List of Rachana award winners announced

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 6, 2012: Roy Castelino, president of Rachana, a forum of Catholic professionals, businessmen, and entrepreneurs, announced that the Rachana Awards for this year will be conferred on Prof. Hilda Rayappan (Woman of the Year), Walter D’Souza (Entrepreneur of the Year), Florine Pinto (Agriculturist of the Year), Dr. Oscar G. Concessao (Professional of the Year), and Mark Denis D’Souza of Sharjah (NRI Entrepreneur of the Year).

The awards will be conferred on the achievers at a glittering awards ceremony, scheduled to be held on Nov 25 at Milagres Jubilee Hall. Mangalore Diocese Bishop Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza will preside over the event, and Major General (retired) Ian Cardoza, chairman of rehabilitation, ministry of social justice and empowerment, Government of India, will be the chief guest.

The winners were selected by a jury comprising Fr. Valerian D’Souza, Marjorie Texeira, Veera Aranha, Captain J. P. Menezes, Dr. Derrick Lobo, Dr. Errol Pinto, Prof. Ivan Lobo, Pradeep D’Souza, CA Rudolf Rodrigues, and others.

Prof. Hilda Rayappan, winner of the Outstanding Woman of the Year Award, is the founder of Prajna Counselling Centre, Mangalore. She has been selected for this award for her contributions of over 3 decades in the field of social work.

Florine Pinto, winner of Agriculturist of the Year Award, is a progressive farmer who cultivates high-yielding crops such as coconut, paddy, pepper, areca nut, pepper, chikku, jambus, banana, pineapple, and others in a 20-acre plot.

Walter D’Souza, winner of the Rachana Entrepreneur of the Year Award, is the chairman of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations. He imports raw cashew nuts and exports cashew kernels and shell liquid from India. The Government of Karnataka has conferred the Best Exporter Award on him. He also happens to be the first and only cashew exporter to be elected as the chairman of Cashew Export Promotion Council of India from the state of Karnataka and also the first and only exporter to be elected as the chairman of the Federation of Indian Export Organization, ministry of commerce, Government of India.

Dr. Oscar Concessao, winner of the Professional of the Year Award, has won the India Buildings Congress National Award four times for excellence in built environment. He is also the winner of the honorary doctorate for modern architecture, Malaysia.

Mark Denis D’Souza, winner of the NRI Entrepreneur of the Year, founded Fortuna Engineering Works in 1986, which is today among the leading companies in the Gulf, which provides employment to Mangaloreans in particular and Indians in general.