Shodhan Prasad
Daijiworld Media Network - UAE

Sharjah, Oct 25: Sharjah Karnataka Sangha and Hrudayavahini Karnataka are all set to celebrate the 12th Visha Kannada Samskruthi Sammelana & 13th Annual Day & Mayura Award presentation of Sharjah Karnataka Sangha in Sharjah on November 19 and 20, 2015.

The venue for the event is Al Boom Tourist Village which is near Wanderer’s Club Playground, Sharjah. Thousands of Kannadigas are expected to attend this mega event.

The flyer of the Vishwa Kannada Samskruthi Sammelana was launched at a press meet in Bangalore on September 8, 2015. President of the Vishwa Kannada Samskruthi Sammelana committee, K P Manjunath, president of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, Satish Venkataramana, Sammelana committee’s honorable president, Subramani M Bangarpet and Dr Muneer Haji, Mangalore, vice president Prof M B Kudari Gokak and secretary Jayprakash Rao were present in the press meet. The detail of the event was explained during the press meet.

Poets, musicians, dancers, artists and important dignitaries are all set to attend the mega event. The lead will be taken by Manjunath Sagar.

On the literary front, Kavi goshti, Hasya goshti, Madhyama Goshti, Meet for Kanandigas residing abroad has been planned. On the cultural front, Bharathanatyam, Folk dances, Yakshagana and dance dramas have been planned. Exhibition, Book fair, stalls will be arranged outside the venue.

Praveen Kumar Shetty to be bestowed with the prestigious Mayura award by Karnataka Sangha Sharjah:

Karnataka Sangha Sharjah every year identifies an outstanding Kannadiga in UAE and felicitates him/her with the prestigious ‘Mayura Award’ during its annual day celebration. This year Karnataka Sangha Sharjah is proud to announce that 2015 - 2016 Mayura Award will be bestowed upon Praveen Kumar Shetty, director, Fortune Group Of Hotels for his contribution to the society.

Praveen Kumar Shetty:

Praveen Kumar Shetty, chairman & managing director of Fortune Group of Hotels was born on July 6, 1967 and is an alumni of the Government Jr College, Koteshwera who graduated in BSc from Bhandarkar College, Kundapur (Mangalore University).

His group of Hotels consists of eight hotels in Dubai and Fujairah. He is now spearheading the Group's unprecedented expansion plans. Two other projects are under development, slated to be opened in 2016 taking the total tally up to ten hotels.

More than 1,200 staff members are working in operational properties, and when the other properties open by 2016, the Fortune family would have grown above 1,500 employees. Most of the team members are Indians and majority of them hail from Karnataka.

Highly respected and widely regarded for his astute leadership by his peers and the corporate community alike, Praveen Shetty took on the mantle of chairman & managing director of Fortune Group of Hotels in 2001 and has carved a unique niche for himself, applauded not only for his skillful leadership of the company but also for his commitment towards enhancing his community.

Praveen Shetty's achievements:

In the year 2009, he was honoured with the ‘Vishwa Manava Award’ at ‘Kuvempu Vishwa Kannada Sammelana’ organized by Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha.

In the year 2011 / 2012, he was honoured with the prestigious ‘Aryabhata International Award’ in recognition of his excellent contribution and service in the field of social service at a glittering ceremony at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore, India.

In the year 2011, he was honoured by ‘World Bunts’ in Mumbai followed by ‘Bahrain Bunts’ in 2012.

In year 2012, he assisted the common people of Brahmavar by making the provision of drinking water supply at the public bus stand.

In the year 2008, he was instrumental in building Mahalingeshwara Temple at his native place and has contributed Pouli for the temple.

In 2012, he has proudly taken over the chair of ‘Director - Spoorthidhama Kundapur’ and arranged a cultural program in Dubai for Spoorthidhama where he raised a collection of INR 15,00,000 and donated this amount to Spoorthidhama.

In the year 2013, he built and donated classroom/stage for orphan children in Spoorthidhama Kundapur and named it as Sarojini Sowdha after his mother`s name.

In 2013, he contributed wholeheartedly towards ‘Sarvodharma–Samuhik Vivah Sammelan’ at Gangolli, Kundapur, Karnataka.

In 2014, he built a Post Office & Bus Stand Building at his native place-Vakawady.

In 2015, he built a stage at State Government Employee Association Building in Mangalore, as his father is also one of the proud retired state government employee.

Earlier this year, he got the Award for Tourism Ambassador (Overseas) by Trav Talk, the highest accolade in travel and tourism industry for promoting the South Indian Culture in Middle East.

Since last seven years, he has been contributing towards Sarvajanik Ganeshostava Annadaana at his native.

He has been supporting the Spoorthidhama Ashrama for orphan children and homeless old age people since 2007.

He also finances some rehabilitation programmes for the blind school; the Spastic Society and educational institutions like Government Higher Secondary School, Kavady near Barakur where he built a hall for school children to have lunch and dedicated to his father.

He celebrated his birthday by organizing a voluntary blood donation camp at Vakwady government higher primary school, in his hometown where more than 250 people joined him for the noble cause and donated blood selflessly.

He also donated heartily for building a Dining Hall at Bunt`s Sangha Convention Centre at Bramavar.

He built Vakwady Dharmasthala Udhyoga Nigama Sanga under Milk Dairy building for villagers and dedicated to his grandmother – Kanaka.

For the last four year, he has also been contributing to the ‘Bearys Cultural Forum- UAE’ towards the BCF - Educational Scholarship program at Mangalore.

As the honorary president, he took the initiative for organizing the Kannadigas Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav, the first in the history of UAE this year on September 17 in Dubai, which was very successful.

Presently he is the advisor for Sharjah Karnataka Sangha and core committee member for UAE Bunts and plays a major role in supporting the cultural activities of Karnataka community.

He has helped a lot of families back home for the marriage of the poor girls. In Dubai, Sharjah & Abu Dhabi for the last 15 years, he has made whole lot of contributions for Kannada, Tulu & Konkani cultural programs. He has always been generous and provided hospitality for them at his hotels that too especially for Kannadigas community.

Praveen Shetty may be staying away from his home and family in Dubai but he believes his roots are very much in India, so to say our very know Karnataka.

Participation of many luminaries in the Sammelana:

The Vishwa Kannada Samskruthi Sammelana will be attended by Karnataka’s honorable Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, RV Deshpande minister for Higher Education and Tourism Govt of Karnataka, minister of State for Kannada and Culture and Women and Child Development Umashree, very popular entrepreneur Dr B R Shetty and former minister for Higher Education Hon. B A Moideen Bava and JR Lobo.

In the valedictory function, Vinay Kumar Sorake, minister For Urban Development, government of Karnataka, Minister for Social Welfare and Backward class welfare, Govt of Karnataka, L Hanumanthaiah, chairman of Kannada Development Authority, Mysore V V Kulapathi, Dr H Rangappa, writer SG Siddaramaiah are expected to attend this mega convention.

Preparation by Karnataka Sangha Sharjah for the mega convention:

Satish Venkataraman, president–Sharjah Karnataka Sangha, along with his hard working committee is leaving no stones unturned in making celebrations for the mega event. The Vishwa Kannada Sammelana has run successfully in Abudhabi and Dubai. This year to make the Sharjah Karnataka Sangha’s efforts come out with flying colours, they seek encouragement and participation from all Kannadigas and the sponsors.

Karnataka Sangha Sharjah request all Kannadigas to join hands in this celebration and make the event a grand success.