Qatar: Karnataka Muslim Cultural Association (KMCA) an affiliated organization to Indian Cultural Centre under the aegis of the Embassy of India, State of Qatar, commemorated the 59th Karnataka Rajyotsava by organising a celebration event for the Kannadigas in Qatar at Al-Maha Boys Academy.
The program started at 6pm with recitation from The Holy Qur’An by Master Bilal Ahmed Assadi followed by translation in English by master Nidal Shaikh. Mr. Mudassar Ahmed Shaikh and Mr. Hafize Mohammed were the master(s) of the ceremony.
The chief guest for the evening was Mr. K M Varghese, the newly elected president of IBPN, who was led to the stage by KMCA president Mr. Niyaz Ahmed. The star-artist of the evening, Ms. Indushree, a world famous ventriloquist, was escorted to the stage by the KMCA Vice-President Mr. Saquib Raza Khan.
KMCA General Secretary Mr. Ibraiz Khan escorted the other artists for the evening, the Kannada Comedy duo Mr. Y Gundu Rao and Mr. N Ramanath.
In keeping with the KMCA tradition, a token in cash, in lieu of bouquets, was presented on behalf of the guests, to KMCA special needs co-ordinator Mr. Iqbal Manna who then handed over the same to the newly elected president of ICBF (Indian Community Benevolent Fund), Mr. Arvind Patil.
The President Mr. Niyaz Ahmed greeted the guests and the gathering where-after Mr. Manjunath introduced the felicitations for the evening.
To recognize and honour the unsung heroes of Karnataka, KMCA flew in Mr.Devaraju S.R, the ambulance driver from BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri, who helped in safe transport of a heart for a transplant operation to take place in chennai, raced his part of the six hour tight programme of 47.5 Kms from Kingeri to KIA(Kempegowda International Airport) in a record time of 45 mins. Mr. Devaraj was escorted to the dias by KMCA joint secretary Mr. Mujeeb and KMCA ladies wing co-ordinator Mr. Syed Ashfaq. Mr. Devaraj was felicitated by the dignitaries at the dias and the KMCA executive committee.
Mr. Divakar Pujari, an avid social worker and a prominent kannadiga personality, known for his selfless demeanor towards the larger Indian community residing in Qatar, was also felicitated during the evening.
The chief guest, Mr. K M Varghese addressed the gathering and congratulated the kannadiga community on the 59th Karnataka Rajyotsava. He emphasized the importance of keep the rich cultural heritage alive among the expat community residing in Qatar. He also commended the activities conducted by the community organization of Karnataka origin and suggested that a common platform should be made to have a joint agenda which can make a huge impact in the expat forum.
KMCA Ladies Wing distributed the prizes to the winners of the Explore Karanataka quiz competition held on October 31 as a precursor to Rajyotsava Celebration. Mrs. Ruksana shaikh compered the segment and was helped by Mrs. Aisha Rafique and Mrs. Reshma Banu. The Quiz Masters Mr. Arun Kumar and Mrs. Milan Arun gave away the prizes in two categories. The Winners received a trophy, a Certificate and a Book on Karnataka. All Participants received a Participation Certificate and a book on Karnataka. The husband and wife team were presented with a token of appreciation for their enthusiasm & support to KMCA by President Niyaz Ahmed.
The KMCA annual Souvenir, ‘Pragati’ in its Second Issue 2014, was released during the event, The Editor-in-Chief and KMCA PR Mr. Ahmed Saeed Assadi presented the first copy to the dignitaries on the dias and the KMCA executive committee and ladies wing. The souvenir was thereafter distributed across the gathering.
Vote of thanks was rendered by KMCA Joint Secretary Mr. Mohammed Mujeeb.
The stage was all set for Ms. Indushree to mesmerize the gathering with her ventriloquism and she did a fantastic job. The children were all on the floor in front of the stage and the adults were jumping off their chairs in awe.
She presented the talking whiteBoard, The old man venky and the smarthat dinku. The three part presentation was filled in with a much enjoyed humour and comedy by the duo Mr. Y Gundu Rao and Mr. N Ramanath who kept the crowd entertained with mixed Kannada and hindi jokes and adapted songs.
The evening ended by 9pm much to the yearning of the children for more from Ms. Indushree.
