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Inaugural | Print |

The eminent cine-theatre artiste of international fame, Shri Naseeruddin Shah, inaugurated the Konkani Heritage Centre – KALAANGANN on  December 2, 2001.

Shri M.Veerappa Moily(Ex.C.M.- Karnataka) was the guest of honour, Rt.Rev.Dr. Aloysius Paul Dsouza (Bishop, Mangalore Diocese) presided over the function.

Smt. Ratna Pattak Shah (cine-theatre actress), Shri Uday Bhembre(President, Goa Konkani Sahitya Akademy), Rev. Msgr. Alexander F. Dsouza(President,  Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademy), Shri B.V. Baliga(Senior writer of Mangalore)were the special guests and Shri Udayshankar Pani(Film Director- Bollywood, Mumbai), Shri R. Nagesh NSD(President, Karnataka Nataka Academy, Bangalore), Shri S.V. Pikalle(President, Konkani Bhasha Manddall, Mumbai) Shri J.R. Lobo KAS(Commissioner -  City Corporation, Mangalore), Shri Purushotham Malya(Senior Konkani Activist, Kochin) were the other eminent guests of  the day.

Troups :

The Mandd Sobhann troupe presented in song and dance, ‘Jaige Maaye Namaan Tuka Konkani’ as the curtain raiser of the beautiful amphitheatre, immediately after the prayer session conducted by representatives of the Muslim, Hindu and Christian religions.

The other troupes that participated in the Inaugural are –

  1. ’Kepechim Kirnaam’- the ‘Manddo’ troupe from Goa led by Sri. Elvis Goes 
  2. The ‘Zagor’ trope from from Goa led by Sri. Kaante Gowde.
  3. ‘Kharvi’ folk troupe from Honnavar led by Sri. Ashok Kharvi.
  4. The Christian ‘Gumott’ troupe led by Sri. Joachim Pereira from Mangalore.
  5. The ‘Siddi’ folk troupe from Yellapur led by Sri. Mingel Anton Siddi.
  6. The ‘Kudmi’ folk troupe from Yedapadavu led by Sri.Gopal Gowda.

Significance :

  1. Kalaangann has been born out of a real need to render continuity and the required facilities to the work of preservation, promotion and enrichment of Konkani culture and heritage, started by Mandd Sobhann in 1986.
  2. Kalaangann is a result of sheer dedication, commitment and hard work of a group of people with very ordinary means but with plenty of hope, zeal and enthusiasm – who have pledged themselves to the Konkani mission.
  3. Kalaangann is unique in the sense that it has been built entirely through the contribution  collected from the people – no government grants, no foreighn funding.
  4. Kalaangann belongs to the Konkani people of all religions, regions, castes and creeds and not to any particular group of people, eventhough most of those who have been responsible for the establishment and running Kalaangann might belong to a particular community.
  5. Kalaangann is also a symbol of – ‘how dreams coupled with hard work can be realities’.