Mangaluru: As many as 685 deserving students were awarded scholarships worth Rs 3.5 crore on Friday by the Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation (KLCF) through Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund (VKSSF) Merit-Cum-Means Scholarships-2016.
The scholarship award presenting ceremony was held at TV Raman Pai convention hall in presence of union railway minister Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, R V Deshpande and Managing Director, Ryan International group of Institutions Grace Pinto.
Speaking after presenting scholarships to students pursuing MBBS and engineering courses, Prabhu addressing students present, said, “Develop your personality with the help of your mother tongue. Develop your mother tongue and strive to promote local languages. You must change with the change. “
Lauding service by Konkani community, he added, “There are many nationalised banks which were started by Konkanis and I wish that Vishwa Konkani Centre soon becomes world-renowned knowledge exchange centre.”
Industry minister R V Deshpande, who has been the constant support to the centre, said, “My friends here at the Konkani Centre have shown that if there is will and commitment nothing is impossible.”
Calling upon students to have ambitions, he said, “Students are the assets of the country. It is not only you but your parents, teachers and the entire country too has a dream for you. To make this a reality, you need to work hard. Do not be book-worms. Make good use of the library and increase your general knowledge. Good character, integrity, disciplines and respect for time is important. Quality and merit have become the order of the day. Scholarship is given to recognise your merit and once you get a job, continue helping others who are in need. Opportunities do not knock everyday, so grab them.”
Principal Patron of the Scholarship Programme T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education, Mohandas Pai, in his keynote address, said, “We have a dream to make Konkani community a globally recognised one. This is competitive world and employment has come down due to technology and automation. Mere B.Tech and B.Sc will be of no value anymore. So think of M.Tech or P.HD. Be mobile, be a problem solver. Do not forget your identity, do not forget Konkani.”
MD of Ryan International Group of Institutions Grace Pinto urged the students to be ambitious and have a motto: ‘I can, I will and I must’ to succeed in life.’
President of Vishwa Konkani Kendra Basti Vaman Shenoy, chairman of VKSSF Ramdas Kamath, eminent donor and entrepreneur Dr. P. Dayananda Pai, Managing Partner, Mangaluru Ganesh Beedies, Mysuru Jagannath Shenoy and others were present.
Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund’ envisages grant of Merit Cum Means scholarship for students having Konkani language as their mother tongue. Instituted by the Mangaluru based World Konkani Centre in the year 2010 as envisioned by the eminent thinker and corporate leader T.V.Mohandas Pai, the VKSSF has since then successfully raised and distributed over 11585 Scholarships to the tune of Rs. 11.64 Crores.
Eminent Konkani Philanthropists like T.V.Mohandas Pai, Dr. Ranjan Pai, Dr. P. Dayanand Pai, Ramadas Kamath U., K. V. Kamath, M. Jagannath Shenoi, Prakash Pai, Madam Grace Pinto, Ullas Kamath, Sundeep Bambolkar, A. Annappa S. Kamath, Sandeep Shenoy, B. R. Bhat, Pradeep G. Pai and many more have come forward in support of this fund.
