Veerarani Abbakka Awards to be conferred on 2 women achievers

Veerarani Abbakka Awards to be conferred on 2 women achievers

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 15: MLA U. T. Khader announced during a press conference held at Hotel Woodlands on May 15, Saturday that the Veerarani Abbakka Award will be conferred on Geetha Bai and Shakunthala Bhat in recognition of their contributions to sports and literature, respectively, on the occasion of the 7th Veerarani Abbakka Utsav 2010. 

Speaking about the utsav, he said that the Veerarani Abbakka Utsav Committee and the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy are jointly organizing the utsav at late Chandappa Auditorium at Thokkottu on May 22 – 23. 

State Home Minister Dr. V. S. Acharya and District-in-charge Minister Krishna J. Palemar will confer the awards on the winners during the valedictory ceremony. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 10,000. 

Mrs. Shakunthala Bhat has written a number of plays, novels, radio plays, poems, and other works in both Tulu and Kannada, owing to which the Veerarani Abbakka Prashasthi will be conferred on her. Geetha Bai is an international power lifting champion who represented India in various competitions, owing to which the Veerarani Abbakka Puraskar will be conferred on her. 

Fr. Denis, Stella, Vani Alva, Padmavathi, K. Jayaram Shetty, Bhaskar Rai Kukkuvalli, and others were present during the press conference.