Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Moodbidri (SB)
Moodbidri, Dec 13: Well-known NRI entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr Ronald Colaco was honoured with the 'Koti-Chennaya Award' during the 19th Koti-Chennaya Jodukare Kambala held on Saturday December 11 and Sunday December 12 near here.
Veteran RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, minister for urban development Byrathi Basavaraj, MP and president of Karnataka BJP Nalin Kumar Kateel, minister for fisheries S Angara, minister for social welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLA and honorary president of Moodbidri Kambala committee Umanath Kotian, and other dignitaries honoured Dr Colaco with the Koti-Chennaya Award, along with a memento, shawl and fruit basket.
In his introductory address, Umanath Kotian hailed the selfless service to society rendered by Ronald Coloco and said, "We are proud to say Ronald Colaco is from our land, from our native. Irrespective of religion, caste and creed he serves the people and has become an ideal example of humanity.
"Understanding the needs of the society, he spent crores to build temples, churches, buildings for lawyers and police personnel. He did not limit his service to only some particular sections of the society. He tried to understand the immediate necessities of people from all sections in his surroundings. He is one of the great supporters of Moodbidri Kambala. We have named the main stage of this Kambala after his father Fabian Colaco. We are grateful for his continued support and blessings on this historic event."
Acknowledging the honour, Dr Colaco said, "I feel this is the best honour I have ever received. Receiving an award in front of the people of my native town touches my heart. This is a memorable moment in my life. We of the Colaco family are spread across various corners of the world but we are proud to say we are from Moodbidri. Kambala is a sport that reflects our culture and way of life. It is our duty to promote this kind of event. I thank Umanath Kotian, the local MLA and Kambala committee for the honour. I wish all success in your upcoming projects and endeavours."
More than 200 pairs of buffaloes participated in various competitions with thousands cheering the contestants during the two-day Kambala.
About Dr Ronald Colaco
Dr Ronald Colaco is an NRI businessman based in Dubai, whose ancestors originally hailed from Moodbidri near Mangaluru taluk. He started his professional career in Oman during 1975 and worked across eight Gulf and European countries. He was elevated as commercial CEO for a consortium of three giant multinational corporates involved in turn-key projects such as the construction of world-class petro-refineries, gas processing and re-injection plants, townships and airports, each turnkey project worth over 2.5 billion dollars, which was double the budget amount of Karnataka state at that point of time.
Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, Dr Colaco has been active in promoting socio-cultural, charitable and philanthropic activities in his endeavour to give back to the society that he has come from, in a big way. His largesse has benefited the poor and the needy people and various institutions and organizations irrespective of caste, creed, race, religion and language. He has been a pioneer in providing infrastructure facilities for the benefit of the larger public and has set a precedent for others to follow. Some of his many philanthropical works include construction of roads, hospitals, government high schools, police stations, taluk offices, court hall, panchayat offices, Samudaya Bhavans, infrastructure for police personnel and lawyers, and construction of several temples, churches and mosques.
In February this year, Colaco was awarded professional doctorate in global leadership and management by the world-renowned European International University, Paris, France in recognition of his humanitarian and charitable works for the betterment of society.
Dr Ronald Colaco and his wife Jean were also invited by the Canada-Toronto Premier Dough Ford to the Parliament and accorded a unique honour by presenting a citation which includes a statement ‘Your internationally recognized Charitable Works benefiting the less fortunate, are an inspiration to all of us’. This is a unique honour in the history of the Canadian Parliament.
A Rajyotsava awardee, Dr Colaco has been honoured with numerous state, national and international awards and accolades, including the prestigious Times Now Global NRI of the Year Award for philanthropy. He was also among the few Indians to have been invited to breakfast with US President Donald Trump. He was the recipient of the '2015 International Recognition Award for Leadership in Service Excellence' from the office of The Prime Minister of Australia through CSIA at the Australian Service Excellence award ceremony held in Melbourne in 2015, the only person chosen for this prestigious award internationally from among 80 countries. Colaco’s other awards include Centenary award in Bahrain by former President Abdul Kalam, Canara World Visionary Award from Canadian Canara Vision Inc, The Pearl of Konkan in London, Konkan Ratn in Dubai by UAE Ambassador, Konkan Kunvor in Kuwait, Konkan Raai Saheb in Oman, Tulunada Bolpu in Qatar, Karnataka Rajyotsava award from the Chief Minister, Good Samaritan award from Mangalore diocese, Chaitanya Shree award from Shimoga Diocese, Vishwa Konkan Samaj Ratn by LK Advani, Vishwa Ratna Award by MMCA and several other awards from USA, Europe and Gulf countries.