One writer, one tiatrist and yes one government servant, will shine as they bask in the
aroma of creativity and efficiency that the traditional annual Gulab awards
,constituted by the family Konkani magazine Gulab. The awards will be conferred
on the 66th birth anniversary of the founder editor of ‘Gulab’, Fr Freddy J Da
Costa, on July 20.
The Gulab magazine in Konkani and is
largely read by the elderly who cannot access the internet. And the awards it
constitutes an important feather in the creative and professional plume of many
Goans.
Michael Manny D’Souza, the Senior
Administrative Grade Officer of the Goa Civil Service has been named ‘Gulab’s
Personality of the Year’. He is known for his immense contribution to various
important government departments and is presently the Director (Training) of
Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development. Renowned senior
tiatrist Josephine Dias will be felicitated with this year’s ‘Gulab Tiatrist
Award’, while noted Konkani writer Vincy Quadros has been awarded the ‘Gulab
Writer of the Year’. The award ceremony will be held on July 20, 2019.
Speaking to the Café, Fausto V Da Costa,
the current Editor, Gulab, says that the three personalities are well deserving
of the honour and it is great that the awards are being held, though he does
bemoan the fact that the number of people being felicitated has dropped
dramatically from what it was around 20-25 years ago, when they used to give
out around 15 to 18 awards. He adds that the awards then focused exclusively on
the tiatr community, which is not the case now.
Vincent Quadros, who will be felicitated
on that day, says that he hopes to continue to encourage all writers,
irrespective of age, to keep writing. Having authored 29 books and having won
five awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award for a children’s book, he is
looking to do more in the future. Attempts to talk to Josephine Dias proved
unsuccessful though her son said that she considered the award a birthday gift,
because she would be celebrating her birthday a day before the award ceremony.
The awardees will be felicitated at a special public function to
be held in collaboration with Konkani Bhasha Mandal and Felicio Cardoso-che
Pattlavdar Trust, at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao,
Noted Konkani writer and novelist Anthony Menezes will deliver
the Fr Freddy J Da Costa Memorial Lecture on the subject ‘Sogllea Gottank Gheun
Konknnichi Progoti’ (How to enrich Konkani Language taking all sections on
board), while eminent Konkani writer and journalist Dilip Borkar will be the
Chief Guest.
The personalities for the awards have been selected by an
experienced jury comprising Marcos Gonsalves, Guadalupe Dias, Br John Afonso,
Julio D’Silva and Agnel de Borim.
Fausto V Da Costa proudly speaks of this magazine and role it
plays in the literary lives of many traditional Goans “I will not hesitate to
highlight the fact that it sells much more than all other Konkani language Goan
magazines in the state,” he said.
For
the community of Goans who love the state, its art culture and passion, Gulab
continues to smell fresh like a rose, emanating its fragrance on Goans the
world over
