Press Release
Photography Ashok Belman

Sangha November 14, 2009: It was a day filled with bright light and celebration where the members of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah remember it to be a day which became a land mark in the history of  their 7 years of existence in UAE. 

The programme as scheduled was held at the premises of Asian Palace Hotel, Ajman and started sharp at 11.30 AM with lighting the lamp by Saritha Nithyanand, Manjula Ganesh Rai, Paarija Anand Bailoor, Smitha Sujay & Rajani Jeevan Kuckian.  It was a different kind of scene to see the five ladies holding the lamp and children following them with ‘kalasha’ walked on a procession along with the public into the stage to light the lamp while we could hear the beats of the drum and the explanation of the word ‘lighting the lamp’ which says it represents the five different languages of Karnataka mainly, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Beary and Kodava.  This was followed by a prayer song by the invited artist from Mangalore, Ravindra Prabhu and Anitha Sampson which created a vibration in the auditorium resulting in keeping the audience standing spell bound for nearly more than 10 minutes.

The Grand Patron of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, Mark Denis opened up the programme with his inaugural welcome speech in Kannada.  Immediately a welcome dance was presented by the little children of Symphony Group of Ajman.  Followed was a dance Ocean Kids Group which comprised talented group of individuals namely Gavin, Delvina, Chema, Sonali, Inish, Nidhi & Pratheek and was a remarkable performance.

Shri Vishwakarma Seva Samithi presented a jaanapada nritya called “Le Le Padiga” and the participants included Subha Prashant, Swathi Ravishankar, Vidya Mohan & Roopa Vasundar who was also a Choreographer.  There were solo singing by some of the local talents like Harish Sherigar who gave some beautiful numbers enjoyed by the audience.  Also we could hear beautiful numbers by Yash Pinto, Akshita, Dinesh and Sharon Rego.

It was a time when KSS introduced the famous visiting troupe from Mangalore headed by Ravindra Prabhu and Anitha Sampson accompanied by Roshan Belman with the musical group called ‘Sweet Melodies’ of Dubai lead by Arun Carlo. Naveen Koppa the presenter performer mimicry artist took up the programme forward with his unique style and their group gave a tremendous performance with good number of songs in 5 different languages from the state of Karnataka.

Continued with a solo performance by Gavin Rodrigues of Ocean Kids who was a winner in Famad Pernal’s dance competition held recently and who gave a good performance to be applauded.

Dolla Nandigudda, a well known comedy star was introduced who gave a remarkable performance with his group.  Soon after we could see a stunning number by Billawas Dubai & N.E. who presented a beautiful number choreographed by Yogita Salian and performed by Raksha, Vinitha, Divya, Purvi & Piyush.

Followed was a Kannada skit by Daiji Rang Mandir performed by Alwyn Pinto & Suvarna Satish which was a remarkable performance.

Soon KSS presented the prestigious ‘Mayura Prashashti’ an award KSS were handing over to those important people of Karnataka in UAE identified to be unique in various field such as sports, education, literature, drama, business etc., year after year.

This year KSS identified 2 personalities for this award and one of those were Ganesh Rai a multi talended rare personality and Prakash Rao Payyar another personality known in the field of drama.  They were felicitated by Hebbar of Swiss Arabian Perfumery, Prabhakar Ambalthare, Noel Almeida, Mark Denis, Shekar Shetty, Yadav Kotian and Saad Mohammed respectively. 

Continued with this was a book release programme.  The book written by Shri Gopinath was released in the presence of Sarvotham Shetty, Shekar Shetty, Mark Denis, Ganesh Rai, Prakash Rao Payyar, Ganesh Rai and Noel Almeida.

After lunch break immediately Mogaveers UAE presented a brilliant performance called “Besthara Nrithya” by Deepak Raj Kotian, Satish Karkera, Ravi Salian, Nalini Deepak, Anitha Dhanjay, Neetha Puthran and Yogita Salian being choreographed by Deepak Raj Kotian.

Followed by this was another brilliant performance by Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha and the participants were Sahil Pai, Rahul Mallya, Sudiksha Kamath, Malvika Shenoy, Vineeth Shenoy, Aiditi Kini, Ruhi Prabhu, Aniketh Kini, Chethan Kini, Neha Kamath, Avani Kamath, and Vishal Kudva.  The programme was ably presented by Narashimha Kudva & Shakunthala Kini and Directed by  Shubha V. Kamath.  Soon Beary Cultural Forum presented a programme called “Dappu Dance” which was  very well performed by the members of the Forum.

