THE NORMAN DANTAS MEMORIAL PRIZE TRUST C/o Printwell Press, Panjim, Goa. Dated: 23rd March, 2004
Press Release Gurunath Kelekar Nominated for 2004 Norman Dantas Memorial Prize Gurunath Kelekar, eminent freedom fighter and social activist, was today nominated for the 2004 Norman Dantas Memorial Prize. The Prize, which is awarded every two years, was instituted by the family and friends of the late Norman Dantas, journalist and social activist, who died at a premature age five years ago. It is normally given only for those who fight for social causes and against social injustice. The Selection Committee for the 2004 award comprised Architect Dean D'Cruz (Chairperson), Dr. Kasturi Desai and Mr. Rajendra Kerkar, all three well known social activists themselves. In the words of the Committee, Mr. Kelekar was awarded the Prize "for his lifetime work in the service of social causes right from freedom fighting to taking up neglected but important social injustices." The Prize carries a cash award of Rs.10,000. It will be presented to Mr. Kelekar by Mr. Christopher Fonseca at a special ceremony being organized by the Norman Dantas Memorial Prize Trust at Hotel Nova Goa in Panjim on March 27, 2004. Mr. Gurunath Kelekar was one of the key persons involved in the anti-merger and Konkani language movements. His love of the language compelled him to undertake an 80-day padayatra (in the company of Christopher Fonseca) not only to propagate the message of Konkani but also to collect funds for Novem Goem, a newspaper that came out in Roman and Nagiri scripts. After the inclusion of Konkani in the 8th schedule of Indian Constitution and Goa had been granted the status of a State, Kelekar decided to dedicate the rest of his life to the work of transforming people into active citizens. Towards this end, he started the Movement for Amity towards Roads in Goa (MARG). Through the auspices of MARG, Kelekar has worked tirelessly over the past decade to create public awareness of the extent of hazards being faced by pedestrians in Goa and to initiate campaigns against the large number of accidents and tragic deaths due to lack of concern of both citizens and authorities. He has also involved students and government officials in workshops to lobby for the need for safer transport in the State. The amount of energy Mr. Kelekar brings to his wholly dedicated work in road safety in Goa is awesome and should be an eye opener for many who are half or even one third his age. The Norman Dantas Memorial Trust Fund is indeed happy that the award has gone this year to Kelekar not only because it is a pleasure to associate with Kelekar but also because it affords the Trust a unique opportunity to endorse his public work as well. The Trust in fact appeals to citizens to join Mr. Kelekar in his quest to make Goan roads safe for citizens and their families. Dadu Mandrekar was the first recipient of the Norman Dantas Memorial Prize when it was instituted in 2002. Mathias Vaz/F.D. Dantas ***** The Goa Foundation is Goa's premier environmental monitoring group, committed to protecting the Goan environment and the Goan quality of life, through research, activism, public education and public interest litigation. For information on the Goa Foundation, check out our website at: http://www.goacom.com/goafoundation For the most complete range of books on Goa, environmental issues, and alternative books from India, check out the Other India Bookstore website at: http://www.goacom.com/books Our phone numbers: 91-832-2263305; 2256479 Fax: 91-832-2263305 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Postal address: The Goa Foundation G-8, St. Britto's Apts. Feira Alta, Mapusa 403 507 Goa, India ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
