak Shingam Ailyar…,” has in its cast Alwyn, Felix, Stephen, Abraham, Vivek Madur, Jagat, Roni and Shashiraj besides Nellu himself, who has also directed it. Produced under the Manoranjan, Mangalore banner of Assal Kalaakaar, it has special stage-setting effects by Chaitanya Kala Arts and Music by Nirmal and Vanil.

The play deals with the story of the trials and tribulations of a patriotic Army Captain Mathias, who rents out his house, which falls into the hands of terrorists without his knowledge. What happens next with all its twists and turns is the story that promises to entertain the audience.

KCA, Mathikere, Bangalore, started in 1966, is one of the oldest and most well-known association of Konkani Catholics in Bangalore known for its record of social service. It has around 600 life members, majority of whom are heads of families from different parts of Bangalore and Karnataka as also from other states in the country besides many who are working in countries like USA, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the Middle-East. It was formed with the objective of fostering unity and preserve Konkani culture, provide educational and medical assistance to the needy.

One of the few duly registered Konkani Catholic Associations of Bangalore and even Karnataka, it also has the distinction of securing the coveted 80G exemption from Income Tax Department – a singular honour for its record of service.

Late A V Rego

Konkan Bhavan

What makes KCA, Bangalore, special is its rare and unique achievement of having its own building, ``Konkan Bhavan,” at Mathikere, which became a reality with the hard work and dedication of leading pillars of the Mangalorean Konkani Catholic community settled in Bangalore like Late A V Rego, A C L Peris, O J Colaco and H M Fernandes. The ground floor of the building was completed within a year of its starting in 1979 and formally inaugurated in 1981.

The entire building with two floors with a spacious hall on the first floor with a capacity of comfortably seating 150 persons and useful for holding small meetings and social functions. The second floor having separate rooms to provide hostel facilities for youngsters was completed in 1989. The ground floor has a spacious kitchen, washroom besides provision for dining facilities. The building is indeed its crowning glory.

While KCA has been carrying out its social service activities like helping the poor and deserving students with scholarships and educational assistance besides providing medical aid in cash and kind to the sick and ailing persons, Konkan Bhavan has so far provided hostel accommodation to around 1,000 needy boys who had come to Bangalore from their native places in search of jobs and educational training.

KCA President David Fernandes

In the year 2007, when KCA completed 40 years, it created a special Scholarship and Medical Fund with a target of mobilsing Rs 25 lakh, which has achieved spectacular success so far and helped it in providing scholarship and educational assistance to nearly 300 students cutting across caste, religious or regional barriers, though poor and deserving Konkani Catholics are being given preference in keeping with its objectives.

The Konkani play, ``Kombyak Shingam Ailyar…” or ``If Cock Gets Horns….,” is being staged with a target of raising balance amount of Rs 5 lakh, said KCA president David Fernandes.

For further details, please visit: www.konkanbhavan.com