Mangalore: BAPASI Award Conferred on Konkani Writer Edwin J F D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (VD)

Mangalore, Apr 21: The Book Sellers' And Publishers' Association of South India, Chennai (BAPASI) has conferred the prestigious Kalaignar M Karunanidhi Porkizhi Award on Konkani litterateur Edwin J F D'Souza for his Life Time Contribution to Konkani Literature. The award ceremony will be held on Monday April 23 at Annamalai Mantram, Barry's Corner, Chennai.

This is the first time that this association is conferring an Award to a writer in Minority language. Readers may recollect that Edwin's  'Chocolates,' an anthology of Konkani short stories translated into English by him was published from Chennai by English Titles Publications.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lac and a citation.

The writer has to his credit, nine literary awards, namely Goa Konkani Academy Award, two Louis Mascarenhas Foundation Awards, TMA Pai Foundation Award, Konkani Bhasha Mandal Goa, two Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy Awards for literature, Sandesha Prathistan award for Konkani Literature and Daiji Dubai Puraskaar for Konkani Literature.

At 63, Edwin J F D'Souza is a very content Konkani littérateur with 33 novels to his credit, nine literary awards, one Konkani film (Bhoxanne) scripted by him and a prestigious membership of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi (2008-2012). He was the president of the 11 th All India Konkani Sahitya Sammelan in 1992 at Karwa, Karnataka. Out of his over 100 short stories many have been translated by him into English. His 'A Cup of Hot Coffee' is published Khushwant Singh in his collection of 'Our Favorite Short Stories'. His “Chocolates” is published in a special collectors’ edition of Reader’s Digest.

A Member of the Rotary Club of Mangalore, he is presently the executive director of the Institute of Konkani, St Aloysius College, Mangalore and edits ‘Amar Konkani’, a bi-annual Konkani Research Journal, published in dual scripts, Nagari and Kannada.