Udupi: Dr. Jagadish Pai from Karkala, who has been appointed as the President of the Konkani Academy, said that his appointment was nothing but ‘luck.’
Addressing the media on Thursday, October 17, Dr. Pai said, “To be frank, I’ve neither lobbied to get the presidential post nor have I submitted an application for the same. This is nothing but luck. At first, I did not believe it but when I began receiving calls congratulating me, that confirmed that I had been appointed for the post. I’ll work with the utmost responsibility for which the government has appointed me.”
Expressing his disappointment over the lack of awareness about Konkani culture and traditions, he said, “In the past few years, we have observed that Konkani culture and traditions are being fast-forgotten and are at the verge of extinction. Especially, the children’s stories and songs are slowly vanishing. We all need to make a collective effort to sustain this culture and think about it.”
Dr. Pai also said that he will be utilizing the government funds received by the academy only after having a discussion with all the members of the academy.
It can be recalled that the government had appointed Dayanand Kathlasar and Rahim Uchil to head the Tulu and Beary academies respectively on Tuesday, October 15.