SPEECH FOR DR B R SHETTY- Children's Festival

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much.

It is a pleasure being here with you all on this auspicious occasion of the 7th Children’s Festival.

I am very happy to come to Kala Jagatthu Chinnara Bimba as it gives me the rare privilege to address the brave little hearts who are being trained to take the mantle from us – the old custodians of traditional values. Further, we have the responsibility of handing over our cultural values to the present generation to keep the rich customs and traditions alive through various cultural activities like Yakshagana, Bhajans, Bhootaradhane, Folk Art Dance, Drama, Flower-Decor, Rangoli.

Before addressing the little ones, I would like to thank and acknowledge the tireless efforts of Mr. Prakash Bhandary, Mr. Vijaykumar Shetty and Mr. Surendrakumar Hegde who founded the Kala Jagatthu Chinnara Bimba in the year 2003 with the objective of inculcating spiritual and traditional values in children between the age group of 8-14 years.

The last seven years has seen the organization rendering yeomen service to the younger generations of Kannadigas settled in Mumbai, by conducting numerous workshops and tours for the children, wherein thousands of children from our community have gained knowledge and insights into the rich heritage of our art, culture, language, literature, customs and traditions.

It is heartening to see children, who may have drifted away from their culture, forge a link with their traditions. Cultural workshops like these give them a chance to become well-versed with their roots, which later helps them to develop a multi-dimensional personality, enabling and empowering them to face the competitive environment.

Today, I am confident that the efforts of these trios have immensely helped in transforming the future of our children. This is evident from the radiant faces of our children and the elders sitting here. Remember children that you have to learn and lead by the examples depicted in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

We Should Stand United

As a community, we need to progress together. We have to strive for a better tomorrow. We have to dream for a better future. And this is possible only when we stay together. This togetherness is possible through institutions like Kala Jagatthu Chinnara Bimba, which enables you to operate in the centre of the field of ethical behaviour and never on the side lines.


Children Are Like sponge
Being quick learners, they absorb everything. You children are extremely observant and notice every little thing surrounding you. A child is extremely sensitive to the environments they live in. I have seen most children when they are young, they do what they like doing. And as a child you don’t control the urge to do what you feel like doing. But as you grow, you tend to hold yourself back. Because you are conditioned by the environment that you live in, including your parents, siblings, teachers, neighbours, cultures, and the people whom you meet and interact on daily basis.

Fulfillment of the child’s urges need to be encouraged through an institution, which can explore their hidden potentials and capabilities. That is where institution like yours has a role to play in order to encourage each student to take risks, exercise initiative, deliver quality results, and lastly never be afraid to make mistakes.

As elders, that’s where we need to be careful. We need to give children full freedom to express their emotions and creativity and should not kill their urge to do things. We should encourage children to fulfill their creative urges and give them proper guidance to do so.

Secret Behind My Success
For the last 30 years, people have been asking me about the secret behind my success. My answer to them has been that I as a child, was brought up in a traditional environment with certain values, which laid the foundation for who I am today and led me to fulfill my humble dreams. To this day, I recollect my mother’s words: “It is in your private hearing that you meet life and its challenges.” I believe I began there; her words are the blessed solid foundation on which I have been building myself, my dreams and my big family. Let us not forget one thing that despite success we should create and maintain an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. This alone can differentiate you from others and establish your own identity.

It is the hunger for your dreams that lead you taste success. You may or may not get external support. But never ever lose hope. Never give up or fear rejection! Tell your mind that you can do it and trust me you would be able to do so. Your mind can do wonders for you provided that you conduct your personal and scholastic life in a manner that will bring credit to yourself, your family and our society at all times.

Start Taking Responsibility
How do we do it? Always remember your life is in your hands. We often wish, if we had a little more time, a little more money or a little more of affection, and then we could have been happy. But, rather than complaining, let’s suppose that we have all these things. Be happy and start doing things with a positive state of mind. You will observe the difference. But, feel free to listen to people and be open to new ideas.

This advice is not only for the children but for all those who are sitting here. Nobody can make or break your future; it is the power of your thoughts that can change your life. We always look for external help but fail to seek help from self. That’s where we go wrong. Start looking inwards and you will start getting answers. So then success will knock at your door and greet you. Remember, purity of intention needs to be ensured so that you can command respect. Dream big! there are people around you to help. All you have to do is to reach out to people and ask. So, let us do what we say and even a bit more.

Start Getting Involved
I really want all of you to participate and get involved in our community activities. We need to serve our people and address their burgeoning problems. For which we need to create a supportive environment, which can help us to understand each other better. Believe in karma, what you give is, what you get back. So if you give in full measures, you will receive the same from unexpected quarters. If we can continue to make a difference in people's lives and bring a smile to their faces, then we will always remain strong as a community.

Before I conclude, I would like to touch upon that you are so privileged to be part of an institution which is committed to become the beehive of cultural activities over the next few years, providing an effective platform to learn about your culture and traditions with special emphasis on values like courage, discipline, dedication and above all patriotism.

I wish all our children get an admission into this great educational institution so that our society will remain safer in the hands of our future generations. And finally, while we are building the pillars of our greater society... have fun. May God bless all of you!


Thank You.