Rons Bantwal
Bahrain, Jan 11: The swearing-in ceremony of the new committee of the Non-Resident Indian committee Karnataka Bahrain and the Karnataka Sangama cultural event took place at The Indian Club Hall in Bahrain.
Shivaraj Tangadigi, minister for Kannada and culture, Government of Karnataka, inaugurated the swearing-in ceremony and the Karnataka Sangama cultural event.
Speaking at the event, he remarked, "There is no difference between our Karnataka state and the country of Bahrain. It is possible to see Kannada signs and flags in Bahrain. I congratulate the King of Bahrain. The contribution of Non-Resident Kannadigas to the preservation of the Kannada language and culture is immense," he stated.
The newly elected office-bearers of the Non-Resident Indian committee Karnataka Bahrain are:
President: Raj Kumar
Vice-president: Vijay Naik Varkadi
Principal secretary: Roshan Levis
Secretary: Vitla Jamaluddin
Treasurer: Mangesh Desai
Cultural secretary: Ganesh Manil
Public relations secretary: Abdul Jawad Pasha
Members: Sujay Pinto
Dr H S Shetty, president of Mysore Merchant Company, Bengaluru, was the chief guest. In his address, he highlighted, "The government is converting government-funded Kannada schools into English-medium schools. As a result, in the next 30 years, we may have people speaking Kannada, but it will be difficult to find those who can write in Kannada."
The event was attended by prominent figures such as Asif Mohammed, vice-president of Al-Aleel Hospital, M Poovappa, president of Soundarya Education Trust, Hariprasad Rai, president of HPR Group of Educational Institutes, C A S S Naik, founder of Expat Educational Institution, actress Navya Poojari, Anand Lobo, president of Karnataka Social Club, and Austin Santos Halenkadi, advisor of Non-Resident Indian Committee Karnataka Bahrain.
The president of the Non-Resident Indian committee Karnataka Bahrain, Raj Kumar, gave the welcome address. The principal secretary, Roshan Levis, welcomed the guests, and cultural secretary Ganesh Manila proposed the vote of thanks. Janvi Mahadi hosted the programme.
Cultural performances, including mimicry, Hulikunita, and various other programmes, were presented by Gopi, Ashok Basti, Raghavendra Basti, Ashok Polali, Bhagyashree Muluwali, and Jayaram Prabhu.