Udupi: Daiji Dubai celebrates Fourteenth Anniversary with thriller “Aami Nathlyaa Vellar”

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 26 Jan 2013: Daiji Dubai, a forum of Konkani writers in the UAE, celebrated its fourteenth anniversary with great fanfare by presenting the thriller drama ’Aami Nathlyaa Vellar’, before the packed Poornaprajna College Auditorium on Saturday, January 26, 2013in the evening. 

 

This was for the first time in the history of Daiji Dubai that the grand anniversary event was organized outside Dubai.

 

Prior to the presentation of the play, a stage programme was organized from 4.15 pm. Bishop of Udupi Dr Gerlad Isaac Lobo, Udupi-Chikmagalur MP J P hegde and NRE entrepreneur Ronald Colaco were the chief guests of the function whereas Rohan Monteiro of Rohan Corporation and Joseph Mathias of Merit Freight Dubai were the guests of honour.

 

During the programme, the 14th Daiji Dubai Annual Literary Award was conferred on renowned Konkani writer and activist Dr Edward Nazareth. Dr. and Mrs. Nazareth were ushered to the stage from the entrance of the hall in procession to the loud sound of the ’chende’ and canopy held over their heads. Seated on the special chairs, the couple was honoured with shawl, garland, citation and a cheque of Rs.50,000/-

 

In his reply to the honour, Dr. Edward Nazareth briefly traced his literary journey and thanked all those editors of various Konkani weeklies and monthlies who had given him the print space in their journals and magazines. 

 

A collection of Konkani short stories by 14 Daiji Dubai annual literary award winners, published by Daiji Publication was released by Konkan Myna Meena Rebimbus.

 

Speaking at this occasion Mr. Ronald Colaco said that after the foundation of Daiji Dubai fourteen years ago there has been the growth of a number of such associations associated with different parishes of the twin districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. He expressed his happiness over the awareness of the people from these districts living in the Gulf countries the need to organize themselves. He made an appeal to these associations to contribute in any way in building a strong Diocese of Udupi which was recently carved out of the Mangalore Diocese. He traced the growth of Daiji Media Network and its impact on the people of the coastal region living throughout the world.

 

 

In his speech, Mr. Jayaprakash Hegde said that his election campaign started with Daijiworld.com and appreciated the work that the media has been doing in information technology. He emphasized on the need of preserving the  fabric of secularism in this country and asked the people to shun all those elements who try to spread communal venom in the society.

 

Most. Rev. Dr. Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi expressed happiness to be present on the occasion of the celebration of the 14th anniversary of Daiji Dubai. He also pointed out that recently he has been attending programmes organized by some of those associations which were established in the Gulf Countries and doing a lot of good work for the people of their respective parishes.

 

 

With the end of the stage programme, the most awaited special attraction of the event ’Aami Nathlyaa Vellar’, the super hit drama translated into Konkani by Richard Pereira from Ramanda Choorya’s Kannada play ’Naavilladaga’, originally written in Marathi in the 1960s by Madhusudhan Kalelkar was staged from 5.30 pm that ended at 9pm with 10 minutes break in between. The thriller is an adaptation of the sensational ‘Nanavati Case’. In the adaptation of the incident, the translators have changed the names to suit the language in which the play was written and translated. In ’Aami Nathlyaa Vellar’, the name of Commander Nanavati has been adapted to Commander Herman Sequeira, Nanavati’s wife Sylvia as Gloria and Prem Ahuja as Sunil.

 

All the actors of ’Aami Nathlyaa Vellar’ who had arrived from Dubai to present the play performed very well and in a convincing manner. Dayn D’Souza, who directed this play and also performed the role of the teacher of Herman mesmerized the audience with his forceful and natural acting.  Walter Nandalike as Commander Herman, Asha Correa as Gloria, Alphonse D’Souza as Sunil Kumar and Nanu Marol as retired judge of the High Court did justice to their roles. Other actors included Reagan Fernandes as Bunty, son of Herman and Gloria, Cynthia Irene Pinto as Florine, sister of Sunil Kumar, Alwyn Pinto as Judge and Pradeep Paladka as Public Prosecutor. Comic relief was provided by Godwin Castelino as Benna and Lavina Fernandes as Minna.

 

THE NANAVATI CASE:

 

Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra was a 1959 Indian court case where Nanavati, a Naval Commander, was tried for the murder of Prem Ahuja, his wife’s lover. With Nanavati frequently away on assignments, the lonely Sylvia fell in love with Prem Bhagwandas Ahuja, a friend of Nanavati.

 
On April 27, 1959, Nanavati returned home from one of his assignments and finding Sylvia aloof and distant, he questioned her. Sylvia, who now doubted Ahuja’s intention to marry her, confessed about the affair to her husband.

 

Nanavati went to the Naval base, collected his pistol on a false pretext from the stores along with six cartridges, completed his official duties and proceeded to Ahuja’s office. On not finding him there went straight to his flat.

 

At Ahuja’s residence, Nanavati confronted him and asked him whether he intended to marry Sylvia and accept their children. After Ahuja replied in the negative, three shots were fired and Ahuja dropped dead.

 

Nanavati headed straight to confess to the Provost Marshal of the Western Naval Command and on his advice, turned himself in to the Deputy Commissioner of Police. The jury in the Greater Bombay Sessions court pronounced Nanavati as not guilty.

 

In the Bombay High Court, the defence put forth their version of the incident, for which there were no witnesses other than the two men. The High Court agreed with the prosecution’s argument that the murder was premeditated and sentenced Nanavati to life imprisonment for culpable homicide amounting to murder.

 

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction. Nanavati spent three years in prison. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, then governor of Maharashtra, pardoned Nanavati. After his release, Nanavati, along with his family emigrated to Canada. Nanavati died in 2003.