The Welcome Address by Mr. Vinod Noronha, Secretary General and the opening prayer by Fr. Aloysius Furtado, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Dolours Church, Wadala, set the right tone for the evening. Next in line were entertainment items put up by the Sabha Parish Units of St. John the Evangelist Marol, Our Lady of Lourdes Sion, St. Joseph the Worker Bandra East and St. Paul’s Dadar. As darkness set in, a well presented power point presentation enlightened the crowd about the various aspects of the Bombay Catholic Sabha and highlights of the activities conducted over the last two years.

It was now time for the main act. The President, Mr. Dolphy D’Souza escorted the Chief Guest Bishop Bosco Penha, Ms Teesta Setalvad, Mr. Gurudas Kamat, President, MRCC and other dignitaries who included Mr. M. Venkatraman, Chief Operating Officer of DNA, Mrs. Grace Pinto of Ryan International School, Mr. R.D. Shinde Kalyan Municipal Commissioner, Mr. Rajesh Athaide of St. Angelo’s Computers, Mr. R.B. Donald and Dr. Louis D’Silva the former Presidents, Maj. Gen. Eustace D’Souza, Mr. Elias Vaz Secretary General of AICU, to the dais along with the principal office bearers. Mr. Eknath Gaikwad M.P. and Dr. Javed Khan former Cabinet Minister, later also joined the gathering on the dais. For the first time the Sabha decided to honour and felicitate some of the achievers in the community for their outstanding work in their respective fields as also their immense contribution to society. The awardees for the evening were Sr. Christobel, Fr. Allwyn D’Silva, Mr. Albert W. D’Souza, Fr. Felix D’Souza and Dr. Earnest Joseph John II. As Ms Rita D’Sa, Vice President, highlighted the achievements of each awardee, they were presented with a floral tribute and memento to the accompaniment of thunderous applause. The President then eloquently welcomed Bishop Bosco Penha, Ms Teesta Setalvad and Mr. Gurudas Kamat, briefly highlighting their profiles followed by a floral tribute and presentation of mementos to each of them. Each of the speakers then gave a powerful message to the gathering. Ms Teesta Setalvad while reliving some of her experiences exhorted the crowd to stand up and fight for justice as also demand from the government what they are legitimately supposed to do. Mr. Gurudas Kamat explained the flip side of politics and through examples highlighted how good middleclass people can also make it into politics provided they have the commitment, dedication and the will to serve the citizens. He urged every adult voter to consciously cast their vote and ensure they bring in the right government. Bishop Bosco Penha while gratefully appreciating the various activities and involvement of the BCS, highlighted the thrust areas as political and socio economic. He urged the Sabha to remain focused on these thrust areas in order to serve the larger community more effectively. He reinforced the need for personal prayer and spirituality which is essential for fruitful functioning. Lastly, he expressed a keen desire that all Sabha members also get involved with the Small Christian Communities at the grassroots as this is what the Church is all about.

Prof Lilla D’Souza, Vice President was then invited to conduct the Best Unit Award Ceremony. While highlighting the achievements and number of activities conducted by many units, she expressed her joy at the close competition between a number of units which speaks for the vibrancy at the unit level. The Best Unit Trophy was awarded to St. Francis Xavier Unit Vile Parle while Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Chembur bagged the Runners Up Trophy. A special trophy was awarded to the Most Promising Upcoming Unit which went to the Unit of St. Stephen’s Cumballa Hill. This was followed by the release of the Souvenir at the hands of Bishop Agnelo Gracias.

Thereafter, we had one more unique activity – the release of the Sabha Anthem and the entire gathering stood while the Anthem was played. The lyrics of the Anthem have been written by Ms Marcia D’Cunha and the same has been set to music by Mr. Kenneth D’Souza. Ms Marcia D’Cunha highlight the key components of the Anthem and urged units to play the same before their programmes.

The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Mr. Thomas X Sequeira, Hon. Treasurer followed by the singing of the National Anthem. As Sr. Christobel said the grace before meals the entire crowd silently praised and thanked the Lord for the beautiful evening spent together as also the sumptuous buffet to follow. Mr. Roy Fernandes, the caterer for the evening, kept the taste buds tickling with delicious snacks followed by an exquisite dinner.

There was a large array of prizes thanks to very generous donors, and as the winners were declared there were cheers and applause from the crowds, each one hoping to be the next lucky person.

As the programme drew to a close, there was an immense satisfaction of an evening well spent. This day will certainly stand out as a landmark turning point for the Sabha as new bridges are built and new heights scaled. It was an evening of fun and relaxation, an evening of bonding and building new relationships. Each one left loaded with memories of a new kind, with promises of a great future for the Sabhaites.

Special mention must be made of our Compere for the evening Mr. Adrian Rosario. His professional approach, perfect diction and well articulated deliveries saw the programme through to perfection. Thank you Adrian. Thanks also to Aurelius Sound for making the evening so audible. Thanks also go out to the Organizing Committee under the leadership of the Convener Ms Rita D’Sa and Secretary Mr. Anand Castelino, for meticulously planning the progamme and overseeing every minute detail.

And long after the evening is over we look back with fond memories of the event and our hearts are warmed with the reassuring comfort that this could certainly be a regular feature henceforth on the Sahha itenary. Thank you one and all for making the day possible.