Daijiworld media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 2: Famous Konkani folk artiste M Gopal Gowda died due to cardiac arrest on Wednesday, October 2.

He was 64.

Born in 1955, Gopal Gowda was an accomplished Kudmi folk artiste. His troupe was well-known in the world of folklore with more than 200 performances rendered in India. Gowda's research on Kudmi folklore is remarkable.

Gowda was the first ever Kudmi writer. Many of his research write-ups had appeared in Konkani and Kannada periodicals, research magazines and in text books. Gowda had presented his research papers at several seminars and symposiums and presented shows on Doordarshan. His troupe had been granted Scholarships by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Gowda was awarded with Dakshina Kannada district Rajyostava Award in 2014 and 'Janapad Prashasti'in 2002 by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi. He had been honoured by nearly 20 cultural organizations. He had won Mandd Sobhann Kalakar Puraskar in 2017.

He was a guide and a resource person for several folklore enthusiasts who would  come to him from distant lands like Germany, Switzerland,  Canada and England.

His writings and publications are a treasure-trove of Kudmi history, dialects, sects, their culture with traditions and beliefs.

He worked at St Aloysius College Konkani Institute for many years. He knew the names of all Konkani books by heart. He was warm and friendly with people who visited the Konkani Institute and always shared his knowledge.