Report by Shanthi Menezes.
On July 8th, 2023, the much anticipated picnic organised by UK Konkan’s took place attracting Mangalorean’s and the Konkani speaking community from all over the country. Over 100 people, children, teenagers, youth, and adult participated in this fun packed event.
The picnic is an annual event aimed at promoting physical well-being, fostering a sense of community, and celebrating Mangalorean culture through various sports activities.
This year the picnic was held at Bushy Park in Molesey, and participants prepared eagerly for a day filled with friendly competition and camaraderie.
As the people arrived at the venue, the skies opened, leading to torrential rain. The undeterred spirit of the organisational team and the participants kept the event alive.
Despite starting off with heavy rain, the event showcased the true spirit of sportsmanship and resilience.
Sylvester D’Souza, the President of UK Konkan welcomed the guests.
Our enthusiastic ladies- Charlotte and Clara managed the registration desk, welcome the guests and members, and ensured they were balanced in the three teams i.e., green, purple, and blue teams.
Delicious biryani and Chicken 65 were served for lunch. Special mention to Gretta for preparing raita for 100+ gathering and Kevin and Mini for their classic fruit presentation which vanished among the guests in seconds.
After lunch Raphael and Harry conducted a traditional Mangalorean coconut game. Two participants with coconut would roll the coconuts to bump into each other. The coconut that breaks would lose and the winner gets to keep the coconut. The winner of this game was Arun.
On the other hand, Kevin started the proceedings with a Dodge ball game for all ages. The competition was between the 3 teams and the green team won the dodge ball game with highest points.
Edgar created a unique and priceless game for kids -Mouse Game – was fabulous and all kids who participated enjoyed this game thoroughly.
Next game was ‘Konkan Relay’ comprising children and youth starting with Lemon and spoon, 3-legged race, and Sack race, followed by Ski walk game and sliding the playball team game. Ski walk gathered a lot of interest showcasing team spirit working in coordination, reminding us, we can all win when we work as a team.
The trademark Fundraising game ‘Annual Konkan Horse Race’ was conducted.
UK Konkan ladies helped selling the tickets. The horse colours were red, yellow, blue, and green.
Despite majority backing red, yellow, and blue horse, it was the dark horse of the day green Horse’ left the other horses behind after a slow start.
The hitting the Matka turned out to be most hilarious event of the day. Blindfolded and directions from the team members they need to strike the matka suspended in the air. Communication, listening, and precision skills were put to test.
The final event of the day was ‘Tug of War’. Due to the number of people competing, it was decided to run separate tug of war for Men and Women. It was found women were more aggressive and competitive than men in showing their muscle power.
The UK Konkan’s team were thrilled to see new faces who came for the first time to UK Konkan’s event. President of the UK Konkan – Sylvester Dsouza welcomed all the new guests and asked them to introduce themselves.
Finally, the results!
Green Team -the winners
Purple Team-Runners up
Blue Team- Second Runners up
The winning team was felicitated by Tom Dsouza.
Big shout out to our dear President – Sylvester DSouza for taking an active initiation in detail planning and task delegation and overall bringing the UK Konkan’s together.
Despite the initial setback of rain and traffic, the perseverance of the committee members, attendees and volunteers turned the day into a triumph of determination and team spirit. The day witnessed some exceptional participation, showcasing the true essence of sportsmanship and resilience.
The feedback from the attendees is also a testimony of the professional and meticulously executed of UK Konkan’s event.
Date for your diary:
UK Konkan’s Christmas Celebration
December 10th, 2023
Addlestone Community Hall
KT15 2NJ