Saamarasya-2013' adds ethnic flavours to Mangalore

Mangalore, Feb 16: The stage thrummed with the beats of Daff and came alive with vibrant colours on Saturday as various forms of dance such as Bharatnatyam, Lambani, Kohli fisher folk dance, western and classical fusion dance, Naga dance and Dekhni Konkani folk dance were performed by several teams showcasing their cultural and ethnic flavours.

This was the extravaganza seen at 'Kalothsava' as part of the third annual 'Saamarasya – 2013', a festival of Food and Culture for Peace, jointly organised by Karnataka Christian Educational Society (KACES), Mangalore, and Interfaith Coalition for Peace (ICP), New Delhi.

Inaugurating the 'Kalothsava' in the KACES campus at Balmatta here on Saturday, Chancellor of Nitte University Dr N Vinay Hegde said that the Protestant Christian and Roman Catholic community had made invaluable contribution to the field of education around 100-150 years ago by promoting Kannada schools. Their contribution for the growth of harmony cannot be expressed in words. Their love for others and selfless service towards people and education has enriched the sphere over the years, he said adding that the Kalothsava was a wonderful concept which brought joy and inculcated ethics in people.

“If the country today has a single problem, it is the falling ethics among the young people, and the reason is largely because we elders, unfortunately, do not have high moral values or sense of ethics to pass on to them. This has resulted in a young generation of people coming in and hoping for success in terms of monetary gains,” he said, and wished that the Hebich Training Technical Institute (HTTI) blossomed into an engineering college.

Inaugurating the KACES Scholarship Fund, regional ICP coordinator of Tamil Nadu Fr H Sharma Nithianandham said that all religions preached the virtue of peace and said that the festival was a coming together of unity, liberty and charity.

Scholarships from the fund were provided to twelve deserving students from the disciplines of BSc, BCom, BA, HTTI, Fashion designing and others. A sum of Rs 10,000 was given to each.

In his presidential address, secretary of KACES Dr Honey R Cabral said that the festival 'Saamarasya' was born three years ago as part of attempts to spread harmony in the region. He felicitated Dr Vinay Hegde on the occasion.

Treasurer of KACES Dr D R Sadananda welcomed the gathering and manager of Balmatta Institute of Printing Technology Steven Maben delivered a vote of thanks.

The cultural evening also included mime shows by a team from Moodbidri educating the audience on the exploitation of women and the dangers of cellphones .

Comments