Strangely,while proponents of Konkani beat their chests in Goa, it took someone
from across the border to give the state's official language another first.
Chaya Venkatesh Vernekar, a native of Kumttha in neighbouring Karnataka,
achieved a rare feat for the language when she got into the Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) after clearing the Union Public Service
Commission's 2009 exams with Konkani and Konkani literature as two of her
subjects. "Konkani is my mother tongue.
The fact that no one had chosen it before me only added to the motivation,"
said Chaya, adding that associate professor in Konkani at Goa University,
Priyadarshini Tadkodkar, played a role in persuading her to opt for Konkani
literature.
After graduating in commerce from Bombay university in 1999, Chaya married
Venkatesh Vernekar, an insurance officer, who encouraged her to pursue higher
education after the birth of their daughter. This set Chaya on course for a
masters degree from Karnataka university in 2006. She then set the UPSC
examinations as her next target. For the next two years, Chaya constantly
travelled to Goa.With special permission from the university registrar, she
stayed at the Goa university guest house during her visits.
At present living in Mumbai, Chaya has been ranked 265th at the UPSC exams and
is set to answer the preliminary examinations for the IAS on May 23, 2010 all
over again to improve her rank. "With the 265th rank, I am likely to get into
the Indian Police Services, but I am looking at improving my rank as IPS is my
third option. I would prefer either IAS or the Indian Foreign Services," said
Chaya, who takes to cooking and designing rangolis to unwind.
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