Neelamma Poojarthi Paldodi inaugurates Rani Abbakka festival

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore May 30: The inauguration of the Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava 2010 was held at the Tokottu Chandappa Prangana Tulunada Siri Dompa Rani Abbakka Vedike on May 30, Sunday. The event, which was supposed to have been held on May 22, was postponed to May 30 owing to the tragic plane crash at Mangalore International Airport. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior folk artist Neelamma Poojarthi Paldodi inaugurated the event and sang a Paddana, a Tulu traditional song. President of DK Kannada Sahitya Parishad Pradeep Kumar Kalkura delivered the inaugural address and said that the name of Rani Abbakka hid a slogan. He voiced his opinion that freedom fighters should not only be remembered, but also their ideals should be followed. 

MLA U. T. Khader said that the ideals of the past should be revived by organizing events such as Abbakka Utsava, otherwise they will be lost forever. Expressing his regret over the decline of value education, he remembered the golden past in which teachers would narrate stories of great people even if they weren’t included in the syllabus, adding that this method of teaching students is now almost nonexistent. He promised the audience that he would raise the issue of including storied of great people such as Rani Abbakka in school syllabi during the Assembly. 

President of Beary Sahithya Academy B. M. Abdul Rahman, President of Zilla Panchayat Santhosh Kumar Bhandary, President of Taluk Panchayat Ramachandra Kumpala, Congress leader Ivan D’Souza, Vice President of Women and Child Development Department Shakunthala, and Administrator of Fr. Muller Hospital Dr. Dennis D’Sa were also present for the inauguration ceremony.