Children
of different ages are perfecting their lines for the district and state levels of the annual
‘Shenoi Goembab Storytelling Competition’ organised by Konkani Bhasha Mandal
(KBM) in association with AK 47 Ami Konkani. The competition was held at 16
centres of Goa – in the 12 talukas and four additional centres in Ponda,
Cuncolim, Mapusa and Margao. The children were given an opportunity to tell
their stories in their own way but in Konkani. The final competition will be
held for the district level competition on August 25, 2019 at 9.30am at Konkani
Bhasha Mandal, Margao and then the state level competition will be held on the
same day.
This year, 1001 students across the state participated in the
18th edition of the competition organised by Konkani Bhasha Mandal. The competition
was organised in three categories, i.e. classes 1st to 4th; 5th to 7th; and 8th
to 10th. President of Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Chetan Acharya, says, “Kathamal is
one of the biggest storytelling event held in the state. More than 75 per cent
of the schools participate in this competition.”
The students are free to speak in any dialect of Konkani and
there is no theme for the competition. They should feel comfortable speaking in
the language and tell their stories fluently. They will be awarded participation
certificates for the school and centre competitions. The competition encourages
students to start reading Konkani stories, thereby increasing their love for
reading and Konkani.
Coordinator of the competition, Kalanand Bambolkar, says, “More
than 5500 students participate in the school level competition. The number of
participants at Centre level has increased from Sanguem, Pernem, Sattari and
Dharbandora talukas.”
Konkani
Bhasha Mandal organises various workshops as part of this competition. This
year, the workshop was open for parents along with teachers. Similarly,
workshops for judges and centre level coordinators were also held. Around 150
judges and more than 250 volunteers helped in making this event successful. The
competition is organised in collaboration with local institutions; around 18
institutions collaborated with this event.