Ocean Kids continued with their third performance followed by the presentation by the invited guests from Mangalore, Ravindra Prabhu & Troupe.

With a break was a felicitation programme to honour Dolla Nandigudda a well known comedy artist from Mangalore for his contribution to Kannada Commedy Circus.

Ravindra Prabhu and his troupe gave an unforgettable performance for the first time in UAE admired and enjoyed by all Kannadigas of UAE who are awaiting to have a similar programme in the near future.

Some of the known guests who arrived and witnessed the show were Sarvotham Shetty, President of Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha, Dr. Yousuf President of Beary’s Cultural Forum, B.G. Mohandas Ex-President of Karnataka Sangha Dubai and Chief Editor Gulf Kannadiga.com, Walter Nandalike, Herman Louis, Managing Director of Radio Spice 105.4 FM, Shekar Shetty of Arab Udupi Hotel Group, Ashok Shetty of Mubarak General Trading, Dr. Muloor, L.V. Puthran President of Mogaveers UAE, Prakash Rao Payyar of Dwani Pratishtana, Prabhakar Ambalthare of Ambalthare Vision, Nizar Thalangar, Secretary of Indian Association Sharjah, Hebbar of Swiss Arabian Perfumery, Vinay of  Namma T.V. , Kushal Shetty and many more.

Shodhan Prasad who was the ‘Master of the Ceremony’ conducted the whole programme spicing with some ‘hanigavana’ in between and was felicitated by Karnataka Sangha Sharjah with Shawl and Memento.

Karnataka Sangha proved a brilliant show and put on record the following with the day’s programme:-

1) First of its kind with a unique style of lighting the lamp
2) Record number of invitees in the history of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah
3) Record number of performance and programme conducted
4) Record Collection of fund for a needy on the very spot to help him with medical aid
5) Entertainment to the best enjoyed by the whole audience till the last minute
6) Audience dancing non-stop to the tune of music and singing by Ravindra Prabhu and his troupe

At around 7 PM as scheduled the long awaited programme got concluded with Raffle Draw and prize distribution with vote of thanks being conferred by Nithyanand Bhandary, General Secretary of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah concluding the show.  The credit should go to the enthuastic members of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah including Vishwanath Shetty, Sujay Bendore, Anand Bailoor, Shantaram Achar, Shahd Mohammed, Shashikant and others including the President Noel D. Almeida without which such a show would not be possible.  Kannadigas left for the day to wait for another year to see this kind of programme.

Below is the profile/interview of Mayura Prashashti recipients:

Mr. Ganesh Rai

Ganesh Rai has been identified for this prestigious “Mayura Prashashti” for his outstanding contributions to Kannada Language, Literature, Art, Folklore, Kannada Associations and also contribution to the Society.

Mr Rai a great multi-talented personality one of the rare kind of human being India has ever produced, blessed to the serve the society, having many things to do in a short span of time, speaks on his experience in an interview with Mr Shodhan Prasad.

Below are the excerpts from the interview:

We are proud to have your interview and would appreciate to have your brief introduction by yourself please ?

Let me introduce myself as B.K. Ganesh Rai, happily married to Manjula and having two children named Monish Rai & Aishwarya Rai, settled in UAE serving Modern Graphics Printers for the past many years.

Where do you put yourself in your academic and other educational completions?

Well I am a combination of B.Com graduate having Fine Arts Diplomo, Art Master Certificate, Air craft/Air Scouting Course, First Aid Training, Survey of India Maping Course, Bharat Scouts and Guides Secretary Course.

Being a personality blessed with multi-educational expertise and also multi-talent within you, where do you put yourself to?

Have produced innumerable statues and sculptures in plaster of paris majoring Ganapathi statues for more than 250 in number. Also produced statues and sculptures of paper pulp moulds of 8 to 12 ft. height for various associations and organizations in India.

It is really interesting, what else?

Also have produced concrete moulding statues of Cauvery, St. Michael, St. Mary, Nandi Basava, Shri Raghavendra, Karu Mariyamma, Swami Vivekananda and various Prabhavali’s.

