All India Konkani Parishad

The Konkani Parishad was launched when India's struggle for freedom was at its peak. The organisation was founded by the late Madhav Manjunath Shanbhague of Kumta, Karnataka, on 8 July 1939. It shifted to Goa, the homeland of Konkani, in 1961 when the territory was liberated from Portuguese rulers. At present, it functions from Goa as the national apex body to which 16 regional/local associations are affiliated and works for the development of Konkani language, literature, culture, education, etc. across the country.

The Konkani Parishad had set the following objectives before it in 1939

• To bring about unity among the Konkani speaking people of various regions
• To remove indifference of Konkanis towards their mother tongue and promote their love for the language
• To strive for standardisation of the Konkani language
• To promote use of Devanagari as the natural, common script for Konkani
• To work for the development and spread of Konkani literature and culture.

During the past 75 years, the Parishad relentlessly worked, mostly through its national conferences for achieving its objectives. It has so far organized 29 biennial sessions and 22 biennial Konkani literary Conferences apart from innumerable other programmes at the national level.

Interestingly, these conferences were always graced by eminent linguists like Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee and Dr. S.M. Katre and intellectuals like Kakasaheb Kalelkar and prominent litterateurs of various languages of the country.

The Parishad has always been in the forefront in fighting for the issues daunting the Konkani language. It identified and deliberated on the various problems related to the development of the language and prepared strategies for solving them. The following resolutions passed during the conferences throw light on the various issues agitating the minds of the Konkanies from time to time.

1. Inclusion of Konkani programmes in all India Radio and Doordarshan
2. Introduction of Konkani in school and college education and preparation of Konkani text books
3. Making Konkani available books in public libraries
4. Establishment of Konkani Bhasha Mandals in various states
5. Getting advertisements for Konkani periodicals
6. Recognition of the language by Sahitya Akdemi, New Delhi,
7. Inclusion of Konkani in the 8th schedule of the country’s constitution
8. Official language status for Konkani in Goa
9. Statehood for Goa
10. Establishment of state academies for Konkani in Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra

These resolutions were persistently followed up and, by and large, their purposes were achieved. The major issues which exercised the minds of the people at the Parishad's meets were satisfactorily settled when Konkani was recognised as an independent language by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi in 1976 and the language attained the status of official language in Goa in 1987. The crowning glory came when Konkani was included in the 8th Schedule of the country’s constitution in 1992.

These landmarks in the history of Konkani language were followed by establishment of Konkani Akademies in Goa, Karnataka and recently in Kerala. The progress achieved in teaching Konkani from primary school level to post graduate level in the colleges and its increased use in administration and mass media is also due to the direct and indirect efforts of the Parishad.

Brief details of the sessions of the Parishad are as below:^[1]

First Adhiveshan

The first session of the Parishad was held on 8 and 9 July 1939, Karwar. The conference was organised under the leadership of late Madhav Manjath Shanbhag, a leading advocate of Karwar. It was presided over by Vishwanath Pandurang Prabhu ^[2]

Second Adhiveshan

Dates: 31, December, 1940, Udupi ^[3]

Reception Committee Chairman: T. M. A. Pai

President: Mr. Jerome Saldanha

Third Adhiveshan

Dates: 4,5, April, 1942, Mumbai ^[4]

Reception Committee Chairman: Mr. Vaman Raghunath Varde Valavalikar aka Shenoi Goembab

President: Prof. Armand Menezes, Academician & English poet

Fourth Adhiveshan

Dates: 1949, Mumbai ^[5]

President: Dr. Mafald Ubaldo Mascarenhas

Inaugurated by: Anandashram Swami

Fifth Adhiveshan

Dates: 23,24 February 1952 Mumbai ^[6]

President: Dr. Mariano Saldanha, a scholar of international repute (He was teaching Sanskrit in Portugal)

Inaugurated by: Rt. Rev. Valerian Cardinal Gracias, India’s first Cardinal

Sixth Adhiveshan

Dates: 27,28 April 1957 Mumbai ^[7]

President: Dr.Sumitra Mangesh Katre, Renowned linguist

Inaugurated by: Acharya Kaka Kalelkar Gandhian Intellectual & Eminent Gujarati writer

Seventh Adhiveshan

Dates: 16, May, 1960, Karwar ^[8]

President: Dr. B.A.Saletore, Noted Historian

Inaugurated by: Shrimat Dwarakanatha Teertha (Gokarna Partagali Math)

Eighth Adhiveshan

Dates: 26,27 May 1962, Madgaon (First Adhiveshan in Liberated Goa)^[9]

President: Dr.Manohar Rai Sardesai, Eminent Konkani Poet

Inaugurated by: Violet Alva, Vice President, Rajyasabha, Indian Parliament

Ninth Adhiveshan

Dates: 29,30 September 1967, Mumbai ^[10]

