Wilfy Rebimbus, Albert Tauro and Joseph D'Souza Chosen for FKCA Awards

Media Release

Bangalore, Jan 26 : `Konkan Kogul’ Sri Wilfy Rebimbus is among the three eminent Konkani personalities who have chosen for the prestigious annual awards of the Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA), Bangalore.

The multi-faceted and versatile Rebimbus will be conferred the Life-Time Achievement Award. The other two awardees are: Albert Tauro, Chairman and Managing Director of Vijaya Bank, and Sri Adrian Joseph D’Souza, Director of Deccan Group of Companies, who will be conferred the Professional Excellence and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards respectively.

The awards will be presented at FKCA’s annual FEDERATION DAY celebrations, being held at the St Joseph’s Indian High School Grounds, Opposite Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore, on Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 11.30 am by Karnataka Governor Sri H R Bhardwaj. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President and former minister Sri R V Deshpande will be the Chief Guest while Bangalore Archibishop Rev Dr Bernard Moras will preside over the function.

The FKCA Day and Award presentation ceremony, which is expected to be attended by at least 4,000 Konkani Catholics and other Christians, including large number of Priests and Sisters from different parts of the city and even from Mysore, Kolar, Tumkur and other districts of Karnataka.

This year’s FKCA Federation Day assumes special significance as it comes within a week of the attacks against churches in Mysore and Karwar dioceses as the state governor Sri H R Bhardwaj, who has often gone on record in criticising the Yeddyurappa regime’s handling of the attacks against minorities and Christians in particular as well Congress leader Sri R V Deshpande and Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Bernard Moras, who have also taken the BJP government to task in their own way, will be sharing the dias.

LIFE-TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER SRI WILFY REBIMBUS:

Wilfy Rebimbus, who will turn 68 on April 2 this year, is a multi-faceted and versatile personality. Known for his charming and affable nature, he is a gifted music composer, playwright and short story writer and is a household name among all Konkani Catholics. Born in Mangalore in a poor family, he came up in life the hard way and started composing and singing Konkani songs at the young age of 14. By 15, he had written his first Konkani play, ``Poishyamcho Somvsaar,’’ and got it staged through the St Joseph’s Natak Sabha in Mangalore.

He has contributed and enriched the Konkani music world for over 50 years composing over 3,000 songs, 500 stage shows and conducted as many as 248 musical nites in Mangalore and different parts of Karnataka and even abroad besides publishing 9 volumes of Song Books. In addition, he has brought out a book, ``Kogul Gaaithaa,’’ comprising 40 volumes in 4 editions, 40 highly popular music audio cassettes besides 6 volumes of devotional and 1 instrumental album. He hass written 3 Konkani musical plays, Hazaar Umaalyamche Kazaar, Vechik Pooth and Mother Theresa. He has also composed songs and written stories for Konkani Movies, Mog ani Moipas, Bogsaane, Kaazaara Upraamth and Paadri besides writing the story for the Konkani film, Tisri Cheet. He has showered with several awards including the Karnataka Government’s prestigious Rajyothsava Award, Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy Award, Sandesha and Daiji Puraskar Awards.

PROFESSIONAL EXECELLENCE AWARD TO SRI ALBERT TAURO:

Albert Tauro, who turns 59 on March 11, is a leading banker with over 37 years of experience. Hailing as he does from the undivided coastal Dakshina Kannada district, which is known as the cradle of Indian Banking Industry, he began his banking career with Reserv e Bank of India (RBI), Mumbai, in 1971. Since then, he has served in various banks in different capacities. He rose to become the Executive Director of Central Bank of India on June 6, 2007, and also served as the member of the Board of Centbank Financial & Custodial Services Ltd and Centbank Home Finance Ltd. Sri Tauro is an experienced and multi-dimensional banker with extensive exposure to every conceivable area of banking.  He was elevated as the Chairman and Managing Director of Vijaya Bank on August 2, 2008 and will continue in the postion until superannuation till March 31, 2011.

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD TO SRI ADRIAN JOSEPH D’SOUZA:

Born in 1960, Sri Adrian Joseph D’Souza is a successful businessman and industrialist involved in several leading manufacturing companies in the capital intensive Power Equipments, Structural Systems, Transformers and Leather Fashions. A rank-holder from Bangalore’s leading Engineering College, R V College of Engineering, in Electrical Engineering, he joined his father’s small sector business enterprise and through his vision, dedication and hard-work expanded it cover diverse fields and thereby opening new business and employment opportunities. Southern Power Equipment Co Pvt Ltd, Deccan Structural Systems Pvt Ltd, Deccan Leather Fashions and Gibu Fabrications Pvt Ltd, the four prominent companies in the Group having Mr D’Souza as Director, have the enviable distinction of providing direct employment to about 1,500 persons and a total annual turnover of over Rs 160 crore.  His brilliance, dedication, hard-work and vision have turned him into an entrepreneur worthy of emulation and envy.

The Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA), which was established in 1998, has spread its activities far and wide with as many as 25 Associations of Konkani Catholics not only in different localities of Bangalore but Mysore and also abroad with those in UAE, Kuwait, USA, Canada and UK affiliated to it. Many other Associations in Australia, New Zealand and other countries as also different parts of the country are in the process of getting affiliated to the FKCA.

Having emerged as strong and united voice of Konkani Catholics as also a champion in espousing the cause of other minorities, the Federation has taken up several people-friendly programmes like annual sports, free placement service cell, matrimonial cell, entrepreneurs’ forum and free medical camps. It has also launched a worldwide directory of Konkani Catholics on its website, www.fkca.net.

The Federation has helped over 60 members of its affiliated associations in getting house sites in well-developed and BMRDA approved housing sites on the Bangalore-Mangalore highway near Nelamangala, besides helping the needy by organising regular programmes to create awareness and focus attention of their problems. It has also been regularly interacting with various governmental agencies and authorities.