JOIN USThere is a need to identify and recognise honest people in society, opined Forest, Ecology and District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai.
Speaking after presenting the Mangaluru Press Club Award to Mother Teresa College founders Renita Lobo and Shamitha Rao and AIM’s College founders Fouzia B S and Sameera K A at Scouts Bhavan on Sunday, Rai lauded the efforts of journalists in identifying achievers like Renita, Shamitha, Fouzia and Sameera.
The Mangaluru Press Club Award comprised a memento, shawl, citation and a purse of Rs 10,001. The awardees were selected by a jury headed by KSOU former VC Prof B A Viveka Rai, theatre artiste Sadananda Suvarna and School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya PG Department former dean Prof Rita Noronha.
Recognition
Shamitha Rao, in her response, thanked Mangaluru Press Club for recognising their 20 years of efforts and narrated her journey with Renita right from the beginning, when they rented a room to start a school in Shankaranarayana, a remote village in Udupi district.
Similarly, Fouzia thanked the journalists for recognising her and Sameera’s work and spoke of their hurdles in educating the poor and needy. They also requested the district in-charge minister to help them get land to set up their own school.
As part of the programme organised jointly by Mangaluru Press Club, Dakshina Kannada Working Journalists’ Association and Patrika Bhavan Trust, eight journalists who had received various awards in the last one year were honoured by MLA Moideen Bava. They included Ramakrishna (Samyukta Karnataka), Hameed Puttur (freelancer), Govindraj Javali (Prajavani & Deccan Herald), Apul Ira (Vijaya Vani), Dayanand Kukkaje (Daijiworld), Mounesh Vishwakarma (Kannada Prabha), Sandeep Salian (Vijaya Vani) and Jagadeeshchandra (freelancer).
Scintillating performance
Earlier, more than a dozen journalists performed the Yakshagana episode ‘Mahisha Mardini,’ under the guidance of Ravi Alevuraya and direction of Dheeraj Kottari. The event began with a Carnatic vocal by Ashwani Kumar N K R and concluded with a dance programme by Bharathraj Kalladka.
While Kishore Bhat Komme as ‘Mahishasura’ and Ganesh Mavanje as ‘Malini’ gave a scintillating performance, Jeethendra Kundeshwara who played the role of Goddess Shreedevi and Suresh D Palli as the sage too received much applause.
The other actors such as Ajith Aradi as ‘Dhoota’, the comedian, Diwakar Padmunja as ‘Devendra’, Bharathraj Kalladka as ‘Varuna’, Sachin Shetty as ‘Vayu’, Harish Motukana as ‘Shankasura’, Kishan Shetty as ‘Durgasura’, Raghav Matthihalli as ‘Bidalasura’, Prajna as ‘Vishnu’, Dhanya as ‘Brahma’ and Suresh Vamanjur as ‘Eshwar’ tried their best to enthral the audience.
However, it was Bhavyashree Mandekolu as the Bhagavatha who stole the show with her unique and powerful voice accompanied by Murari (on chende) and Ganesh Bhat Nekkaramoole (on Maddale).
DK Working Journalists’ Association president Bala Jagannath Shetty and Patrika Bhavan Trust president Anand Shetty were present.