President: Bakibab Borkar, Eminent Konkani Poet

Inaugurated by: Vasantrao Naik Chief Minister of Maharashtra

10th Adhiveshan

Dates: 9,10 February 1974 Panaji ^[11]

President: K.K.Pai, Chairman & MD, Syndicate Bank

Inaugurated by: Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, President Sahitya Akademi

11th Adhiveshan

Dates: 21,22 February 1976, Mangalore ^[12]

Reception Committee Chairman: K.K.Pai

President: Chandrakant Keni, Eminent Konkani Writer

12th Adhiveshan

12. 12th Adhiveshan - 11,12, February, Kochi ^[13]

President: Ravindra Kelekar, Eminent Konkani Writer & Jnanpeeth Award winner

Inaugurated by: A. K. Antony Chief Minister of Kerala

13th Adhiveshan

Dates: 12,13 April 1980, Mumbai ^[14]

Reception Committee Chairman: F.A.Martiris

President: N. Purushotham Mallya, Scholar & Noted Writer

Inaugurated by: Pratapsingh Raoji Rane Chief Minister of Goa

14th Adhiveshan

Dates: 27,28 February 1982, Panaji ^[15]

President: V.J.P. Saldanha Eminent Konkani Novelist

Inaugurated by: Dr.Umashankar Joshi, President, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi

15th Adhiveshan

Dates: 11,12,13, May, 1984, Bangalore ^[16]

President: Nagesh Sonde, Noted Konkani writer

Inaugurated by: A.N.Bannerji, Governor of Karnataka

16th Adhiveshan

Dates: 24,25 May 1986, Kochi ^[17]

President: Adv. Uday Bhembre Scholar & Eminent Konkani writer

Inaugurated by: M. Kamalam, Minister, Govt. of Kerala

17th Adhiveshan

Dates: 6,7,8 January 1989, Manipal^[18]

President: M. V. Kamath, Renowned Author & Veteran journalist

Inaugurated by: Eduardo Faleiro Union Minister

18th Adhiveshan

Dates: 14,15,16 December 1990, Ramnathi, Goa^[19]

President: Prof. R.K.Rao, Eminent Konkani author & Translator

Inaugurated by: Dr. José Pereira

19th Adhiveshan

Dates: 16,17 January 1993, Madgaon, Goa^[20]

Reception Committee Chairman: Dattaraj Salgaonkar

President: J. B. Moraes Eminent Konkani Poet

Inaugurated by: Ravi Naik, Chief Minister of Goa

20th Adhiveshan

Dates: 11,12 February 1995, Shirsi, Karnataka^[21]

President: Dr. Kashinath Mahale, Academician & Scholar

Inaugurated by: R.V. Deshapande, Minister, Govt. Of Karnataka

21st Adhiveshan

Dates: 18,19 January 1997, Mumbai^[22]

President: Dr. William Madtha, Linguist & Academician

22nd Adhiveshan

Dates: 15,16,17, January 1999, Belgaum ^[23]

President: Pundalik Naik, Eminent writer

Inaugurated by: Umesh Katti, Minister, Govt. Of Karnataka

23rd Adhiveshan

Dates: 20,21, April, 2002, Mangalore^[24]

President: Dr. Tanaji Halarnkar, Scholar, Colomnist & Editor of Konkani Encyclopaedia

Inaugurated by: Ramanath Rai, Minister, Govt. of Karnataka

24th Adhiveshan

Dates: 13,14,15 February 2004, Kozhikode^[25]

President: Basti Vaman Shenoy

Inaugurated by: Mr. Rajagopal, Union Minister for Railways

25th Adhiveshan

Dates: 10,11,12 February 2006, Panaji, Goa^[26]

President: Mr. Paul Moras, Konkani writer

Inaugurated by Mr. S.C. Jamir, Governor of Goa

26th Adhiveshan

Dates: 5,6.7 February 2008, Kochi, Kerala ^[27]

President: Adv. Shantaram Naik (Member, Rajyasabha)

Inaugurated by Mr. K.K. Pai, President, Dr. T.M.A. Pai Foundation

27th Adhiveshan

Dates: 5,6,7 February 2010, Sanquelim, Goa^[28]

President: Dr. H. Shantaram, Academician

Inaugurated by Mr. Ravindra Kelekar, Jnanpeeth Award winning Konkani writer

28th Adhiveshan

Dates: 17,18 February 2012, Mumbai ^[29]

President: Mr.Arvind Bhatikar, IAS (Retd) Administrator & Author

Inaugurated: Mr. Ramdas Bhatkal

29th Adhiveshan

Dates: 28 & 29 February, 1 March 2014, Belgaum, Karnataka^[30]

President: Mr. Gokuldas Prabhu Eminent Konkani Writer

Inaugurated by : Mr. R.V. Deshpande, Hon'ble Minister for Higher Education, Government of Karnataka

See also

• Konkani language
• Canara Konkani
• Shenoi Goembab
• Madhav Manjunath Shanbhag
• World Konkani Hall Of Fame

References