Mangalore: Florine Pinto, Mark Denis Among Rachana Award Winners
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (BG)
Mangalore, Nov 6: Rachana, a forum of Catholic businessmen, professionals and entrepreneurs will confer its annual award for this year on five outstanding personalities from various fields, said Roy Castelino, president of Rachana.
Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday November 6, he said that Prof Hilda Rayappan (Woman of the Year), Florine Pinto (Agriculturist of the Year), Walter D'Souza (Entrepreneur of the Year), Dr Oscar G Concessao (Professional of the Year) and Mark Denis D'Souza, Sharjah (NRI Entrepreneur of the Year) are the awardees.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held on November 25 at Milagres Jubilee Hall, he said. The programme will be presided over by Mangalore bishop Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza. Major Gen (retd) Ian Cardoza, chairman, rehabilitation, ministry of social justice and empowerment, government of India, will be the chief guest.
Fr Valerian D'Souza, Veera Aranha, Marjorie Texeira, Dr Derrick Lobo, Capt J P Menezes, Dr Errol Pinto, Pradeep D'Souza, Prof Ivan Lobo, Ronald Gomes, CA Rudolf Rodrigues, Eulalia D'Souza, C J Lobo, Louis J Pinto, Titus Noronha and Walter Nandalike were on the award jury.
Ivan D'Souza, Eulalia D'Souza, Marcel Monteiro and Ronald Gomes were present at the press meet.
About the Awardees
Rachana Outstanding Woman of the Year
Prof Hilda Rayappan
Founder, Prajna Counselling Centre, Mangalore
Prof Hilda Rayappan has been chosen for her outstanding contribution in the field of social service over three decades. She is the founder of Prajna Counselling Centre and Prajna Family Counselling Centre, Mangalore. The main thrust of the organization is to give professional help and advice to someone with psychological or personal problems and also offers humane services to the needy and deprived in their community irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
The Centre has helped over 6,000 cases of distressed women and girls, and built a 40-bed De-addiction cum Rehabilitation Centre in Mangalore, thereby providing fresh lease of life to nearly 16,193 addicts so far. It has promoted over 250 Self Help Groups and provided help to over 1000 children and families of weaker sections in education and employment. It has contributed in re-admission of around 777 migrant/child labourers, school drop out to schools and upto 86 orphans, destitutes and single parent children have been provided with shelter and education.
Rachana Agriculturist of the Year
Florine Pinto, Perne (Bantwal)
Florine Pinto is a progressive agriculturist with modern outlook who has taken up cultivation of high yielding crops such as paddy, coconut, areca nut, pepper and tropical fruits like chikku, banana, 3 varieties of jambus and pineapple in an irrigated land spread over 20 acres.
She has donated 1 acre of land to build a chapel at Perne, and served the village community for over 21 years both as member and president of Perne panchayat.
She is a great inspiration and genuine role model to “farmers to be” and to a wider section of agriculture fraternity.
Rachana Entrepreneur of the Year
Walter D'Souza, Leading Exporter, Mangalore
Chairman, Federation of Indian Export Organisations
Ministry of commerce, Govt of India
Walter D'Souza is an importer of raw cashew nuts and the leading exporter of cashew kernels and shell liquid from India. He is the winner of best exporter award for cashew nut shell liquid from government of Karnataka.
He is the first and as of now the only cashew exporter to be elected as chairman of Cashew Export Promotion Council of India from the state of Karnataka, and the first and as of now the only exporter to be elected as chairman, Federation of Indian Export Organisation, ministry of commerce, government of India from Karnataka.
Rachana Professional of the Year
Dr Oscar G Concessao, Architect, Chennai
Dr Oscar Concessao has a masters in architechture from the University of Oklahoma, USA and is one of the few doctorates in modern Architecture. He has been awarded for his innovative idea on Post Tension Technologies in high rise buildings which was the first of its kind in India.
He has won Indian Buildings Congress National Award four times for excellence in built environment unmatched by any architect in India so far. He is also the recipient of Honorary Doctorate for Modern Architecture, Malaysia.
Rachana NRI Entrepreneur of the Year
Mark Denis D'Souza, Sharjah, UAE
He established industry Fortuna Engineering Works in 1986 which is one of the leading companies in the Gulf providing employment to Mangaloreans in particular and Indians in general.
With concern for mentally ill children, he has contributed generously for the cause. He has great concern towards Konkani culture and literature, and is involved in various Mangalorean Konkani organizations in Sharjah and contribution towards social causes.