MLC Ivan to hold 10th ‘Bhavaikyateya Deepavali’ On Oct 31

Mangaluru: The 10th ‘Bhavaikyateya Deepavali', a festival of communal harmony, will be celebrated under the leadership of MLC Ivan D'Souza at the Suvarna Kala Mantapa of Kadri Park in the city on Oct 31.
Briefing media persons here on Saturday, D'Souza said that the sole purpose of celebrating Deepavali is to bring people from all communities together."Under my leadership, people from various communities have come together to celebrate Deepavali, Christmas, and Ramzan for the past nine years, fostering a message of harmony. These festivals have been instrumental in bringing people closer and promoting unity. Preparations are under way to make the celebrations successful through a committee headed by J Nagendra Kumar as the convener. Drawing, ‘kunitha bhajane' and ‘goodu deepa' competitions will be conducted as a part of the festival," he said.
The Kunitha bhajane, which was introduced last year, witnessed the participation of 12 teams. Each team should not exceed more than 10 participants, and they will have 20 minutes to present. The first, second, and third place winners will be given Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000, and Rs 5,000, respectively. Meanwhile, all participating teams will be given an honorarium of Rs 1,000 each.
The MLC said the participants in the drawing competition should create paintings on Deepavali celebrations. The competitions will be held in four separate categories for students of primary schools, high schools, PU colleges, and degree colleges and above. The first, second, and third place winners will be given Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000, and Rs 2,000, respectively, he said.
Meanwhile, the goodu deepa competition will be held in two categories—traditional and modern—D'Souza said, adding that over 300 participants are expected to create goodu deepa during the competition. The first, second, and third place winners will be given Rs 7,000, Rs 5,000, and Rs 3,000, respectively, he said.