by Richie Lasrado, Resident Editor, Daijiworld.com, Mangalore (MB)
Pics Praveen Tauro Kulshekar and Ganesh S Perla

Mangalore, Mar 10: Rachana Awards 2006 were presented to four distinguished members of the community in recognition of their contribution to their respective fields, at a solemn function held in the Milagres Hall in the city on Saturday, March 10 evening.

Welcome by Sandesha students

The awards

The annual awards have been instituted by Rachana, a forum of entrepreneurs, businessmen and professionals with a view to identifying those who have made an impact on the society in their own way and to highlight them.

Sections of the gathering

Oriental Bank of Commerce executive director, UCO Bank chairman and managing director-designate and a distinguished product of Mangalore Allen Clifford Alphonse Pereira was the chief guest and Indian Oil Corporation's former chairman Austine J A Tauro, another Mangalorean product, was the guest of honour. Chief guest Allen Pereira did the honours of presenting the awards. Bishop Aloysius D'Souza presided over the function and honoured Pereira and Tauro.

The four achievers who were presented the awards:

The Rachana Agriculturist of the Year: Charles L Rodrigues of Kalladka, Bantwal

The Rachana Professional of the year: Justice Michael F Saldanha, retired judge, High Court of Karnataka

The Rachana Entrepreneur of the Year: Lancy Mascarenhas, promoter and builder

The Rachana NRI Entrepreneur of the Year: Ronald Colaco, Bangalore

Welcome dance by Sandesha students

The function began with a prayer dance by the students of Sandesha Lalitkala Maha Vidyalaya, Mangalore. Rachana president Marcel Monteiro welcomed the gathering. Titus Noronha briefed about the awards. Joe Coelho, Rudolph D'Silva, Raymond D'Cunha and William Rebello read the citations.

Roy Castelino and Harold D'Souza introduced Allen C A Pereira and Austine J A Tauro. On behalf of the award-winners, Justice Michael Saldanha and Ronald Colaco shared their feelings.

Austine Tauro, on behalf of Rachana, honoured the jury members - Sandesha director Fr Francis Lewis, senior advocate and notary Clarence Pais, KCCI president Capt John Prasad Menezes, advocate M P Noronha, builder Felix Albuquerque, agriculturist Casimir Menezes, assistant horticulture director Joe Pradip D'Souza, entreprenerur Louis J Pinto, chartered accountant Rudolph Rodrigues, promoter and builder Roy Castelino, and entrepreneurs Joe Coelho and Harold D'Souza. The sponsors of the function were honoured by the Bishop. Past presidents John Sequeira, Marjorie Sequeira, Roy Castelino and Rudolph Sequeira were honoured by guest of honour Tauro.

Award-winners with dignitaries on the dais

Another section of the audience

Allen C A Pereira being honoured

Very inspiring part of the event were the crisp speeches delivered by the dignitaries on the dais. UCO Bank CMD-designate Allen Pereira recalled his early life in Kulshekar and student life in Roshni Nilaya School of Social Work, Mangalore and gracefully acknowledged the edifying influence he drew from his erstwhile seniors and community leaders.

Austine Tauro spoke of the development taking place in Mangalore with SEZ and petrochemical complex etc. and narrated his own experience in Baroda where a petrochemical complex was coming up. He wanted the people of Mangalore to respond to the needs of the hour where the city administration's performance had left much to be desired.

Justice Saldanha called himself a 'shudh Mongllurkar' (true-blue Mangalorean), a 'mannina maga' (son of the soil) and 'Karavali Putra' (Son of the Coast) and asserted that his every frequent visit to the city was so nostalgic and that he regarded it as the 'Return of the Native'. He gave a clarion call to all citizens to shed their 'silence of the good ' which was as bad as evil itself and to give up the attitude of reticence and timidity. He said that of all the awards he had received so far, the one he received on the day was the most dear and most cherished, since he was very proud of his roots. He wondered why, when Mangalore was known for beautiful women and talented men, very few achievers were found at the national or international level. This factor should make the people think, he concluded.  

Bishop Aloysius too expressed concern over the sparse number of achievers from the Mangalorean society and called upon the youth to set their eyes on these achievers as their role models and aspire for higher goals.

'Yodelling King' Melwin Peris regaling the audience

The vote of thanks by secretary Ronnie Gomes was followed by a musical presentation by Melwin Peris and group, and dinner.

The function was compered in English by Melita Pinto and in Konkani by John Monteiro. Advocate and notary Ivan D'Souza, state Janata Dal vice president J S Noronha, G T Pais, Francis D'Souza and other Rachana functionaries actively took part in the organization part of the function.

About Rachana:

Rachana is the brainchild of Catholic Sabha, Mangalore zone, conceived with a view to building solidarity among all catholic Entrepreneurs of Mangalore Diocese and nurture entrepreneurship, especially among the youth.

On September 6, about 700 Catholic entrepreneurs, businessmen, and professionals from Mangalore got together to translate the former idea into reality.

Rachana was officially launched on November 1, 1998 as a forum of Catholic entrepreneurs, businessmen, and professionals in St Sebastian Platinum Jubilee Auditorium, Bendur, Mangalore with the following aims and objectives.

• To facilitate a forum for all catholic Entrepreneurs to come together under one banner.
• To facilitate recognition of the existing Catholic Entrepreneurs.
• To explore the possibility of starting new giant ventures ? Business, Banking, Educational Institutions, and Vocational Training Institution.
• To create awareness among the catholic Entrepreneurs about the potential to promote/ motivate Catholic Youth to venture on self-employment.
• To create a corpus to support and implement the scheme to build our youth as successful entrepreneurs.

Ever since its inception Rachana has been serving the Catholic society in the social and economic fields.

A feather in its cap of its achievements is in that Rachana has been recognizing and conferring awards to those who are doing extremely well and successful in the field of agriculture, entrepreneurship, profession, NRI Entrepreneurship.