Wilfy Rebimbus among 3 Eminent
Konkani personalities chosen for FKCA awards
Bangalore, Jan 26: 'Konkan Kogul' Sri Wilfy Rebimbus is among the three
eminent Konkani personalities who have chosen for the prestigious annual awards
of the Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA), Bangalore. The
multi-faceted and versatile Sri Rebimbus will be conferred the Life-Time
Achievement Award. The other two awardees are: Sri Albert Tauro, Chairman and
Managing Director of Vijaya Bank, and Sri Adrian Joseph D’Souza, Director of
Deccan Group of Companies, who will be conferred the Professional Excellence and
Entrepreneur of the Year Awards respectively. The awards will be presented at
FKCA’s annual FEDERATION DAY celebrations, being held at the St Joseph’s Indian
High School Grounds, Opposite Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore, on Sunday, January
31, 2010 at 11.30 am by Karnataka Governor Sri H R Bhardwaj. Karnataka Pradesh
Congress Committee President and former minister Sri R V Deshpande will be the
Chief Guest while Bangalore Archibishop Rev Dr Bernard Moras will preside over
the function.
The FKCA Day and Award presentation ceremony, which is expected to be attended
by at least 4,000 Konkani Catholics and other Christians, including large number
of Priests and Sisters from different parts of the city and even from Mysore,
Kolar, Tumkur and other districts of Karnataka.
This year’s FKCA Federation Day assumes special significance as it comes within
a week of the attacks against churches in Mysore and Karwar dioceses as the
state governor Sri H R Bhardwaj, who has often gone on record in criticizing the
Yeddyurappa regime’s handling of the attacks against minorities and Christians
in particular as well Congress leader Sri R V Deshpande and Archbishop of
Bangalore Dr Bernard Moras, who have also taken the BJP government to task in
their own way, will be sharing the dais.
FKCA AWARDEES:
The Federation is honoring three eminent Konkani Catholics this year by
conferring its special awards for their achievements and contribution not just
to Konkani language and the community but the entire State and the country.
LIFE-TIME ACHIEVEMENT: SRI WILFY REBIMBUS
Sri Wilfy Rebimbus, who will turn 68 on April 2 this year, is a multi-faceted
and versatile personality. Known for his charming and affable nature, he is a
gifted music composer, playwright and short story writer and is a household name
among all Konkani Catholics. Born in Mangalore in a poor family, he came up in
life the hard way and started composing and singing Konkani songs at the young
age of 14. By 15, he had written his first Konkani play, ``Poishyamcho Somvsaar,’’
and got it staged through the St Joseph’s Natak Sabha in Mangalore. He has
contributed and enriched the Konkani music world for over 50 years composing
over 3,000 songs, 500 stage shows and conducted as many as 248 musical nites in
Mangalore and different parts of Karnataka and even abroad besides publishing 9
volumes of Song Books. In addition, he has brought out a book, ``Kogul Gaaithaa,’’
comprising 40 volumes in 4 editions, 40 highly popular music audio cassettes
besides 6 volumes of devotional and 1 instrumental album. He has written 3
Konkani musical plays, Hazaar Umaalyamche Kazaar, Vechik Pooth and Mother
Theresa. He has also composed songs and written stories for Konkani Movies, Mog
ani Moipas, Bogsaane, Kaazaara Upraanth and Paadri besides writing the story for
the Konkani film, Tisri Cheet. He has showered with several awards including the
Karnataka Government’s prestigious Rajyothsava Award, Karnataka Konkani Sahitya
Academy Award, Sandesha and Daiji Puraskar Awards.
PROFESSIONAL EXECELLENCE: SRI ALBERT TAURO:
Sri Albert Tauro, who turns 59 on March 11, is a leading banker with over 37
years of experience. Hailing as he does from the undivided coastal Dakshina
Kannada district, which is known as the cradle of Indian Banking Industry, he
began his banking career with Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Mumbai, in 1971 after
his post-graduation in Commerce with CAIIB. He had his induction into commercial
banking on September 10, 1975, when he left RBI to join Canara Bank as an
officer. During his long career spanning over 32 years, he has served the bank
in several places in different capacities. He rose to become the Executive
Director of Central Bank of India on June 6, 2007, and also served as the member
of the Board of Centbank Financial & Custodial Services Ltd and Centbank Home
Finance Ltd. Sri Tauro is an experienced and multi-dimensional banker with
extensive exposure to every conceivable area of banking. He was elevated as the
Chairman and Managing Director of Vijaya Bank on August 2, 2008 and will
continue in the position until superannuation till March 31, 2011.
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: SRI ADRIAN JOSEPH D’SOUZA:
Born in 1960, Sri Adrian Joseph D’Souza is a successful businessman and
industrialist involved in several leading manufacturing companies in the capital
intensive Power Equipments, Structural Systems, Transformers and Leather
Fashions. A rank-holder from Bangalore’s leading Engineering College, R V
College of Engineering, in Electrical Engineering, he joined his father’s small
sector business enterprise and through his vision, dedication and hard-work
expanded it cover diverse fields and thereby opening new business and employment
opportunities. Southern Power Equipment Co Pvt Ltd, Deccan Structural Systems
Pvt Ltd, Deccan Leather Fashions and Gibu Fabrications Pvt Ltd, the four
prominent companies in the Group having Sri D’Souza as Director, have the
enviable distinction of providing direct employment to about 1,500 persons and a
total annual turnover of over Rs 160 crore. His brilliance, dedication,
hard-work and vision have turned him into an entrepreneur worthy of emulation
and envy.
The Federation of Konkani Catholic Associations (FKCA), which was established in
1998, has spread its activities far and wide with as many as 25 Associations of
Konkani Catholics not only in different localities of Bangalore but Mysore and
also abroad with those in UAE, Kuwait, USA, Canada and UK affiliated to it. Many
other Associations in Australia, New Zealand and other countries as also
different parts of the country are in the process of getting affiliated to the
FKCA.
Having emerged as strong and united voice of Konkani Catholics as also a
champion in espousing the cause of other minorities, the Federation has taken up
several people-friendly programmes like annual sports, free placement service
cell, matrimonial cell, entrepreneurs’ forum and free medical camps. It has also
launched a worldwide directory of Konkani Catholics on its website,
www.fkca.net. The Federation has helped over 60 members of its affiliated
associations in getting house sites in well-developed and BMRDA approved housing
sites on the Bangalore-Mangalore highway near Nelamangala, besides helping the
needy by organizing regular programmes to create awareness and focus attention
of their problems. It has also been regularly interacting with various
governmental agencies and authorities.