Pundalik Naik appointed as Sahitya Akademi member for Konknni It is a matter of pride for all Konknni lovers that the President of Goa Konkani Akademi[GKA], Bab Pundalik Naik, has been appointed as a Member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), New Delhi along with eminent Konkani writer Rotarian Edwin J. F. D' Souza (the present Executive Director of Institute of Konkani, St Aloysius Autonomous College, Mangalore, and Editor of "Amar Konkani", a research journal) for a term of 5 years starting January 1, 2008.
Bab Pundalik Naik has been awarded the "Sahitya Puroskar" by the Kala Academy, Panaji, for his novel in 1975-76 and is a well known and respected writer in Goa. During his current stint as the President of GKA, the publication of Konknni books in Roman script have received a boost that was sorely lacking all these years after the enactment of the Official language Act, 1987. Ironically, the OLA, 1987, was supposed to have promoted Konknni but in reality created a deep schism among the Konknni readers and writers. It is to Pundalik-bab's credit that part of this damage has been undone. The GKA and the Dalgado Konkani Akademi [DKA] have jointly hosted events in recent times, an unthinkable thing even a year ago. That Pundalik-bab has maintained cordial relationships with GKA Executive Board member and DKA President, Tomazinho Cardoz, is a matter of joy to Konknni lovers in Goa who would love to see the language flourish without any chauvinism concerning the scripts. We hope that this flavour finds expression at the Sahitya Akademi level and that the "Advisory Committee" for Konkani has a fair representation for all the three major scripts in which Konkani is written in the Konkan Aparant. When our land is seamless, why do we need unseemly divisions in the Konknni world? We do hope the 97-member GC elects Pundalik-bab to the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi, which consists of 25 members, so that he may focus greater attention to the development of Konknni, that has received recognition only in the last 32 years [since 26 February,1975] and been included in the VIII Schedule of the Indian Constitution along with Manipuri and Nepali just 15 years ago [since 20 August,1992]. We wish him all the success. Mog asundi. Miguel Braganza 9822982676 Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA) wrote: Mangalore, Nov 2: Eminent Konkani writer Rtn Edwin JF DSouza (the present Executive Director of Institute of Konkani, St Aloysius (Autonomous) College and Editor of "Amar Konkani" a research journal) is appointed a Member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), New Delhi along with playwright and president of Goa Konkani Sahitya Academy Pundalik Naik from Goa, for a term of 5 years starting January 1, 2008. The supreme authority of the Akademi vests with the General Council which consists of 97 members and the Executive Board which consists of 25 members. The General Council was reconstituted in the year 2003 and its tenure ends in December this year. Prof Gopi Chand Narang is currently the president of Sahitya Akademi. The general policy of the Sahitya Akademi and the basic principles of programme are laid down by the General Council and the Executive Board which are implemented under the direct supervision of an Executive Board. There is an Advisory Board for each language consisting of eminent writers and scholars on whose advice the specific programme in the language concerned is formulated and implemented. The tenure of the General Council is five years. It elects the President, the Vice-president, the members of the executive board representing languages and one representative of the General Council on the Finance Committee of the Sahitya Akademi. Advisory Boards for various languages are appointed by the executive board. The Secretary is the principal executive officer of the Akademi. ________________________________ -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa Ph 9822982676 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
