Nadabhinandana held in honor of N. Damodar Shetty on his 60th birthday

Nadabhinandana held in honor of N. Damodar Shetty on his 60th birthday

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, February 11, 2012 : N. Damodar Shetty was honored at a special felicitation ceremony titled Nadabhinandana held in Town Hall on the occasion of his 60th birth anniversary. He had recently retired as the professor of the department of Kannada at St. Aloysius College.

The dignitaries on the dais were Girish Kasaravalli, the widely acclaimed film director; B. A. Vivek Rai, the visiting professor at Warzburg University of Germany; Fr. Francis Serrao, the provincial of the Karnataka Jesuits; B. Jayashree, the Rajyasabha MP; Prabhan Gurdatt, the linguist; Dr. C. N. Ramachandran, the retired English professor; and many others.

 

Sunil Abraham painted a caricature of N. Damodar Shetty, popularly known as Nada, on a canvas raised in front of the dais, with some assistance from Praveen Poojary, an artist from Yenepoya University.

Delivering the inaugural address, Mr. Nisar Ahmed spoke of the importance of protecting Kannada from the onslaught of liberalization and globalization.  Expressing his appreciation of Nada, he said that Nada’s contributions as a promoter of literature and an organizer has to be acknowledged because he has worked tirelessly as a teacher, organizer, writer, and dramatist. He also stated that Nada has set an example for the younger generation through his personality and writings.

Mr. Gurudatt released Nadaloka, a book written in commemoration of Nada, and said that Nada and his friends had immortalized the genius S. V. Parameshwar Bhat by instituting an award in his name. Expressing his appreciation of Nada’s translation skills, he said that the books translated by Nada appeared original. Stating that Nada has played the role of the bridge between Malayalam and Kannada, he said that young writers have a lot to learn from him. His book on K. V. Subbanna, which he edited for the Kuvempu Bhasha Bharathi, hardly needed any revision.

Speaking on the occasion, P. Jayaram Bhat, the managing director of Karnataka Bank, and Dr. Sabiha of the department of Kannada, Mangalore University, also spoke about Nada.

Jayashree released a CD titled Nada Bhava, a musical tribute to Nada comprising 8 songs.

Delivering the presidential address, Fr. Francis Serrao spoke about Nada’s greatness as a teacher and his ability to bring textbooks to life. He also spoke of Nada’s generosity toward poor students.

Prof. A. M. Narahari delivered the welcome address and Shrinivas Deshpande delivered the vote of thanks. Dr. Mohan Alva, the chairman of the felicitation committee, was also present.

A number of literary sessions and a sugama sangeetha presentation formed part of the inauguration ceremony.