Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru 

Mangaluru, Jul 9: The new team of office bearers of Winners Club Toastmasters for the year 2019-2020, led by president Beena Shetty, was installed at a glittering function on Sunday, June 7, at The Gateway Hotel, Mangaluru. Dr GG Laxman Prabhu, professor and HOD, Urology, KMC Mangaluru, was the chief guest. 

“Communication needs to be nuanced so as to foster human relations between people to establish a productive and peaceful society,” Dr Prabhu said in his inaugural address. 

Stressing on the need of accepting different ways of communication, he said, “We are quick to take offence these days, whereas the need is to see how we can get along with people.” Quoting the Upanishads, he reminded the listeners on how our scriptures tutored us to convey even bad news with consideration to the listener. 

Toastmasters Area 2 director, Dr Oliver D’Souza administered the oath of office to the new team of office bearers for 2019-2020. The team includes Geeta Pereira (vice-president – education), Sony Rodrigues (vice-president – membership), Bharathi Shevgoor (vice president – public relations), Sweetha Shetty (secretary), Joan Mascarenhas (treasurer) and Matharani Mathias (sergeant-at-arms). 

Phyllis Maria D’Costa, Lyra Pinto and Florida Almeida rendered the invocation. Matharani Mathias welcomed the gathering and Geeta Pereira and Sony Rodrigues presented the annual report. Bharathi Shevgoor introduced the chief guest. Flexon Fernandes presented an innovative concept of passing on the baton from the old team to the new, keeping in mind the theme of indigenous languages, on which the programme was based. Malini Hebbar introduced Beena Shetty to the audience. 

Outgoing president Manisha Daithota thanked her team and club members for their cooperation during her tenure. In her acceptance speech, Beena Shetty expressed her vision and goals to be achieved by the club during her term. Since indigenous languages were the theme of the installation ceremony, the office bearers and some of the presenters had dressed up in costumes of the states which speak different indigenous languages. 

District Administration manager Savitha Salian, Division F director Shivani Baliga, Area F4 director Vidya Shenoy, Kavitha Kamath (Mangaluru Toastmasters), Rajat R (Infosys Toastmasters Mangaluru SEZ), Dr Reshma Karkera (Inspiron Toastmasters) and Dr Ashrita Shetty (ProAct Toastmasters) and M. N. Pai felicitated the new officer bearers. VK Shetty, spouse of the newly sworn-in president also felicitated the team. A beautiful painting by artist Vishnudas Kamath Shevgoor was presented to the chief guest as a memento. 

Sweetha Shetty proposed the vote of thanks. Roshan Madtha, Reena Monteiro, Praveen Pinto and Deborah Lobo were the masters of ceremony.