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Mangaluru, Nov 24: The 12th Pingara Rajyotsava Award for the year 2016 was conferred on Kadandale Suresh S Bhandary, founder of Bhandary Maha Mandal, Mumbai at a ceremony held at Town Hall here on Tuesday November 21.

The programme was inaugurated by Anisa Fathima, resident editor of daijiworld.com while bishop of Mangaluru diocese Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza presided over the programme.

Addressing the gathering, bishop Dr Aloysius said, "For 12 years Pingara Weekly has been honouring the people who have been rendering their selfless service to the society. So first, I want to congratulate Raymond D’Cunha and Pingara for the same.

"Secondly, I want to congratulate Suresh Bhandary for having been honoured here. He has helped the needy and followed the message of Jesus by helping the needy," he added.

"Before we go to the worship centers of our respective faiths we must help the needy around us. Only after we help them should we offer our prayers. If you do not love the people you see, how can you love the God you cannot see? Hence, if you help the needy you will be blessed abundently," he said.

Esha Vittaldasa Swamiji of Kemar Sandheepani Ashram said, "The award conferred on Suresh Kadandale is an honour to Kadandale. I have seen Suresh Bhandary helping the needy and yet denying to take the credit. We find people of such humbleness very rarely.

"We must see God in the poor. We must recognise the people who recognise the poor and help them," he added.

Minister for food and civil supplies U T Khader said, "When we are born we do not see or know to which religion the doctor and the nurse belong. The same applies when we are admitted to hospital with ailments. They treat us with care without seeing our religion. Likewise, we have to help all people in need irrespective of religious or other barriers.

"Some people ask me why I go to small food stalls for lunch despite being a minister. But it is in these food stalls that ordinary people like labourers, carpenters and other daily wage earners gather and have a wholehearted talk without any inhibitions. If you go to a five-star hotels, you will only see rich people with serious looks and tension on their faces," he pointed out.

"Suresh Bhandary is the ideal choice for the award. I congratulate him on behalf of the chief minister and people of this city and wish that the almighty gives him more strength to serve the needy," he said.

The minister also released two books, ’Biography of Suresh Bhandary’, ’Hejjeguruthu’, on the occasion.

Acknowledging the honour, Suresh Bhandary thanked the Pingara award selection jury. "It is my privilege to accept this award, and I dedicate it to the Bhandary community I belong to. None of the religions tell us to do bad in society. A religion is like a river which spreads prosperity along the path it flows. I feel that with this award my responsibility has increased."

Convenor of the selection committee and president of Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Academy Roy Castelino also spoke on the occasion. Editor and proprietor of Pingara Weekly Raymond D’Cunha welcomed the gathering, while Natalia D’Cunha proposed the vote of thanks.

K R Abbas, known as ’Junior Rajkumar’ entertained the gathering with a recital of Kannada film songs.

Joint convenor of the award selection committee Dharmadarshi Harikrishna Punaroor, vicar general of Mangaluru diocese, Msgr Denis Prabhu, PRO of Mangaluru diocese and committee co-ordinator Fr William Menezes, joint coordinator Elias Fernandes from Four Winds Mass Communications, former Corporation Bank general manager C G Pinto, president DK Working Journalists’ Association Jagannath Bala, and others were present.