Bangalore: SPKK’s AGM and Annual Picnic to Canterbury Castles

By:Roy D’Cunha & Simon Lasrado

Bangalore, 21 January 2010: Mixing business with pleasure.  That’s how SPKK decided to conduct its Annual General Meeting (AGM) this time around and what better place that Canterbury Castles (CC) to do it in.  Members of SPKK and guests, gathered at the start point (near Leela Palace hotel) at 7 am sharp on Sunday, 17th January 2010 and started off to the picturesque resort of CC by bus.  The nearly two hour journey was an action packed one with almost everyone on the bus singing & dancing and making merry.  We reached CC at around 9:30 am and were served breakfast on arrival organized by SPKK.

A word about Canterbury’s Castles.   This resort is located away from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore city, very near to the foot of Nandi Hills. The project founded and owned by Mr Leo Quadros has a glimpse of the Old English era; named after the famous city Canterbury immortalized by Chaucer in his book Canterbury Tales, the name itself radiates royalty and splendor. An epitome of luxury, the Township offers you a panoramic view of the exhilarating Nandi Hills. Basked in the endless greenery of the countryside, CC is away from the noise of the city, yet minutes away from civilization in terms of all your modern requirements.   We were all taken on a guided tour around this well planned and lavishly built resort which covers about 120 to 170 acres of land.   We would like to express our since thanks to Leo & Juliet Quadros for providing us the location amenities and other support.

The first part of the day’s programme was the conducting of the AGM. It was kicked off with a welcome address by SPKK President, R.J.Saldanha  who thanked everyone for making it despite their busy schedules.  He presided over the function along with Vice President-Roy D’Cunha, Secretary–Anthony Monteiro and Treasurer–Charles Noronha. This was followed by a condolence prayer and a minute of silence for all the departed souls. All participants were then introduced by their respective ‘heads of family’ and new members were welcomed gladly. Minutes of the last AGM (2008-09) were read out by Committee Member, Maxi Fernandes & passed unanimously. The Annual Report for 2009-10 was presented by Anthony Monteiro, which was followed by the presentation of the Finance Report 2009-10 by Charles Noronha.

The resolutions to pass the above reports were done unanimously. Open House discussions followed in which members expressed their interests, concerns and many other points of relevance which were noted down by the Committee for review and later action.  This was followed by the much awaited Raffle Coupon Draw of SPKK, which saw winners walking away (though not literally, since prizes were to be handed over later) with a Food Processor, Mixer, among other things. The AGM concluded with a vote of thanks by SPKK Committee Member, Joe Mascarenhas who thanked everyone for making the past one year so memorable with their support and contribution and also making this AGM a smooth & successful one.  Maxi Fernandes, SPKK Committee Member did a great job, conducting and facilitating the course of the AGM.

The second part of the day’s programme was the entertainment part – which was a huge success, thanks to the whole hearted participation of the entire gathering.  Roy D’Cunha and his team comprising of Joe & Jerome Mascarenhas and the Youth of SPKK organized all the games & activities.  A lot of fun games were held in various categories and all participants & spectators enjoyed themselves thoroughly.  Children and adults alike, dipped into the beautiful swimming pools and enjoyed their share of fun in the sparkling clean water in the pool.  One of the highlights of the events was the game, ‘Guess’ which had members organized into teams guessing various popular Konkani tunes that were played out.  It was a very competitive & fun event.  The ‘Bar’ was open to all & drinks were available at very nominal prices.

Other games which drew a good response and excitement were Tower of Babylon, Laugh out Aloud, Crowning Glory and the hilarious Couples Crush!!  Lunch was a very delicious affair with hot yummy chicken kababs prepared on location being the perfect compliment to those who were in ‘high spirits’. The ‘Dukkor Ball’, a simplified version of the ever popular Dodge Ball game, was a huge fun activity on the field. A short skit on ‘French enlightenment’ was organized by a couple of the youth, Ramona & Venissa which made the audience & children in particular have a hearty laugh.  The talented duo, brothers Joe & Jerome entertained the audience with their singing & music.  Amidst all these activities, we did find time towards the end to conduct a quick auction of Liquor too!  Special thanks to Robert Lewis for capturing the day’s activities so vividly on camera.

The day ended with R.J.Saldanha, President thanking everyone for their participation and making the day a memorable one for all.  He also had a special word of appreciation to the Committee members led by Roy (who later attributed the success to the youth of SPKK) for making the day so enjoyable and entertaining.  We departed from CC at 6:15 pm to reach the final destination near Leela Palace Hotel at 8:15 pm after which everyone dispersed to their respective homes.

A great day, enjoyed by all, to be cherished for many days to come.