Does your artistic work include wax statues?

Yes I have produced many in the form of Ganapathy, Laxmi, Cauvery and Saraswathy/  I have also produced lot of paper pulp statues of various lords including some of them for Madikeri Dasara Programme.  Most of my statues are produced for various organizations in Madikeri, Karnataka.  Some of my concrete moulding statues include Cauvery Statue, St. Michael Statue, St. Mary Statue, Nandi Basava Statue, Raghavendra Swamy Statue, Swamy Vivekananda statue all varying from 4ft to 12 ft.

I am sure definitely you will also be into water colour and oil colour paintings.

Yes, I have drawn life size paintings of Gen. Kariappa, Gopal Krishna Gokale, Coorg Landscape drawings etc.  There are innumerable oil paintings and water colour paintings in my collections which I think pages are not enough to describe.

Did you participate in exhibitions etc., ?

Yes have participated and taken part in various exhibitions viz., Mysore Dasara 1977, Group Artists Exhibition 1986, Karnataka Artists Exhibition 1993, Kannada Sahitya Sammelan 1981, Laksha Deepotsava 1988 Dharmasthala and many more in the State of Karnataka.  Also participated in Karnataka Artist Camp participation in various activities of Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy, Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishat etc.  Again it is a long list.

Also participated in Artists’ Camp, Scouts and Guides Camp etc.,  Some of my contributions to Drama Sceneries specially for the events in Virajpet and other parts of Coorg are still remembered and cherished.

It is learnt that you have put in a lot of effort into producing Souvenirs’ and Logos for many associations

I had designed front pages for the Souvenirs of 54th Sahithya Sammelan, Madikeri, Kodava Samaja Amruta, Madikeri, Karnataka Police Centinary Celebration, St. Ann’s Church 200 years celebration, Kodagu District Honey Co-operative Society etc.  Also designed logos for Kodagu District Co-op. Central Bank, Kodava Sahithya Academy, Kodagu District Agricultural Co-op. Society, 54th Kannada Sahithya Sammelana, Taranga & St. Annes High School, Kodagu.

Can you put some light on your art publications so far?

Some of my publications were printed by offset print in Sivakasi and those include ‘Birth place of River Cauvery’, Talacauvery Poster, Triveni Sangama, Greeting Cards on Abbi Falls, Raja Seat and Tala Cauvery and Cauvery Amar Chitra Katha.

We know that you are a good speaker and have attended a variety of programmes.  Can we get some details on those?

I have been invited and attended as Chief Guest in many institutions and Colleges back in Coorg District.  Also in the year 2003 interviewed in Udaya T.V. by Shylaja Santosh for a programme called ‘Parichaya’.  I would also like to mention some of my Radio interviews in All India Radio in the 1989 & 1994 and various interviews for the news papers which include the well known Deccan Herald, Udayavani, Indian Express, Kannada Prabha, Mungaru etc., during many occasions.

I would also like to state that I have been a Master of Ceremony in various activities of the colleges specially In Madikeri and have been an announcer in All India Radio programmes.

What about the series of awards and accolades you have won?

It was a really a honour for me when I received the ‘Best Teachers Award’ in the year 1993 from Karnataka State Teachers Benefit Fund.  Some of the other awards include ‘Karnataka Rajyotswa District Award in 1987, Gold Medal 1987 from Laksha Deepotsvara Dharmastala, Shilpa Kala Ratna Award, Kala Praveena Award, Kala Kirana Award, and many more.

You have served many organizations, let us remember a few.

President Kodagu Kala Parishat, Kodagu Art Masters Association, Secretary Bharat Scouts and Guides Kodagu, Secretary District Bunts Association, Kodagu, Founder Member Taranga Association, Technical Adviser Field Marshall Statue Committee.

Created Banners, Logos, Designs for almost all the associations of Karnataka in UAE which also includes few associations of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh In UAE.  Designed Souvenirs and Books of publications, designed Felicitation Letters etc., for most of the organizations and regional groups of South India.

Let us know your achievements in Gulf.

