Mangalore: Konkani Novelist Sail to Recieve Rs 1 Lac in Vimala V Pai Award

Media Release

Mangalore, Oct 13: Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation, World Konkani Centre in Konkani Gaon, Shaktinagar in the city, has announced that a Konkani novel, ‘Hautan’, authored by litterateur, Mahabaleshwar Sail, a Kendra Sahitya Academy Award winner, has been selected by it for conferring the first ever Vimala V Pai Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Puraskar 2010. This award has been constituted by World Konkani Centre for outstanding Konkani publication of the year.

Mahabaleshwar Sail is a Goa-based Konkani author, who hails from Majoli in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. So far, he has authored 13 books in the form of collection of short stories and novels. He has been conferred with Sahitya Academy Award (1993), Dr T M A Pai Award (1997), Goa Kala Academy Award (1989 and 1996), Katha Award (2007), Cultural Award of Goa Government (2006), and Literary Award of Goa Government (2007). Most of his works have been translated into English, Marathi and Hindi languages.

Sail had served the armed forces, and participated in the 1965 Indo Pak War, before joining Indian Postal Services. After retiring, he has settled in Goa. Mahabaleshwar Sail has served as a member of Sahitya Academy, Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy and Goa Kala Academy. He also was the president of All India Konkani Literary Conference in 2005. One of his short stories has been made into a Konkani feature film, ‘Pelthadcho Manis’, which entered the Toronto International Film Festival and gained special recognition.

The Vimala V Pai Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Puraskar carries a cash component of one lac rupees and a citation. It will be conferred on the author at a glittering ceremony proposed to be held at Goa or Mangalore in November this year, stated Basti Vaman Shenoy, founder and president of World Konkani Centre, in a press release.