Mangalore Diocese News

Media Release
Photos by: Stanly Bantwal

Mangaluru, Jan 16 : Rachana, Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry conferred its prestigious awards on five eminent personalities from diverse fields, at the Milagres Jubilee Hall on Sunday, January 15, 2023.

Bishop of Mangalore, Dr Peter Paul Saldanha presided over the function. Sanjay D'Souza, senior executive vice president, HDFC Bank graced the award ceremony as chief guest.

Leo Fernandes, Allipade, Jerry Vincent Dias, Sr Dr Gladys Menezes, Michael D'Souza and Dr Laveena M Noronha were honored by the president and chief guest in the categories of Agriculturist of the year, Entrepreneur of the year, Professional of the year, NRI of the year and Women Achiever of the year respectively.

Congratulating the award winner, Sanjay D'Souza said, "All the five award winners have already influenced society with their charitable outlook. They have a common thread of discipline and commitment to their responsibilities. It's time to congratulate them for winning the prestigious Rachana awards".

"At the same time, the event of Rachana provokes us to think about our entrepreneurs who come under unorganized finance sectors. Even today 30 to 40% of the entrepreneurs are unaware of online banking transactions or digital banking which is more apt for current market conditions. Secondly, compared to other neighbouring cities, Bengaluru's socio-economic growth is remarkable and appreciable. We can see well constructed multi-storeyed houses , huge bungalows, and flats in and around the city. But the sad part is that we can't find a single youth or child among the residents. Elderly people spend their time lonely. Somewhere it indicates the danger. Here the responsibility on local entrepreneurs and associations like Rachana increases. They should find a solution to put a brake on the continued migration of the young generation to other countries. They should create a job market for them and bring them back to the city."

In his presidential address, Bishop Dr Peter Paul said, "It is not just an award night. I can say this is an inspirational night. I noticed one thing that all winners mentioned the Almighty and his blessings in their speeches. So we can also call this night a holy night. Along with their respective fields, all the five are highlighted for their charity and social service. Blindly we can say all five addressed the society with a single word and that is 'kindness.' They may vary in their fields. But they spoke in one language called 'kindness.' Awards and appreciation are much needed to handle criticism and stick to the good work with courage."

President Vincent Cutinha welcomed the dignitaries and gathered. Convener C A Rudolph Rodrigues and secretary Lavina Monteiro were present on dias. The award ceremony concluded with a sumptuous dinner. St Rita Band, Cascia entertained the gathering with its live music. The past presidents and sponsors were also honored.

Wellknown emcee and entrepreneur Leslie Rego compered the event.

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