MARGAO: Praises poured in from all quarters across Goa and the country congratulating the two Konkani writers from Goa, Tukaram Rama Shet and Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar for winning the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Awards for the year 2023.
The Sahitya Akademi recently announced the list of 22 recipients of its Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 20 winners of its Yuva Puraskar for this year.
The list was declared at the Sahitya Akademi Executive Board meeting chaired by president Madhav Kaushik, said the National Academy of Letters.
Amongst the recipients, author Shet won the Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2023 for his novel ‘Jaann’ (children literature) while writer Kamat Bambolkar won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023 for her Konkani Book – ‘Shots’ (a short story collection).
“Heartiest congratulations to Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar on winning the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Award and Tukaram Rama Shet for Bal Sahitya Akademi Award,” said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
“It is truly an honour of their contribution to the Konkani language and literature,” said Sawant.
Other State leaders also sent in their tributes.
“Recognition received for any kind of good work is always welcome. Sahitya Akademi awards are prestigious awards recognising the literary excellence in all languages and I congratulate Tukaram Shet and Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar for the award that they have received for their consistent contribution to the Konkani language,” said Anwesha Singbal, Konkani Bhasha Mandal (KBM) President.
“Tukaram Shet is a veteran Konkani writer who has been contributing greatly to the language for long time. Working silently and persistently, his contribution to children’s literature through the means of poems, songs, stories etc has made the language rich. Children’s literature is no child’s play and writers like Shet have mastered the art with much perseverance,” said Singbal.
“Young writers like Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar are a hope for the language. Her contribution not just to Konkani language but to the Goan creative scene at large is highly appreciable. Her constant efforts in the field of education, drama, literature, and acting are inspiring for generations to come. Achieving such milestones at a young age would also encourage her to contribute further greatly,” Singbal added further.
“Congratulations Tanvi Kamat Bambolkar for being awarded Sahitya Akademi’s Yuva Puraskar for creative writing. This comes at the time when literature is facing a digital decay and original writings need a wider readership. Tanvi’s writings and timely scholarly interventions imbibe new age sensitivities and expressions. Long live,” said researcher Yugank Naik.
Tanvi, who is the daughter of noted artist and theatre personality, Shridhar Kamat Bambolkar also expressed her gratitude and shared her reaction for getting the award.
“I am at a loss of words to express what I exactly feel at this moment but I think it’s important to say a few things. Even though I am thrilled and happy to receive this honour, I also realise what a huge responsibility it has laid on me. Writing in Konkani hasn’t been just a part of passion but a commitment towards the language that we speak. I purposely write this in English so that I reach out to a wider audience. Yet, my heart speaks in Konkani, for Konkani,” said Bambolkar
“It’s also a beautiful coincidence that the award was declared on the birth anniversary of the father of Konkani Shenoi Goembab. By bowing my head with gratitude to him for the path that he laid out for us, the children of Konkani, I humbly accept this as a push to work harder for my language and for my State. I sincerely thank my family, my friends, my colleagues and the entire Konkani family for being there throughout my journey. This is just a beginning,” Bambolkar said.
Her book ‘Shots’ contains anecdotal tales in Konkani dealing with themes such as love, relationships, marriage, college life, sexual abuse and bus travel.
Shet, an accomplished writer who specialises in children’s literature, has described his award-winning book ‘Jaann’ as a ‘novel meant for children but one that ought to be read by all’.
Renewed writer Mukesh Thali has credited Shet for being instrumental in popularising Konkani, especially amongst young students.
Thali added that Shet has mastered the art of teaching children in the manner they understand best.
“Understanding the psychology of children and writing in a language that captures the interest of the young readers is the hallmark of Shet’s literature. Song and drama are powerful means for the propagation of literature and Shet has done significant work in this field,” Thali added.
