Navi Mumbai: Bunts organise cultural meet, Rahul Dravid to be chief guest

The sports committee of Bunts sangh has been organising Bunts annual sport meet since years with hundreds of sportpersons taking part in the events and thousands of people participating.

Continuing the tradition, Bunts community is organising a cultural meet today at DY Patil University ground, Nerul. The chief guest for the programme will be Rahul Dravid, including other celebrities. Guardian minister Ganesh Naik, MP Sanjeev Naik, MLA Prashant Thakur, mayor Sagar Naik, former chief minister Ashok Chavan will also be present. Sports like running and throw ball competition for women and tug of war for men and women have been organised.

The chairman of Bunt sangh in Navi Mumbai is Bhaskar M Shetty. Bunts sangh was founded in 1927 and is a registered organisation since 86 years. The sangh is dedicated to social, economic, educational and cultural enrichment of the people of Mumbai. The community, right from its inception, had taken upon itself, the responsibility of educating the poor and needy, irrespective of caste or creed.

With this objective in mind, it has been conducting two free night high schools, awarding scholarships, distributing free books and uniforms and is also pursuing a good students’ adoption programme. These facilities have enabled many students from poorer sections to become successful hoteliers, businessmen and officials.

Santosh Shetty, Congress corporator, said, “Scholarship of Rs5 crore is given to the students of the community.” The sangh has an English medium school, college, international school and management studies institute in the its SM Shetty Institutions. This school and college is a humble contribution by Bunts to this great metropolis.

For the progress of the future generation of the country, Bunts is providing higher education and has become paramount in their agenda. They also started a commerce, catering and management college near Buntara Bhavana complex at Kurla (E).

The sangh has its own community centre in Mumbai, which houses community halls of different sizes, a cooperative credit society, a free health care centre and a students hostel. In the field of health care, the Bunts health care centre provides comprehensive medical service to the members.

The women of the community are involved in supporting the cause of poor women through financial assistance, marriage funding and education to the children through scholarships and adoptions. They also have a service centre that houses an old age home for women, women hostel, library and a charitable dispensary.