Konkani writers urge CM to cancel grant to Mandd Sobhann over hate campaign

[email protected] (Media Release)
August 31, 2016

Mangaluru, Aug 31: Konkani Writers and Artistes Association (KWAA) has accused Mangaluru-based Mandd Sobhann, a recipient of government grant, of indulging in character assassination and abuse of leading Konkani writers and artistes. The association has charged Mandd Sobhann Gurkar Eric Ozario of using yellow journals and web media for using derogatory language to abuse leading Konkani luminaries.

Konkani Manavi

In a letter to the Chief Minister the association says Eric Ozario has used unparliamentarily words to insult the proud son of Karnataka, Melvyn Rodrigues, who is also the Sahithya Academy Award winner as spineless and a man who has no essential body organs below the waist'. He has also abused writers and artistes calling Gowda Saraswath Brahmins (Konkane) as fathers of Konkani artistes and writers. He has also likened Konkani writers to Koragas (Harijans) comparing them to those who used to wait outside homes of people to eat leftover food and thus indulged in caste abuse.

In its bylaws Mandd Sobhann which is registered under Society's Registration Act clearly states that it works for the unity, integrity and communal harmony of Konkanis spread across Karnataka, Goa, Cochin, Diu and Daman without discriminating them on religious bases as Hindus, Christians and Mulsims. The different types of scripts used to write Konkani language is used as a tool by Mandd Sobhann to create discord between Konkani speaking people of Goa and Karnataka.

To carry out these evil activities it has established several letterhead organisations making Shakthinagar as its base. Eric Ozario is the Gurkar of all these letterhead organisations and the mastermind behind the various wicked activities carried out through them. In the name of these organisations he holds press conference and creates a fear among people saying he would organize public protests and is also creating an atmosphere of fear in the minds of common Konkani speaking people. He is also resorting to character assassination of eminent Konkani writers and artistes by using web media and yellow journals.

It is a matter of great concern to note that the state government has allotted Rs. 2.5 crore grant in the 2016 budget for Mandd Sobhann which is blatantly carrying out disruptive acts like caste abuse, insults, , maligning name of writers and is creating hatred and ill-will among Konkani speaking people belonging to different religions. This is in fact giving credence to the prevailing belief among the enlightened people of Mangalore that by giving grant to Mandd Sobhann government is encouraging this institution which is inimical to promoting harmonious relationship.

Taking into consideration all these aspects KWAA members have written a letter to the Chief Minister of Karnataka requesting him to withhold the grant given to Mandd Sobhann and also to cancel its registration as part of the disciplinary action. Office bearers of KWAA Ronald J Sequeira, Florine Roche, Roshan Madtha and Member Henry Mendonca handed over the letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada along with suitable records to substantiate the charges. Copies of the letter have been sent to the Chief Minister of Goa, the Prime Minister, and to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, government of India.

Comments

Joel Bendoor
 - 
Wednesday, 31 Aug 2016

Sorry i share my name with a 'bozo' of same name. So now Joel why dont you prove what you charged the others. If taken money why dont you prove it. And how you came to know all this is not true. U spoke to them?

look like u r one of those who Mandd Sobhann feeds from time to time. Repaying like a truthful or faithful....

Lloyd
 - 
Wednesday, 31 Aug 2016

Maand Sobhaan has crossed all the limits. I hope the chief minister notices all their misdeeds.

Joel
 - 
Wednesday, 31 Aug 2016

Look who is talking, Bunch of Jokers, for publicity and for money these people will go to any extent

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News Network
January 15,2020

Davangere, Jan 15: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on January 14 threatened to resign when the seer of 'Panchamasali Guru Peetha' warned that the community will leave him, if a BJP MLA from the community is not made the minister during the upcoming cabinet expansion.

The chief minister, who is awaiting the BJP high command's nod to expand his cabinet, amid intense lobbying by the aspirants, wanted the seer Vachanananda swamiji and the 'Panchamasali' community to understand his "situation." Yediyurappa pointed out that he has come to power because of the Congress-JD(S) legislators who rebelled against the then coalition government.

The incident took place when Vachanananda swamiji, while addressing an event at Harihara, near here, said "chief minister, you are a good person, Murugesh Nirani (BJP MLA)has helped you a lot, he has stood by you..if you leave his hands this time, the united Panchamasali community will leave your hands." As the swamiji was making this statement, Yediyurappa, who was seated next to him, rose and threatened to leave the stage.

