Mangalore: Narayana Kharvi Appointed President of Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MR/SP)
Mangalore, Aug 30: The state government has appointed Narayana Kharvi as the president of Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi. He is the first person chosen from a community other than Christians and Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, for this coveted post. The post of the Akademi president had fallen vacant since March 2008. Narayana Kharvi is the sixth president of the Akademi. Eminent personalities who were at the helm of the Akademi so far, are VJP Saldanha, B V Baliga, Basti Vaman Shenoy, Fr Alexander D'Souza and Eric Ozario.
Born in a Kharvi Konkani community in Kundapur, Narayana Kharvi is a graduate in arts. He had opted for voluntary retirement after working in Syndicate Bank. He was with the Fisheries Federation prior to joining Syndicate Bank.
Narayana Kharvi has so far worked as a member of Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi for two terms. He is the executive committee member of the famous Mandd Sobhann cultural organisation. As the president of the Konkani Kharvi Kala group, he has contributed immensely towards inculcating love for konkani folk among the present-day youth.
He has served as the president of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Kundapur unit and general secretary of Udupi unit. He has contributed a lot to the cause of the working class, as a trade union leader. He has held prestigious positions in the managing committees of several temples in Udupi and Kundapur taluks.
He had won Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi honorary award in the year 2005, for his contribution towards konkani folklore.
Narayana Kharvi has before him, the gigantic task of carrying forward the good work done by the previous president Eric Ozario. The tempo which has been built since the past several years need to be maintained in bringing in awareness among the konkani people.
Eriz Ozario, former Konkani Academi president and Mandd Sobhann Gurkar, Roy Castelino, president, Konkani Prachar Sanchalan, Louis J Pinto, president of Mandd Sobhann have expressed their happiness over the appointment of Narayana Kharvi.
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