Media Release

Silver Spring (MD), Dec 4: Mangaloreans living in the Washington DC metropolitan area hosted their annual Christmas Gala on December 1, 2012 at Longbranch Community Center, Silverspring, Maryland. The Longbranch Community Center was decked up with festive decorations arranged by Marina Pinto assisted by other members of the association.

The members and guests started arriving right on time making way for the start of gala evening as scheduled at 6:30pm. The program began with a welcome note from Dr Mala Britto Prabhu followed by a brief introduction on the activities planned for the evening.

The children of the association staged a nativity play narrating the birth of Jesus Christ, which was choreographed by Dr Mala Britto Prabhu who was assisted by Eliza Lobo and others on the sequence of different scenes of the play.

The children were happy to be part of the nativity play and received a huge round of applause from the audience.  A choir led by Glenda Bastian including Carol Britto, Chris Castelino, Marina, Reema, Rosanne, Juliet and others sang Christmas carols and transformed the atmosphere into a festive spirit.

It was time for the children to watch the arrival of Santa, while DJ Theo Majumdar played "Jingle bells". Pratap Prabhu, who played the role of Santa arrived along with his elves and cheered the children who were anxiously waiting for what Santa had for each of them. He along with his elves handed over the gifts to the children.

After the departure of Santa Claus, the president of the Association, Glenda Bastian thanked her executive committee for their unconditional support for successfully hosting the event. Dr. Mala Britto Prabhu invited all couples to the dance floor to the beautiful rendition of numbers spun by DJ Theo who kept the audience on the floor with foot tapping music. Dr. Mala also conducted various games to the couples on the dance floor.

Glenda Bastian along with Dr Mala Britto Prabhu conducted the raffle drawings and gave away many attractive prizes including Kindle Fire, and iPod shuffle. Past President of the association Ms. Esmie Wright led the grace which was followed by a sumptuous dinner served by Curry Place restaurant.

Following the dinner, it was time for a true Mangalorean touch to the program, the Baila Dance. DJ made sure that all hit numbers of the Baila were played which was thoroughly enjoyed by the guests. This music gathered a big crowd on the floor and it was great to see everyone participate. 

The evening concluded with members and guests wishing each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before they departed.

President, Glenda Bastian thanked all the members and guests for attending the event and encouraged them to visit the website www.mangaloreanassociation.org for details on future events.