Sahitya Academy to Honour Three Konkani Achievers, Book Awards to CGS, MP Rodrigues
Media Release
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Mar 18: Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy has announced honorary award and best book award for 2009. The award ceremony will be held at Geetanjali Mantap, MGM College, Udupi on Sunday March 28 at 5.30 pm.
Three Konkani achievers, V V Shenoy for being Konkani language organizer and Valerian D’Souza (Vally Vagga) for Konkani literature and Richard Castelino for Konkani art (filmdom) have been selected to be bestowed academy honorary awards. Konkani literature, `Sulsule' by Cyril G Sequeira (C G S Taccode) and Konkani poetry, `Rumddi Phulaam' by M P Rodrigues (Marian Paul Rodrigues) are the two works selected for book award by the academy.
V V Shenoy, Vally Vagga, Richard Castelino
As recognition of the special achievements of Konkani personalities, Felix D’Souza for short stories, `Poinnaar Vinchlelim Motiyam' and swimmer Gopal Kharvi will be felicitated with special awards. Home minister Dr V S Acharya will present the awards. Udupi MP D V Sadananda Gowda, MLA Raghupati Bhat, litterateur Na D’Souza, Udayavani editor T Sathish U Pai and Udupi town municipality president Dinkar Shetty will be present. Academy president Kundapur Narayana Kharvi will preside.
CGS Taccode, M P Rodrigues
The honorary awards will comprise Rs 10,000, memento and citation while book awards will comprise Rs 5,000, memento and citation with special awardees taking home citation and memento. Jayashree Kamath, Shashikala Pai and Kasturi Kamath will present Konkani musical orchestra at the ceremony.
About Honorary Awardees
V V Shenoy was born in 1940 at Renjala, Karkala and is currently residing in Belgaum. He has served as a journalist for newspapers like Udayavani, Vishala Karnataka and Jwalamukhi. He has received fame as a great organizer. He has been instrumental in furthering Konkani language by organizing Konkani programmes.
Richard Castelino was born in 1944 at Bantwal. In 1975 he started Kiran Drama Center and he performed in several tulu, Kannada, Konkani dramas and musical shows worldwide. He has also directed many films.
Valerian D’Souza, born in 1947 at Bantwal is currently residing at Mysore. Along with Konkani he has also contributed to Kannada literature. As many as 125 short stories of Valerian have been published in Konkani magazines.
About Best Book Awardees
Cyril Sequeira (CGS Taccode) has written several articles including humorous ones. At the age of 12 itself he had written many articles which were published in weekly newspaper, ‘Vishal Konkan’. He has served as a sub-editor of Konkani newspaper Raknno and as a editor of Kannik and Umalo.
M P Rodrigues has written several poems since his young age. Many of his articles, translated novels and poems have been published in weekly newspapers. His book `Rumbddi Phulam' is published by Kavita Trust.
About the Special Awardees
Swimmer Gopal Kharvi hails from Kodi-Kanyana and is a ace swimmer with several records to his credit. He has records of swimming for six hours covering 40 kms in the Arabian Sea as well as swimming ten-km distance from St Mary’s Island to Malpe beach with hands and legs chained in two hours 20 mins in 2006. As his latest achievement he has created a record by swimming 80 kms in waters of Gangolli and Hangarakatte for continuous 11 hours. Apart from district Rajyotsava award in 2005, he has been the recipient of Asadharana Konkani Vyakti award bestowed by Kalaangann.
Litterateur Felix D’Souza resides in Mumbai and is the associate editor of Payannaari weekly magazine. Many of his articles and stories have been published in Kutam from Mumbai and other Konkani newspapers in Karnataka. 75-year-old D’Souza is still actively serving Konkani literary field.