Bahrain: Kannada Sangha Bahrain’s ambitious Kannada Bhavana (Home of Kannada) building in Manama will be inaugurated on Friday, September 23 by the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Karnataka, Mr S R Bommai. Mr Bommai and a high-level delegation of senior officials and state leaders will arrive from the capital city of Karnataka, Bengaluru, for the inaugural ceremony of the first Kannada Bhavana outside of India. It has been built at a cost of BD 500,000, aided by the Karnataka State government.
The inauguration of the building will be held at 9 a.m. at an event open to invitees only and Sangha members due to the limited availability of space. A felicitation ceremony and cultural events will be held from 4:30 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall, New Millennium School, Zinj. His Excellency Piyush Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Bahrain, will be the Chief Gueust at the event and Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr B S Yeddyurappa will be present on the occasion. Kannada Sangha President Mr Pradeep Shetty will preside over the function and Mr Kiran Upadhyaya, General Secretary of the Sangha, will conduct the event. “This is a proud moment for all Kannadigas of Bahrain as our long-cherished dream is being fulfilled,” said Mr Pradeep Shetty.
The Kannada Bhavana is a prestigious project for the community, that numbers more than 25,000 in the Kingdom and the facilities we have built will help meet the aspirations of the community and serve them better, said Mr Shetty. Apart from the Karnataka government, several organisations and individuals from Bahrain and India have supported the construction of the project financially and otherwise.”On this momentous occasion, we thank all those who helped to make our dream come true,” said Mr Shetty.
Guests of Honour at the event are Mr B Y Vijayendra, Vice-President of BJP, Karnataka State; Dr Mahesh Joshi, President, Kannada Saahitya Prishattu; Mr K Jayaprakash Hegde, Chairman, Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission; Dr Arathi Krishna, Former Vice Chairman, NRK Forum Karnataka; Mr Verghese Kurian, Chairman, VKL Holdings & Namal Group; Mr Vishweshwar Bhat, Editor-in-Chief, Vishwavaani newspaper; Mr Ravi Hegde, Editor-in-Chief, Kannada Prabha and Suvarna News; Mr Yusuf Lori, Director, Information and follow up, Capital Governorate; Mr Prakash Shetty, Chairman, MRG Group, Bengaluru; and Mr Girish Rao Hatwar, writer and journalist.
Special invitees for the event are: Mr Mohammed Mansoor, Director, SAARA Group and Advisor, Bahrain Cricket Board; Mr V K Rajasekharan Pillai, Chairman, Nationa Group of Companies; Mr Mohandev Alva, President -Akhila Karnataka Makkal Koota; Mr Anand Bhat, Businessman, Bangalore; Mr K G Baburajan, Chairman and MD, BKG Holding, Bahrain, Qatar & Oman; Mr Vakawady Praveen Shetty, Chairman, Fortune Group of Hotels, UAE; Mr Naveen D Shetty, Managing Director, AUMA Middle East; and Mr Naveen Kumar Shetty, Riffa, Bahrain.
The four-storey Kannada Bhavana comprises a multi-purpose hall, library, smaller halls for cultural activities and meetings, office spaces, and commercial/ shopping areas on the mezzanine level. With the opening of the Kannada Bhavana, the Sangha aims to provide enhanced facilities for its members and the Kannada community in Bahrain. It also aims to be a hub of cultural, heritage, educational, sports and entertainment activities for the community and a centre of cultural relations between Bahrain and Karnataka.
