Khabbar North American Konkani Newsletter Volume XXXIX No. 3 July, August, September - 2016 From: The Honorary Editor, "Khabbar" P. O. Box 222 Lake Jackson, TX77566 - 0222 XXXIX-3 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED FIRST CLASS TO: Khabbar XXXIX No. 3 Page: 1 Khabbar Follies In this section, Khabbar looks into the Konkani community and anything and everything that is Konkani from a Konkani point of view. The names will never be published but geographic location will be identified in general terms. There is no doubt in my mind that Khabbar is a part & parcel of life of Konkanis in North America. In fact, Khabbar has developed a special relation with most of the Konkani families and here are some examples of those close encounters of a different kind….…… The Konkani Sammelan 2016 in Atlanta was a fabulous event. everybody’s relief, at the end of the sammelan, there was a Kudos to the Team KAOG who did an outstanding job for a surplus! successful sammelan. But, the financial situation was bleak! Before the sammelan started, there was a forecast of heavy Thanks to everyone who came to the rescue to make KS-2016 deficit!! For various reasons, the anticipated fund raising did a complete success. not materialize. Team NAKA and Team KAOG did an extreme fund raising and the Konkani community at large Editor’s Reply: opened their heart and the wallet. All said and done, to Now, that is what I say is the Konkani spirit. ***** SUBSCRIPTION FORM: Dear Konkani family, It is time to renew your subscription for 2016.The numbers on the mailing label clearly indicate the year/s the dues for Khabbar has been received since 2014. Please, note that you have the FREE access to the eKhabbar, the electronic version of Khabbar, by logging on to eKhabbar.com. If you want hard copy, then only remit your subscription at $15.00/yr. Please, don't pay for future years! Fill the form below and send your subscription with a check payable to Khabbar, P. O. Box 222, Lake Jackson, TX 77566-0222. (Canadian Konkanis please pay cash or MO in US$) Name: __________________________________________________________________________________ Spouse Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: _____________________________________________________________________________ Email ID: _____________________________________________________________________________ …………………………………………………………………………………………………Children…………………………………………………………………………………………………… Name Boy/Girl d.o.b. Hobby/Interest ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Comments, if any: ______________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Khabbar XXXIX No. 3 Page: 2 Quarterly Newsletter For Circulation to the Konkani Community in North America Volume XXXIX No. 3 July, August, September - 2016 Honorary Editor: Mr. Vasanth Bhat Mailing Address: P. O. Box 222 Lake Jackson, TX77566-0222 www.ekhabbar.com Tel: (979)-299-3210 Email: [email protected] Annual Subscription: $15.00 Make check payable to "Khabbar" & mail to P.O.Box 222, Lake Jackson, TX77566-0222 The Editorial Committee reserves the right to exclude, edit and correct all material received for publication and does not accept any responsibility for views expressed by authors of the publications. E D I T O R I A L Dear Konkani family, 77566-0222, or email Let us see how you will do with this What a sammelan! The Konkani [email protected] and rest be quarter’s quiz!!! Sammelan – 2016 was a great assured that I’ll “Khabbarize” them! success. Kudos to the organizers, I can The progress of the ambitious project, say that all the attendees had a fun It is mission accomplished for the Konkani Kendra, the Konkani Bhas filled time in Atlanta. Interim NAKA. Kudos to President Ani Sanskriti Pratistan is good. Sheila Shenoy Reddy, under her able Thanks to Basti Ganapathi Shenoy I hope all is well with you and your leadership, NAKA accomplished all who has volunteered his services to family. the goals it had set for itself to make help Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti NAKA a viable organization in North Pratistan. Please, call him at (702)- This issue of Khabbar has been America. The new team will take reins 341-6706 or email: mailed to ALL families that have paid of NAKA on Jan 1, 2017! Please, [email protected] if interested dues at least once since 2014. In extend your support to the new Board. to extend your help for this worthy other words, families who have not Khabbar will publish all the cause. Indeed, the Kendra has become paid since 2013 will not be receiving developments and progress made by a center of attraction and I urge all this issue. The numbers on the mailing NAKA on an on-going basis. North American Konkanis to visit the label clearly indicate the year/s the Kendra to see in what way they can dues for Khabbar has been received Khabbar will also publish progress benefit from this. Also, see in what since 2014 and if there is any error let made by Konkani Charitable Fund way we can help our brethren who are me know. (KCF) on a regular basis. The team doing an outstanding job in preserving KCF needs all our support to help our our culture. Even in these tough economic times, folks anywhere in the world. Dr. the Advisory Committee of Khabbar Gopal Bhandarkar and his team are Khabbar will always publish appeals has decided that the annual dues will doing a fantastic job in making our for charity free of charge but cannot remain the same at $15.00 a year and community aware of KCF and hope collect money on behalf of any for that you get: you will help him to help our people. charity. Families are encouraged to Four issues of the Khabbar, send the money directly to the Annual Mailing List and The unofficial Khabbar concerned charities or thru KCF if Discounted advertisement rates. Correspondents in your area who approved by KCF. Khabbar firmly send in the hoon Khabbars on a believes in helping our people whether This issue has not been mailed to regular basis are doing an outstanding it is in India or here. Here’s a link to families that have specifically job. Remember, if it did not appear all the special appeals I have gotten so indicated that they will access in Khabbar, then it did not happen far: eKhabbar, the on-line version of in North America! If your area is not http://www.ekhabbar.com/special%20 Khabbar, which will be on the web a represented wholly, let me know and appeals/special%20appeals.htm quarter after mailing the hard copies. I'll recruit more volunteers. You can send the news items via email Hope struggle to rid terrorism from The Khabbar Mailing List is a prized ([email protected]). this world will materialize soon. Hope possession of our community. Please Peace & Tranquility will prevail. help me to keep it up-to-date. Send On the Quiz front, it is the same story! names and addresses of Konkani Only six people got the right answer!! Have a great and safe Fall. Happy families that are not in the list to P. Khabbar has still remained a champ. Diwali to you all. O. Box 222, Lake Jackson, TX Khabbar XXXIX No. 3 Page: 3 Devu Boren Karo. Vasanth Honorary Editor Konkani Sammelan 2016 Over two years of preparation by the very small Konkani community of Atlanta culminated in the grand quadrennial event “Konkani Sammelan 2016” held at Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) from July 1 to 3, 2016. This event was attended by over 1400 attendees from US, Canada, Norway, Republic of Korea, Switzerland & UAE. 65 family names were represented led by Kamaths, Shenoys, Pais, Nayaks, & Prabhus. Guests had started arriving right from June 29th. Convenient locations of hotels close to the Atlanta airport and GICC made it easy for them to walk to the venue or take a shuttle. 900 hotel rooms were reserved for the guests and made available at a concessional rate. A medical symposium (CME) was organized for medical professionals on the morning of July 1st and Sightseeing tours of Atlanta were organized on July 4th for guests. GICC was well decorated in beautiful colors to welcome guests. Registration began at 2 pm and all attendees collected their name tags, and souvenir. There were vendor stalls selling artistic handicrafts & other wares. Three stages (interestingly named: Song, Toi & Saaru) were erected for performers to showcase their talent. Konkani Sammelan 2016 began on Friday, July 1 with Shankhnaad by Dr.Narasinha Kamath & Deep Prajwalan by five senior couples. Before the start of programs, one minute silence was observed in memory of all departed souls. National anthems of US, Canada & India began the show. The highlight