"If you speak like this I will go away...what are you speaking...kindly pardon me, I will leave, you should not speak like this, if you speak like this I can't work..you can give me suggestions, you cannot threaten me," he said, as the swamiji tried to convince Yediyurappa and asked him to take his seat.

As Yediyurappa acceded to his request, the seer said he was not threatening him but was putting forward the rights of the community. The chief minister, who was visibly upset, was seen talking to Home minister Basavaraj Bommai next to him, who even tried to convince the seer not to continue with the topic. Nirani, a MLA from Bilgi who was Industries minister in the previous Yediyurappa government, was seated on the stage when the incident occurred.

Later addressing the event, Yediyurappa said he was not "selfish" and was even ready to resign.

"Vachanananda swamiji has spoken, through you I request him to understand my situation also. If 17 legislators (Congress-JDS), few even as ministers, had not resigned and stayed away, Yediyurappa could not have occupied this Chief Minister position.

You (swamiji) need not make people raise their hands on any demand, if you tell me, I'm ready to listen to you," he said.

Stating that he was ready to take suggestions from the swamiji on all issues, including on how to run the administration for the next 3 years, Yediyurappa said "I'm ready to bow my head and listen to it, if you don't want I'm even ready to resign and go home, I'm not someone who wants to stick to the chair."

Further noting that if he says that the financial condition of the state is not good it will become headline in papers tomorrow, he said he will have to wait till March for the situation to improve.

"I dont have selfishness, I'm aware that if the Panchamasali-Lingayat community had not stood by me, I could have not sat on this chair (CM)... but kindly understand my situation also," he added.

Yediyurappa is expected to expand his ministry later this month after discussing with BJP national president Amit Shah during his visit to the state on January 18.

As the chief minister has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified JDS-Congress MLAs who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets will be made ministers, lobbying has been on within the party for the remaining ministerial berths.

Currently there are 18 Ministers, including the chief minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34.

The cabinet expansion will not be an easy task for the chief minister as he will have to strike a balance by accommodating the victorious disqualified legislators as promised and also make place for the old guard, upset at being "neglected" in the first round of the induction exercise.

He also has to give adequate representation to various castes and regions in his cabinet and also deal with allocation of key portfolios.

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News Network
January 11,2020

Shivamogga, Jan 11: Members of Karnataka Congress women's wing staged a protest in Shivamogga on Friday against the rise in onion prices and domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders.

As a mark of protest, the demonstrators wore garlands made of onions, drew rangoli on the road and cooked food with firewood. The protestors also carried posters comparing the price of cylinders in Congress and BJP-led government in the Centre.

The price of non-subsidised LPG was hiked by Rs 19 per cylinder from January 1, 2020.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 15: The Indian startups secured 12.7 billion in funding last year -- a 15% growth compared to 2018 - and Bengaluru startup community topped the list, with securing $5.3 billion across 267 deals, a new report said on Tuesday.

In total, the Indian startups attracted 766 deals in 2019, taking total deal count between 2014-2019 to 5,011, said DataLabs by Inc42 in its annual startup funding report.

Sequoia took the top spot as the most active VC in 2019 with 53 deals, followed by Accel that participated in 38 deals. Blume Ventures, Matrix Partners and Tiger Global were in the top five VCs in 2019.

"The Indian startup economy is entering new decade with over $58 billion in fundraising and 2,984 funded startups between 2014-2019," the findings showed.

With an average of $21 million, the ticket size value of funding increased by 15% in 2019.

Ecommerce and fintech -- with $2.6 billion funding each -- took the top slot with 93 deals and 125 deals, respectively.

"Ecommerce continued to remain at the top by the end of 2019. The growing investor confidence towards sub-sectors such as vertical ecommerce, social commerce and private label businesses is one major factor for ecommerce maintaining its lead," a DataLabs spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the estimates, the funding amount and deal count in 2020 will be around $12.6 billion at a 1% decline from 2019.

"Nevertheless, the investment activity is expected to rise in 2021," said the report.

The data suggests that 2019 had lowest number of startups funded (664) in the last five years, with seed-stage funding deals dropping by 53%, compared to 2016.

With $252 million in funding, seed-stage deal value fell by 44% (compared to 2018) as only 306 seed funding deals were recorded, the report said.

The enterprise tech had a blockbuster year with total funding of $1.15 billion across 114 deals in 2019. The sector recorded a 49% surge in total funding amount, compared to 2018.

The Indian startup economy saw 275 unique VCs participating in funding in 2019, said the report.

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