Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Mar 8: The Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy announced honorary and book awards for various categories of Konkani literature for the year 2021.

President of the academy, Dr Jagadish Pai addressing a press meet here on Friday, March 8, said, “The honorary awards for the year 2021 will be conferred on Nagesh Anvekar for Konkani literature, Dinesh Prabhu Kallotte for Konkani art, Madhav Kharvi for Konkani folk (Janapada).

"The Book awards for 2021 will be bestowed on Fr Jovin Vishwas Sequeira for his collection of poems 'Lharamchem Geet', Gopalakrishna Pai for his collection of Konkani short stories 'love letters vajjitolo mhantaro' and H M Pernal for his collection of critical essays on poems 'Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam'," he added. 

H M Pernal has published over 500 poems in the last 32 years. ‘Cholyank Chothrai’ ‘Bamunanchem Cheddum’ and ‘Kaidyachyo Kavita’ are the published anthologies of his poems. Two collections of his short stories were also published. Having spent most of his years at Mumbai and Thane, his literary works are largely influenced by life in the metro.

Gopalakrishna Pai has won the Central Sahitya Akademi award for his Kannada novel "Swapna Saraswat" in the year 2012. This is his first attempt in Konkani. 

Fr Jovin is the assistant parish priest at Kulshekar church. 'Lharamchem Geet' is his first collection of poems. He has won the Best Poet award during the All India Konkani Youth Sammelan held in Goa earlier. Both 'Lharamchem Geet' and 'Konkani Kavyem: Rupam ani Rupakam' have been published by Kavita Publications, publication wing of Kavita Trust.

Members of the academy Canute Jeevan Pinto, Gopal Krishna Bhat, Arun G Shet and Poornima Suresh were present at the press meet.