Moodbidri: Cultural Extravaganza Marks 60th Birthday of Dr Veerendra Heggade
News by Shekar Ajekar
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network—Moodbidri (RD/CN)
Moodbidri, Dec 29: Te 60th birthday celebrations of Dr D Veerendra Heggade took place on a grand scale on Sunday December 28, at Swarajya Maidan, amidst heavy security.
Dr Heggade was brought to the venue from Samaj Mandir, on a colourfully-decorated palanquin, escorted by a majestic elephant and eight horses, with folk artistes dancing to the tunes of the coastal district’s traditional music, from Samaj Mandir.
Security personnel cordoned-off the road through whi the procession passed and where thousands of spectators stood waving to Dr Heggade. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa presided over the programme.
Sri Vishweshateerta Swami of Puttige Math, Sri Balagangadharnath Swami of Adichunchanagiri Math, Mandya, and Sri Charukirti Bhattaraka Swamy of Jain temple, also graced the occasion.
Sri Vishweshateerta Swami called Dr Heggade a pioneer of rural empowerment while Sri Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swami said that the philanthropist had done deeds that were comparable to those of sages.
Sri Balagangadharnath Swami said that Dr Heggade commands respect because of his human virtues.
Zilla panchayat president Yerya Laxminarayana, MLAs Abayachandra Jain and Gopal Bhandary, entrepreneur Pramod Madwaraj, MLC Pratapchandra Shetty, SCDCC Bank president M N Rajendrakumar, MP Sadanand Gowda, state home minister Dr V S Acharya, DK district-in-charge minister Krishna J Palemar, union commission for administrative reforms chairman Veerappa Moily, Dubai New Medicals managing director B R Shetty, former MP Vinaykumar Sorake, MLAs Vasant Bangera, Mallika Prasad and U T Khader, former minister Amarnath Shetty, Dr Heggade’s family, municipal councilor Bhoja Kotian, former minister Amarnath Shetty Coastal Developmetn Authority chairman Nagaraj Shetty, former MUDA president Suresh Ballal, former MLAs Rukmaya Poojary and Vasant Salian, Kannada Sahitya Parishat former president Harikrishna Punaroor, K Vinay Kumar, K P Jagdish Adikari, Kannada Sahitya Parishaat DK president Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, Ahmed Bava, Yakshagana Academy president Kumble Sundar Rao, and Alva’s Education Foundation chairman Dr Mohan Alva were present on the dais.
Yeddyurappa in his congratulatory address said that Dr Heggade is striving to empower the rural masses through Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) that has brought economic self-reliance since Independence in 1947. Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa also announced Rs 60 lac for developing Swarajya Maidan, which was a long-pending demand.
Dr Heggade, acknowledging the felicitations accorded by the dignitaries, said that SKDRDP will be extended to Haveri, Gadag, and Dharwad, and symbolically passed on the traditional kerosene-fed lamp to Yeddyurappa.
Hemavati Heggade said that empowerment that has begun through SKDRDP would be continued.
The viewer’s gallery was almost full ahead of the programme. Of the nearly 1 lac spectators, around 71,000 were members of self-help groups under SKDRDP from across the undivided Dakshina Kannada district arrived for the event.
Rameschandra musical group presented a musical extravaganza at the beginning of programme while Shankar Shanbog presented a similar programme towards the end of the evening.
Parthasarathi, author of ‘Arulumallige’, delivered the felicitation speech while Nitte Education Trust chairman Vinay Hegde welcomed the gathering. Professors M Ramachandra and Malini Hebbar, compered the programme.
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