‘Kannada Koota’ reopens Kannada school in Dubai

Kuwait: Eid is usually a time of family get-togethers and feasts after weeks of dawn-to-dusk fasting. But this year people celebrated at home, with virus fears dampening the holiday spirit and strict restrictions in place.

Kuwait went under full curfew before the start of Ramadan leaving people to practice fasting and Ramadan rituals at home, Even Eid al-Fitr came under full lock-down period.

As situation demanded, IMA Kuwait celebrated the Eid Get-together online via video conferencing tool, All IMA members participated joyfully in Eid Milan online gathering which was scheduled immediately after Eid prayer. Members participated and congratulated each other on the eve of Eid.

The IMA president Shamvel Parviz addressed the gathering and thanked them for joining online for this unique Eid celebration which will be remembered in history. He also advised members to be aware of conditions of neighbors, friends and family and assist them if they need help in this difficult time.

Eid al-Fitr follows weeks of fasting and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Thousands of Muslims all over Kuwait followed strict guideline and performed Eid prayer at home along with their family.

As a part of social service activities IMA also distributed ration kits before start of Ramadan and during Ramadan for needy people all over Kuwait.

Kuwait: State of Karnataka is enriched with Daasa culture, which had contributed immensely to its literature, culture, art & philosophy. Daasa tradition in Karnataka was part of the Bhakti movement which flourished from around 15th century and it extended considerable spiritual influence over the masses. Kuwait Kannada Koota, a socio-cultural association for the people of Karnataka in Kuwait, organized its annual Daasotsava on 14th February 2020 in remembrance of these saints, thereby displaying the rich cultural heritage of the state. 

The program started with a warm welcome address by Mrs. Spoorthy Kamath, convener of cultural committee. Divine invocation prayer by Mrs. Vasantha Ashok and Mrs. Sandhya Arun set the trend for the event. This was followed by lighting of the traditional lamp by the 2020 executive committee, comprising of President Mr. Rajesh Vittal, Vice President Mr. Sandeep Chabba, General Secretary Mr. Praveen Kumar Shetty and Treasurer Mr. Pradeep Rao. President, while welcoming the gathering, spoke about the importance of Daasas in Kannada literature & history and briefed about the series of upcoming programs. Cultural programs started with fancy dress competition by Koota children comprising of all age group starting from infants to elder kids. This program stole the show as the efforts & time invested by children and their parents were clearly visible. 

2019 executive committee was felicitated by the current committee for wonderfully managing Koota affairs & programs. This was followed by the release of Koota magazine “Marala Mallige", comprising of informative articles, drawings, poems etc., entirely contributed by the association members. Event’s main attraction “Vrindavana Leelavarana", a colorful dance drama spectacularly portrayed by 54 Koota children, was very well appreciated & received by the attendees. Association children who successfully completed 10th and 12th were felicitated as a token of encouragement. Executive committee gave away prizes to Kids who excelled in the stage competitions held earlier. Audience was treated to a divine and melodious Bhajan program conducted astutely by the ladies & men. Koota women performed Bhajan Kolata, along with ladies bhajan, in a well-coordinated manner. Vote of thanks was proposed by the secretary of Koota, thanking those who contributed for the success of the event. Another attraction was a quiz competition “Rasa Prashne", conducted efficiently between the programs, by Mr. Mahesh Shiramgond. 

The whole event was planned and executed astutely by the cultural committee under the leadership of Convener, Mrs. Spoorthy Kamath. Public Relations Committee, led by Mrs. Suparna Dambal, welcomed the members in a vibrant & colorful way, showcasing a beautifully erected divine mantap. The event was sponsored by Unimoni, LIC HFL, VSPL, Geetherb, Kotak Life Insurance, Joy Alukkas, Lulu Hypermarket & Total Environment. The program ended with a sumptuous satvik lunch, sponsored by the senior Koota member, Mr. Ramachandran Seetharaman.

Dubai: A non-profitable social organization, KSCC is delivering a great service to the community during this pandemic situation.

Karnataka Sports and Cultural Club is a civil organization registered under Community Development Authority (CDA) involved in implementing various UAE government initiatives, blood donation drives, health campaigns, sport events, charity works, awareness programs and much more.

KSCC is currently actively liaising with Dubai government authorities in discharging the needs and requirements of the people in these challenging covid-19 pandemic times. It is also involved the activities such as logistics, coordinating stores, mobilizing isolation centers, equipping quarantine facilities and volunteering services.

During these testing times, KSCC is also facilitating the Guidance to the general public, follow-up up to 122 covid positive cases, counselling the affected, assisting the references and providing the ever-necessary emotional support by setting up a team of 24 reserved persons for call center helplines.

As per the request from DHA (Dubai Health Authority) KSCC has successfully organized the blood donation drive and donated upto 141 units of blood with the help of KSCC members & supporters.

Apart from above, KSCC is also engaged in serving needy by distributing the food provisional kit (Yestahloon) from the very 1st day of lockdown till day by their special task force team under guidelines of CDA, and also taking into consideration the month of Ramadan, team is successfully distributing Iftar food & provision kit with the help of donors.

In the 1st Phase, KSCC covered 2421 beneficiaries by providing 440 provisional food kits, 435 food pack and 529 Iftar kits.

As per the CDA guidelines, club is also engaged in following up the health condition of senior citizens living in UAE.

KSCC special team is also engaged in clearing documentation and formalities related to dead body repatriation until its final procedures and handing over to relatives with help of UAE governments authorities. Total 5 dead bodies are repatriated in their 1st phase of service.

KSCC is also having a center controlled special task team to assist all above activities during the covid-19 pandemic to continue the services to general public.

KSCC thanks all Government authorities, Members in different task team, supporters and Sponsors company MAERSK, MALABAR GOLD & DIAMOND and TAMIL ENTREPRENEUR for their support and also request extend their support to consolidate the above demanding service and deliver our best possible assistance not only because it is the month of Ramadan, but also our responsibility to reach out to the poor and needy, during this fight against Covid-19.