Media Release
Mangaluru, Dec 27: “The Konkani scholarship has now grown into a large community with over 1,000 alumni. Each alumnus helping 100 students would create a cascading effect on the community and nation,” urged the well-known corporate leader T V Mohandas Pai in his keynote address during the Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Programme's annual scholarship award ceremony. He also appreciated the gesture of alumni in giving back to the community providing leadership in skill training and mentoring to young scholars.
The annual scholarship award ceremony of Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Programme 2021, an initiative of Mangaluru based World Konkani Centre held virtually on zoom platform on December 26 where in scholarships to the tune of Rs. 3.5 crore were awarded to Konkani-speaking students from across the country. Students pursuing professional courses such as BE, MBBS and study abroad Master courses were awarded scholarships apart from other courses.
The event had three segments, namely Yevkar, Parisamvad, and Upasamhar. The first segment started with an introductory remark by Pradeep G Pai, Secretary of Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Programme, with a brief light on the accomplishments of the programme. Nandagopal Shenoy, president of the World Konkani Centre, welcomed the gathering.
The second segment of the event brought together the alumni from across the globe for an interactive session about how the scholarship programme has shaped their lives and contributed to their success. Alumni members of the programmes from USA, Canada, Germany, France and India participated in the interactive session. Sandeep Shenoy, chief mentor, Prerna, shared his views on the importance of networking. Giridhar Kamath, secretary, World Konkani Centre, expressed his thoughts on how the programme has unfolded since its inception.
The highlight of the day, a keynote address by T V Mohandas Pai, came in the third segment. He spoke about the importance of the contribution of alumni towards the development of the community. He also encouraged the young minds to actively take part in the civil service and defense system. He also emboldened the leaders of the Konkani community to bring in more action plans for a full-fledged development. B R Bhat, Treasurer, World Konkani Centre, delivered the vote of thanks to the gathering.
Karan Kini K, an alumnus of the programme, hosted the programme. Students, alumni members and donors apart from trustees of World Konkani Centre were present in the event.