Sandesha Awards 2024: Eight Distinguished Achievers in Literature, Arts, Media, Social Work, and Education Honoured – KONKANCATHOLIC.COM

Sandesha Awards 2024: Eight Distinguished Achievers in Literature, Arts, Media, Social Work, and Education Honoured

February 12, 2024

Mangaluru, Feb. 11, 2024: The Sandesha Awards 2024 were bestowed upon eight distinguished individuals in a splendid ceremony held at the Sandesha Institute grounds on Tuesday, February 11, 2024.

Sandesha Awardees 2024:
• Sandesha Kannada Literature Award: B. A. Viveka Rai
• Sandesha Konkani Literature Award: Valerian Quadras
• Sandesha Tulu Literature Award: Muddu Moodubele
• Sandesha Media Award: Abdussalam Puttige
• Sandesha Konkani Music Award: Alwyn Dcunha
• Sandesha Art Award: Chandranth Acharya
• Sandesha Education Award: Hucchamma
• Sandesha Special Award: Jana Shikshana Trust

During the event, U T Khader, the chief guest and speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, expressed joy at being part of the Sandesha Foundation’s awards ceremony. He commended the Foundation for not only imparting arts and culture but also recognizing and honouring deserving individuals. Khader emphasized the transformative impact of Sandesha, expressing gratitude for the sacrifices of its founding members. He asserted the belief that culture serves as a window to reach hearts, considering customs, traditions, and unity as true indices of prosperity.


Addressing the gathering, Dr. Peter Machado, Archbishop of Bangalore and president of the Karnataka Regional Bishops Conference, highlighted the significance of arts and culture in expressing the divine. He praised Sandesha as a gathering place fostering these aspects and underscored the importance of instilling values in children amidst societal pressures.

Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore, likened the unity in diverse cultures to the oneness felt in places of worship. Stressing the importance of bandhutva (brotherhood), he emphasised the shared values that bring people together.

Dr. Henry D’Souza, the Bishop of Bellary and chairman of the institute, urged the audience to focus on personal growth rather than birth circumstances. He appreciated the awardees and emphasized using art and culture to attract a wider audience. He also advocated for leveraging social media and artificial intelligence for promotion and environmental protection.

Representing all the Sandesha Awards 24 recipients, Prof. B. A. Vivek Rai expressed gratitude to the organizers for upholding tradition. He emphasized the sense of oneness prevailing regardless of caste, class, culture, or language, creating a feeling of a global family. Prof. Rai highlighted the Sandesha Institute and its awards as exemplifying this unity. He encouraged the younger generation to cherish what has been built and urged them not to break this unity for trivial reasons.

The unveiling of the second regional convention logo of YCS, YSM, with the theme of a self-sustaining GEN-Z world, marked a significant moment during the event.

Dr. Sudeep Paul, Director, Sandesha Foundation, delivered the welcome speech, and Roy Castelino, Trustee, Sandesha, expressed gratitude in the vote of thanks. Concepta Alva skillfully compered the event.

Dr Chinappa Gowda, Dr Na Da Shetty, Mr Kishore Gonsalves, Smt. Concepta Alva, Adv. B. A. Hanif, and members of the Sandesha were also present, contributing to the success of this memorable occasion.

About the Sandesha Foundation for Culture and Education:
Established in 1989 and registered as a charitable institution in 1991, the Sandesha Foundation for Culture and Education, Mangaluru, strives to build a value-based society by promoting harmony through the support of art, culture, education, and folklore-related activities. It serves as an educational institution offering training in music, dance, art, painting, journalism, media education, public speaking, and various related courses. The Sandesha Foundation organizes workshops on drama, poetry, media, and other subjects, fostering collaboration among people from diverse backgrounds.

Sandesha Awards:
The ‘Sandesha Awards’ programme, a significant annual event of the Sandesha Foundation, aims to recognize and appreciate outstanding and value-based contributions across Literature, Journalism, Arts, education, music, media, and social service.