Have created banners for Karnataka Sangha, Sharjah, Karnataka Sangha Dubai, UAE Tulu Koota, Billawa Associations, Karnataka Friends Association, UAE Bunts, Symphony Music Institute etc.
Have also created Vidhana Soudha & Mysore Palace Stage settings for various associations in UAE.   Some of my logo creations include, Karnataka Sangha Dubai, Karnataka Sangha Abu Dhabi, Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, UAE Bunts, Sangama Kalavidaru, UAE Tulukoota, Mogaveers UAE etc.  Have also created stage settings for the above organizations during some of their events.

Also your contribution and services to those associations of Karnataka in UAE

Served as Entertainment Secretary for Sharjah Karnatka Sangha 2003
Served as Entertainment Secretary for Karnataka Sangha Dubai 2001
Served as Art Director Tulu Koota UAE
Served as Organising Committee Member UAE Bunts
Served as Art Director Sangama Artists Forum, Dubai
Served as Art Director Miraj Advertising, Dubai
Creative Art Director, Modern Graphics Sharjah
President Karnataka Sangha Sharjah for 3 consecutive years
Kannada Radio UAE
Various Souveniers for associations in UAE
Created various honouring certificates for associations in UAE
Created various designs for various associations in UAE
Invited by Air India Express & Air Arabia to be part of the inaugural flights to Indian destinations.

In conclusion we are lucky to have Ganesh Rai a multi talented personality, a rare of his kind we can find specially in UAE and who dedicates most of his time to the welfare of the Kannadigas and their associations in UAE who rightly deserves this ‘Mayura Award’ being honoured by Karnataka Sangha Sharjah this year in 2009.  We should be proud to have such great personality in between us as companion, organizer and a great leader who rightly deserves the award.

About Prakash Rao Payyar

Mr Prakash Rao Payyar, a postgraduate in Kannada literature started writing and directing plays at his teenage. When he was a  student of Shri Mahavera college Moodabidri he directed his first play titled "Akka Thangiyare, Anna Tammadire" for college day and it was appreciated by all. The same play was staged elsewhere several times. His short stories, poems and other articles are published in all leading Kannada newspapers and magazines of Karnataka and Maharashtra. He is the founder of "Dhwani Pratistana", which was established in the year 1985 in Mumbai. Under his leadership Dhwani organized several literary and theatre workshops, seminars, contests and staged different experimental plays. Well-known writers including Vysaraya Ballal, Yashwant Chittal, Aravind Nadakarni, B A Sanadi, Jayant Kaikini, Dr Sunita Shetty, V G Bhat, Prof Ranganath Bhardwaj, Prof Sanjeev Shetty, Prof G D Joshi, Dr G V Kulkarni have participated in "Dhwani" activities over the years.

Prakash Rao Payyar has directed more than twenty five plays in Mumbai and Pune including plays of noted Kannada playwrights such as Sriranga, Kailasam,Girish Karnad, Poornaprajna Tejasvi, Chandrakanta Koosanor etc. Under his leadership Dhwani staged Karnads play "Nagamandala" in Dubai recently and it was grand success. His first collection of poems titled "Viparyasa" was published in the year 1985 in Mumbai. Thereafter his second collection of poems "Koogu" was published in the year 1987. "Rangadhwani" a collection of critical essays on Kannada theatre edited by him containing articles of well-known critics and theatre activists such as Prof Kirthinath Kurthukooti, Dr Sinduvalli Anathmurti, Dr H K Ranganath, Dr Aravind Malagatti, Dr N Damador Shetty and others was published in the year 1990.

Udayavani newspaper recognized "Rangadhwani" as one of the best books of the year. He wrote "Indirapriyadarshini" a full-length play based on the life of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi which was published in the year 1999. His "Suryanigondu Savalu" Kannada full-length play was published on the year 2000. "Thare Enisi Motta Heli", a collection of poems of non-resident Kannadigas and "Kannada Nadunudi Rakshane," critical essays on Kannada language and culture from different authors are his other two edited books published in the year 2004 and 2005 respectively.

Prakash Rao Payyar was also honoured with "Karnataka Chetana" award from Ranga Samaja Cultural Association, Bangalore in 2004 and "Jnana Saraswati Award" from Jnana Mandara Acadamy, Bangaloor in 2005. He was honoured with "Nobel Man" award in All India Kannada Cultural Convention held in Goa in May 2007.