Media Release

Mangaluru, Nov 20: Mandd Sobhann, the premier Konkani cultural organization, through its literary division Mittakonn Academy, has organized a one-day literary festival for high school students to instill a love for literature. This festival will be held on Sunday, December 7 from 8:45 am to 4:00 pm at the Kalangann grounds in Shaktinagar, Mangaluru.

Joachim Stany Alvares, president of the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, will inaugurate the festival procession. The festival will be presided over by the educationist and Karnataka Rajyotsava Award-winning litterateur, Fr Prashant Madtha. A 9th-grade student, Sanjana Riva Mathais, will deliver the keynote address. A symposium on the topic ‘The Future of Children's Literature’ will be conducted. 3 Teachers, renowned in the literary field, Alwyn Danthy, Pernal (president), Felcy Lobo, Derebail (Grandmother’s Tales and Modern Children: The Bridging), and Venkatesh Nayak (Dimensions of Children’s Literature in the Future) will present papers. A lecture on the topic ‘Poetry: Creation and Presentation’ will be delivered by poet Andrew L D’Cunha.

The children’s poetry session, program compering, and the management of cultural events will be handled by the children themselves. A quiz competition has also been organized for them. A colorful procession and arrangements for tasty snacks and food have been made. Participation certificates will be distributed to all attending students during the valedictory ceremony.

On this occasion, the children's story collection ‘Mhonva-Polli’ (Honeycomb) -translated into Konkani from various languages by students and elders during a translation workshop conducted by Mittakonn and ‘Konkani Christian Folk Culture’ authored by Prithuma Monteiro under the Eric Ozario Amruthotsava Research Grant, will be released in both print and e-book formats.

Additionally, ‘Vhoddlimanychyo Kanniyo’ (Grandmother’s Tales – by Sylvester D’Souza, Mysuru), digitalized by Keron Madtha, will be released as an e-book.

Participating students must register in person or through schools by November 29. For more information and to register children, call 8105 22 6626.

Viona Janice Pinto (student), Louis J Pinto (president, Mandd Sobhann), Rony Crasta (coordinator, Mittakonn), Naveen Lobo (vice president, Mandd Sobhann) and  Arun Raj Rodrigues (member, Mittakonn) were present at the press meet.