Kuwait Kannada Koota, a premier socio-cultural organization of Kannadigas living in Kuwait and affiliated with Indian Embassy conducted MARALA MALLIGE program "Pratibha Ranga" at Indian Community School Khaithan Auditorium on Friday, May 11th, 2018.
Guests were gracefully welcomed by Koota children with flowers in a procession. Koota President Prabhakar Basavaraju welcomed the audience with a small address which was followed by a song sung by Koota members and then the lamp lighting ceremony by the Koota President, Vice President Tharendra P. Shettigar, Treasurer Ananthashayana Dambal, and Secretary Kiran Renukaradhya along with other dignitaries and Koota committee members.
The highlight of the evening was the Speech and stand-up comedy by the Chief Guest, Rajyostava Awardee, Hasya Chakravarthi of Karnataka and immensely popular literary speaker Prof Krishne Gowda. His talk on the Kannada language & literature mesmerized the audience. Presenting the language in new, unimaginable and never heard of ways, Prof. Krishne Gowda left the audience spell bound. It is on the foundation of this wit, inimitable comic punches, humor and approach to the language Prof. Krishne Gowda has been invited to give talks all over the world, making a place in the heart of every Kannadiga in the world. Everyone attending the program were honored by his presence and aptly lauded the literary genius’s talk with a standing ovation.
The well thought out event and innovative competitions and activities were conducted by the Marala Mallige team: ably led by Convener Smt. Veena Giridhar and supported by co-convener Sri Mahesh S and members Sri Suresh B S, Smt. Rashmi S, Sri Santosh K S and Sri Uday V.
The tightly packed auditorium thoroughly enjoyed the power packed non-stop entertainment by the Koota members, especially the vibrant and colorful performances by the children. All the four house captains took a lead and came up with humorous and apt skits on the theme "Doddannana Mane": a scaled down game version of the incredibly popular reality show Big Boss. Amidst their own enjoyment, the house leaders took time to encourage their team members to participate in as many competitions as possible. The sheer number of entries for each competition was a testimony to their efforts.
Specially invited judges’ Sri Manoj K, Smt. Jayalakshmi V, Sri Satish A, Sri Ravi A, Smt. Rangashree M, Smt. Nagamani U, Dr. Diwakar C and Dr. Azad I S took up the daunting task of judging the treasure trove of talent exhibited at the event and accomplished it gracefully.
The event came to a close with a thank you note by the Secretary of Kuwait Kannada Koota. A final & delicious finish to the event was dinner served by Oriental Restaurant.