Tulu Koota Kuwait celebrated its 15th Anniversary with grandeur at Tulu Parba 2015 held at the American International School on 30th October 2015. The chief guests to the event were HE the Ambassador of India to Kuwait, Mr. Sunil Jain, Mr. Khaled Al-Saif, Managing Director of NAPESCO and Mr. Valerian D’sa the Managing Partner of Khalil Bahman & Partners Co. The guest artists who came from India were Mr. Sujayendra Hande, who hails from a very illustrious family of Yakshgana, Ms. Sumangala Rathnakar a gifted Natya vidushi in both Yakshagana and Bharthnatyam form, Mr.Umesh Mijar a renowned name in Tulu Drama, Mr. Laksmeesh Ganjimata a versatile actor and Mr. Shreenath Anchan the well-known musician.
The event was inaugurated with the Lighting of the Lamp by the Managing and Advisory Committee members along with the event sponsor Mr. Nilesh from Khain Properties and releasing the souvenir. It followed by the grand procession which displayed the unique feel of Tulunadu. The audience was then welcomed by the Vice President of Tulu Koota Kuwait, Mr. Harish Bhandary.
The cultural activities began with a welcome dance from Heart Beatz, followed by the spectacular semi classical fusion of Ras Leela by Upasana dance studio. Tulu Nadu folk festival, directed by guest artist Sumangala Rathnakar by Tulu Siri Kids displayed and impressive amalgamation. It was very interesting to see the kids dance on Chinnara Yakshagana Natya Vaibhav and Yakshagana Vaibhav by Sujayendra Hande and the Tulu Siri Kids. It followed by the extravagance of the Contemporary fusion dance drama of Jesus and the Muslim Traditional Folk Dance and the Yakshgana Natya Jualbandi by Sujayendra Hande & Sumangala Rathnakar directed by Sujayendra Hande.
The chief guests then honoured the guest artists, committee members namely Mrs. Swarna Shetty, Mr. Ramesh Kidiyoor, Mr. Mohd Iqbal, Mr. Yadunath Alva and Mr. Ramesh Bhandary. The scholarship was given to the deserving student and the sponsors were also honored. The audience were left spell bound with the glamour of the South Indian Classical Jugalbandi, and the patriotic dance by Heart Beats and Upasana dance group.
The audience was in splits as the Tulu comedy drama “Network Tikkuji”. The drama was written by Mr. Dinakar Bhandary and directed by Mr. Umesh Mijar. The acting skills of the local artists were at par with those of the professional and it showed on their overall performances.
The event was ably compeered by Ms. Prajwal D’Mello and Mr. Manoj Shetty, while the felicitation was conducted by Dr. Preethi Shetty. The lights and sound were given by Zain Events while the photography and videography done by Snipers Clickz. Program was well coordinated by cultural secretary Mr. Sathish Acharya.
The program was concluded by giving small token of appreciation to the Drama artists and singing the National Anthem.
By: Suresh S. Rao Neramballi
