Report: Shodhan Prasad
Photos :Mohandas Shenoy

Dubai, May 16: The UAE Amchigele Samaj, an organization of GSB Konkani-speaking people based in UAE, organized its Annual Talents Day Programme on 11th May at the Gems Millennium School-Auditorium, Dubai.

The Secretary of the Samaj, Mrs. Pragati Shenoy, started the day's proceedings by giving a brief history and purpose of holding the event. The Samaj President Mr. Rajiv Kamat welcomed the audience. He informed the audience of the upcoming events of the SAMAJ and also urged the Samaj Bandhavas to wholeheartedly support the activities of the Samaj.
There were a record number of 144 entries for the various competitions that were held under four categories viz. Sub Junior, Junior, Senior and Adult.

The competitions held were :

• Best out of waste - a fancy dress competition for Sub Juniors
• Dancing (Boys & Girls) for Juniors
• Karaoke for Senior (Teenagers)
• Creative Craft for Juniors
• Rangoli for Adults (Female)
• Extempore Speaking in Konkani for teenagers. This was a surprise element at the event as it was   announced on the same day and entries were taken without specifying the details of the competition.
• Karaoke for adults (Male & Female)
• Fataa Poster Nikla Hero - Amchi Hero- for adults (Male)

The judges for the various competitions were Suman Bhat, Surekha Kamath, Aruna Kamath, Nigel Soans, Shruthi Kamath, Sneha Prabhu, Monica Valdar, Harish Pai, Sadhana Mallya, Nirmala Kamath,  Vidya Rao, Chandrika Kini, Savita Kamath, Radhika Pai and Narasimha Kudva.

Most of the competitions were anchored by children, while a few events were anchored by adults. The child anchors were Kriti Kamath, Stuti Kamath, Unnati Nayak, Ritika Nayak, Nikhil Pai, Sadhana Bovikan, Aditi Keertani, Riya Shenoy, Meghna Bhat and Hamsika Shanbhag. Their performances were one of the highlights of the day wherein they entertained the crowd with their fluent vocabulary and one liners. Their efforts were also applauded by the audience in a whole hearted manner. The Adults who anchored some of the competitions were Rekha Nayak, Anuradha Kamath and Veena Pai. They entertained the audience with their witty remarks infused with humor.

The 400-strong audience enjoyed the performances by the children who showed great confidence in coming up on stage and performing without any trace of stage fear. Breakfast, Lunch and Evening Snacks were served during the daylong event.

The Samaj's Vice-President Mr. Shailesh Shenoy proposed the vote of thanks. The Judges & the Anchors were felicitated first & then the Prizes were distributed to the winners of the Competitions.

Dr. Janardhan Shenoy from Abu Dhabi, who would be turning 60 years of age, was also felicitated by the committee for his enthusiasm and continuous participation in the various competitions of the Samaj year after year. He has proved that age is never a bar for having a competitive spirit in a person also set an example for people that it is participation that matters and not winning or losing. As a mark of respect all the members in the Auditorium stood up and gave him a standing ovation.

It was a day filled with fun and entertainment for all people who attended. Audience were glued to their seats during all the performances cheering all the Participants throughout.

The winners of the competitions were:

All the participants of the Sub Junior fancy dress competition were awarded medals as a token of Appreciation for their participation. In the Junior Dance-Girls category, due to an overwhelming response and tough competition, a Consolation Prize was announced, which was bagged by Vindhya Pai.

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