By Kamalaksha Amin

Bahrain, Dec 8: The Kannada Sangha Bahrain, a State Award–winning organisation, has begun the countdown to its grand annual cultural festival Kannada Vaibhava–2025. The mega event will be held on Friday, December 12, at 5 pm at the Bahrain Cultural Hall in Manama.

The cultural evening will feature a rich blend of music, comedy and dance, with performances by artists from Karnataka as well as members of the Kannada Sangha.

Kaup MLA Suresh Shetty will grace the occasion as the chief guest, while popular Sandalwood actor Vinod Prabhakar will be the special star guest. Among the distinguished guests are Karkala Congress leader Muniyal Udaya Shetty, Karnataka Backward Classes Commission member Pratibha Kulal, former Karavali Development Authority chairman Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, Unico Group COO Jayashankar Vishwanathan, Indian Medical Association Karnataka unit vice president Dr Annayya Kulal, Al Maha Petroleum Oman CFO Hiriyanna Narayana Swamy, businessman and social worker Satyendra Pai and several others.

A major highlight of the programme will be a 40-minute dance presentation titled Karnataka Vaibhava, choreographed by renowned dancer Dr Sahana Bhat. She has already arrived in Bahrain, and around 50 talented artistes from the Kannada Sangha will participate in the performance.

Well-known singer Kalavathi Dayanand and vocalist Hombegowda will entertain the audience with musical performances, while Zee TV–famed comedian Raghavendra Acharya will present a humour segment. The entire programme will be hosted by popular compere Savi Prakash.

As part of the event, the Kannada Sangha’s annual souvenir Kaveri will be released. Achievers from the community will also be felicitated on the occasion. Entry is free for all Kannadigas in Bahrain, and president Ajith Bangera has urged the community to participate in large numbers.

For more information, those interested may contact Ajith Bangera at 00973-36721660.