Mangalore: Goa CM to Inaugurate World Konkani Centre on Jan 17
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (TU/SP)
Mangalore, Jan 14: Goa chief minister Digambara Kamat will inaugurate 'P Dayananda Pai and P Satish Pai World Konkani Centre', spread across three acres of land at Konkani Gaon, Shaktinagar on Saturday January 17.
Addressing media persons at the Press Club here on Wednesday January 14, Basti Vaman Shenoy, president, Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation said Jnanpith awardee Padmabhushan Ravindra Kelekar will be felicitated on the occasion. Union minister Oscar Fernandes, former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, S M Syed Khaleel, district in-charge minister J Krishna Palemar, MLA Yogish Bhat, P Dayananda Pai, Ronald Colaco, Corporation Bank chairman and managing director J M Garg, and Jagannath Shenoy will be the guests of honour. RV Deshpande, chairman Emeritus, Konkani Bhas Ani Samskriti Pratistan, will preside over the function.
He said the execution of the Centre project was started in January 2006 at a cost of Rs 2.25 crore. It has library with a collection of published Konkani literature in Roman, Devangari, Kannada and Malayalam scripts, apart from ancient palm leaf scripts, museum, two seminar halls, auditorium and exhibition hall, he added.
'The world Konkani website and an online Konkani magazine will also be launched on the occasion. The Centre will have an amphitheatre, heritage home and hostel for the students of the residential training programmes in the second phase of the project', Shenoy informed.
He said that the objective of the centre is to facilitate research into aspects of Konkani language and culture, to recognize and encourage literary accomplishments, to nurture young talents and to provide a forum for intellectual interaction among Konkani people.
M Raghunath Shet, vice-president, construction committee, Kudpi Jagadish Shenoy, Venkatesh N Baliga, J L D'souza and Vitoba Bhandarkr were present at the press meet.