Konkani novelist to receive sahitya puraskar

Konkani novelist to receive sahitya puraskar
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, DEC 16  
Eminent Konkani Novelist Mahabaleshwar Sail will receive the first Vimala V Pai Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Puraskar 2010 at Ravindra Bhavan on Saturday.
Sail will be presented with the award for his outstanding Konkani novel Hawthan and will be honoured with citation, memento and cash prize of Rs one lakh by eminent Oriya Literateur Prof Prafulla Kumar Mohanty ion the presence of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat
Konkani writer Uday Bhembre said the award is constituted by World Konkani Centre, Mangalore and installed by the patron of the centre, T V Mohandas Pai.
He said the ceremony would be witnessed by Chairman Emeritus R V Deshpande, Chairman of Konkani language and Cultural Foundation Dr P Dayananda Pai, eminent economist and Dr N Shivdas, president Goa Konkani Academy.
The Novel Hawthan (2009) written by reputed Konkani author Mahableshwar Sail and published by Bimb Prakashan, Goa is a well-researched and stirring work of fiction. Moreover, it is equally a sympathetically drawn and insightfully presented cultural map of the miniscule community of traditional potters, known as Kumbars in Goa, which is fast waning.
In his address, President of the Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Puraskar Basti Vaman Shenoy said the World Konkani Centre, Mangalore has been established to serve as a nodal agency for the preservation and overall development of Konkani language, literature, art, culture and folklore involving all the Konkani people the world over.
President of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Prashant Naik has called upon all Konkani loving people of Goa to attend the award presentation ceremony on Saturday, saying the aware for Sail would give a big boost for the Konkani writers in the State.