Kavita annual Konkani Fest to be held in Bela on January 8
Kasaragod: Bela, a place known as the capital of the Konkani-speaking community in Kerala is all set to host Kavita Fest, the annual poetry festival hosted by Kavita Trust.
The day-long event includes poetry-related activities scheduled to be held in the courtyard of Stany Bela here on Sunday, January 8. Poets and poetry lovers from Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Kerala will take part in the event.
The programme will begin at 9 am with a procession accompanied by bands. The final round of Nelson and Lavina Rodrics, Cha Fra D Costa Memorial Poetry Recitation Competition will be held after the inaugural event.
Eminent Konkani author and journalist Austine D'Souza Prabhu will inaugurate the festival. Stany Bela, Konkani author, and Anwesha Singbal, president, KBM Goa, will attend as guests of honours.
Santhosh Perla, a renowned leader and a writer from the Konkani-speaking community in Kerala, will participate in an interactive session in the afternoon. Trustee of Kavita Trust and author William Pais will chair the session.
A collection of poems titled 'Chiturleche Acche Din' by Wilson Kateel will be released on the occasion.
Prashanth Naik, president, Nirakar Education Society and former president, KBM, Goa, will be the chief guest for the valedictory session.
Rathnamala Divakar, author, lyricist and former vice-president, KBM, and Gokulnath Prabhu, NRI entrepreneur, will be the guests of honour.
Poet Indu Ashok Gerusoppe will be honoured with Mathias Family Poetry Award. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a memento and a certificate.
Bela is a village situated in Kerala and represents the highest number of Konkani-speaking people in Kerala. Although Malayalam is the state language, Konkani still has a strong influence over the village art and culture like in coastal Karnataka and Goa.
It is said that more than 25,000 Konkani-speaking people reside in various parts of Kasargod district, which has a major share compared to other districts of Kerala.
Christians, Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins and Rama Saraswatha Brahmins are the major religion-based communities who speak Konkani as mother tongue in Kerala, especially in Kasargod district.
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Several Gurugram schools receive hoax bomb threats
Gurugram (PTI): Several Gurugram schools received another hoax bomb threat emails on Wednesday morning, prompting police to launch searches on the premises.
Police said the email was sent by the 'Khalistan National Army', with threats issued to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to declare April 29 as the "40th Khalistan Declaration Day". It also threatened to bomb the Red Fort in Delhi.
Police said it was a hoax as no suspicious items were found after an intensive search.
Several schools, including Shri Ram, Amity, and the HDFC school, received threatening emails at 8.33 am, when classes had already begun, police said.
The school administrations became aware of the threats around 9 am and immediately informed the police, a senior police officer said.
The schools immediately implemented emergency protocols, with many declaring a holiday and asking parents to take their children home safely, the officer said.
A large number of anxious parents gathered outside the schools, as police and bomb squad teams reached the spots and started checks.
"Around 10 schools have approached the police from morning until now over bomb threats. Police teams are alert, and searches are underway on all the premises", the officer said.
As soon as the information about this email was received, police in Gurugram and Delhi swung into action and started investigation.
Schools immediately implemented emergency protocols upon receiving the mail. Many schools declared a holiday and sent messages to parents, asking them to take their children home. Large crowds of parents gathered outside the schools.
The schools were sanitised by sending a bomb disposal squad as well as a dog squad.
A senior police officer said that police teams thoroughly searched the school premises, classrooms, buildings, and surrounding areas. No suspicious objects or explosive materials were found during the investigation.
"Police teams are seriously investigating the entire matter. Cyber experts are being consulted to determine the authenticity of the email, its source, and the identity of the sender", added the officer.
This is the third time since January that schools have received fake bomb threats.
In March, at least a dozen schools in the city received bomb threat emails, which later turned out to be hoaxes.
Similarly, on January 28, as many as 13 schools received hoax bomb threats via email, forcing authorities to evacuate campuses and suspend classes.
Last month, police arrested a Bangladeshi national whose email ID was allegedly used to make a bomb threat for some payment.
