Mangaluru: A two day Konkani literature fest was inaugurated at the World Konkani Centre in Shaktinagar in the presence of eminent Konkani litterateurs and representatives from various Konkani communities. Representatives from Goa and Karnataka listened to these personalities as they spoke about the history and greatness of Konkani literature.
The Vishwa Konkani Literary Festival was organised in honour of Acharya Dharmananda Kosambi (1876-1947), the person who mooted Konkani literature among speakers of the language, by World Konkani Centre in association with the Department of Kannada and Culture, Konkani Adhyayana Peetha of Mangaluru University and Faculty of Languages, Goa University. A National level seminar on the “Presence of Mythos and Ethos in Literature” was also convened at the venue.
Among the eminent litterateurs present on the occasion, Dr. Geetha Shenoy spoke on the life and times of Acharya Dharmananda Kosambi with adequate stories and instances from his autobiography. “Kosambi was known for his creative writing when it comes to literature. He had touched upon almost all the topics of late 19th century till the mid 20th century. He is also well known for writing in such a manner that appeals to human sentiments”, she mentioned.
Speaking about Kosambi’s writing, Dean of Faculty of Languages in Goa University, Kiran Budkule said, “Acharya Dharmananda Kosambi introduced critique in Konkani literature back in the days when there were none. The combination of peace and power were found simultaneously in his writings.”
Eminent Kannada poet and writer, Dr. Jayant Kaikini enthralled the audience with his knowledge on Konkani, Kannada and English literature. He also brought on a connection between literature and medicine by saying, “Medicine is the science of understanding pain and suffering and literature is the understanding of the same with a more general approach. Both medicine and literature can cure the pain and suffering with research and better knowledge on the subject.”
“Literature is all about a structured past with viscous present and future. The ‘ethos’ in literary sense is the knowledge of an unstructured present. The work of literature is structuring thought on the same lines”, Dr. Jayant said while delivering his keynote address.
Regarding Konkani as one of the perfect languages for literature Dr Jayant said, “Konkani is a language that is blessed since it has no history of carrying societal baggage. There are no rules set to curb free thinking and writing.”
Four books written by Konkani authors were released on the occasion by the writers present as well as President of World Konkani Centre and Vice-Chancellor of Mangaluru University, Prof. K Byrappa.
Speaking to the audience, Prof. Byrappa announced that a Masters in Arts course for Konkani studies was launched this academic year. “Konkani is the only language that binds people from various religions. I have always admired the language for its simplicity”, he concluded.
