Konkani Sahitya Academy to celebrate silver jubilee on February 22, 23

K. Jagadish Pai, president of Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, said on Thursday that the silver jubilee celebrations of the academy would be held at SVT Educational Campus in Karkala on Saturday and Sunday.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Pai said Gokuldas Prabhu, Konkani writer, has been chosen as president of the Konkani Sahitya Sammelan, which will coincide with the silver jubilee celebrations. There will be seminars on topics such as Konkani literature and Konkani language. A poets’ meet will be on Saturday,

There will be a seminar on Konkani culture on Sunday, where three experts will present papers. Three eminent persons — Gokuldas Prabhu (literature), Argodu Mohandas Shenoy (arts), Vishnu Shabu Rane (folklore) — will be presented with the honorary awards of the academy during the sammelan. Three persons — Venkatesh Nayak, Clarence Donald Pinto, and Pius P. Pinto — will be presented the book awards.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will giv

e away the awards at 4.30 p.m. on Sunday. C.T. Ravi, Kannada and Culture Minister, will inaugurate the celebrations on Saturday.

Kota Srinivas Poojary, Ports and Fisheries and Muzrai Minister, will deliver the valedictory address of the celebrations in Konkani language on Sunday. As many as 25 Konkani-speaking persons will be felicitated.

Cultural programmes will be held on both days, including a Konkani Mahila Yakshagana by a troupe from Shivamogga. Nearly 3,000 delegates from Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and other other districts are expected to participate.