Karkala: A full-fledged multi sports stadium in the name of “Late Eliyal P M Saldanha Memorial Kowdoor Stadium” would be inaugurated on January 9, said Lawrence Saldana, president of Glarida Foundation Kanajar.
He was speaking at a press meet held at the stadium premises at Ranganpalke, Kanajar here on Thursday, December 3. Lawrence said that the Glarida Foundation is a family owned trust which was established in 2014 with a mission of funding education, sports, housing for poor and marriage for less fortunate girls. It has been a vision to see the village develop and a few projects have been undertaken as an experiment towards this path. After successfully commissioning a hospital and an English medium school, an ambitious stadium project with inbuilt facilities such as 400 meter track, cricket pitch, 500 capacity pavilion, spectator galleries, accommodation for athletes, etc. has been undertaken to help budding children of the region develop their sporting skills.
Eliyal, as the name sounds, means younger sister of Palli (elder sister). It is a small beautiful neighborhood linked to Ranganpalke town of Kowdoor village of Karkala Taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka. The people of Eliyal once upon a time had been predominantly engaged in agriculture work. However, the economic globalization has rendered the agricultural investment an unsustainable occupation especially in the dry hilly areas of Coastal Karnataka. Consequently, entrepreneurs here have opted for alternative investment opportunities such as education, health, sports, tourism, etc.
The stadium is scheduled to be inaugurated on 9th January 2016 by the Sports Minister of Karnataka Abhaychandra Jain and will be blessed by Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi Diocese. A 2-day district level cricket tournament is being organized on 9th and 10th January following the inauguration. Cultural programs will be held on both evenings which will be attended by dignitaries, said Lawrence.
What a beautiful and thoughtful gesture in creating a 500 people capacity Sports Stadium in memory of Eliyal. This 500 people capacity Stadium will eventually be used by more than five million spectators in the years to come and will benefit the youth in promoting their athletic skills. Gestures such as these are most valuable nowadays in India. This is a good lesson for all of us to relish. God bless Eliyan.
My best wishes to Lawrence for this wonderful idea. His idea to start a new hospital presently managed by Moodbidri Alva still I remember. God’s Blessings to his family.