Media Release
Sharjah, Nov 28: The lively Mangalorean Konkani community of St Michael's Church on Saturday, November 22 came together for a joyous fellowship gathering at Sharjah National Park. It was a pleasant evening, providing a wonderful opportunity for an outdoor fun, community bonding, and celebration.
More than 600 attendees, including adults, children, and senior citizens, participated in the event, which lasted from 4:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The gathering offered a fun-filled evening and served as an excellent platform for fostering community bonding.
Our anchors, Roshan D’Silva and Sunitha D’Souza kicked off the event with an energetic warm-up session featuring lively songs. SMMKC cultural coordinator Donald Noronha welcomed the gathering. Fr Edwin Monis, our spiritual director, addressed, thanked the organizers, wished best of luck, pleasant time and prayed blessings upon the gathered.
To encourage active participation, attendees were divided into two main groups: children and adults. The children’s group was further segmented by age: below 5 years, 5 to 9 years, and 9 to 12 years. The adults were organized into eight teams, each identified by colored bands for easy recognition. Families were mixed across all groups to ensure that everyone enjoyed a fun-filled evening away from devices while creating lasting memories.
The event began with the tea, coffee, Mangalore buns, and goli baje. Participants enthusiastically engaged in a variety of entertaining games, including tug of war, traditional Mangalorean Baila singing to encourage the younger generations to remember and remind the culture, balloon passing, Dumbe challenge, human chain challenge, musical chairs, egg passing, ball passing, and other games. These activities were organized to strengthen community bonds and foster relationship among members of the community and the church at large.
The event was filled with team spirit, cheers, and excitement, especially during the tug-of-war, enjoyed by attendees of all ages, children, adults, and senior citizens alike. Alwyn Coutinho the coordinator of the community, distributed prizes, acknowledging each participant for their team spirit and contribution to the day’s success.
The dynamic MCs, Roshan D’Silva and Sunitha D’Souza, kept the audience engaged and cheerful. The entire programme was coordinated by SMMKC coordinator Alwyn Coutinho and Cultural coordinator Donald Noronha, with the support of all SMMKC core committee members; Deepak Lobo, Anil Pinto, Renita D’Souza, Ashika Monteiro, Rita Concesso, Dinesh Grass, Alwyn Almeida and Sheila. The event concluded with a delicious dinner of Mangalorean cuisine served by Udupi Restaurant.
The SMMKC core committee members and volunteers worked hard to create moments of laughter, joy, togetherness, and unity in St Michael's Mangalorean Konkani Community. Their dedication turned the event into a truly unforgettable celebration, including everyone especially the committee members, volunteers, and organizers overwhelmed with gratitude, pride, and happiness for the lasting memories in one’s heart.