Dalgado Konknni Akademi
The Dalgado Konknni Akademi is an organisation located in Panjim, Goa that works for the development and promotion of Konkani in the Roman script. History. The academy was established in 1988 and named after Msgr. Sebastião Rodolfo Dalgado. During the period 1988-1992, DKA was very active. Fr. Freddy J. da Costa was the President, Mr. Tomazinho Cardozo was the secretary and Mr. Prabhakar Tendulkar the treasurer. During this period, DKA published 'Konkani Orthography in Roman Script' with the intention of bringing about a desirable unity among the writers, so that the writers could understand the principles  and rules of writing Konkani in Roman script. Tomazinho Cardozo was the second president and Mr. Jose Salvador Fernandes and Mr. Prabhakar Tendulkar were the secretary and treasurer respectively. Premanand A. Lotlikar, was the President of Dalgado Konknni Akademi for three consecutive terms of 3 years each. i.e. from 2008 to 2017 while Mr. Vincy Quadros has been entrusted the task of the secretary from the year 2014. There have been calls for the government of Goa to stop discriminating against Romi Konkani and officially recognise the DKA. The Managing Committee for the period 2014-2017 is as follows : President  : Mr. Premanand A. Lotlikar, Vice President : Fr. Conceicao D' Silva, Secretary : Mr. Vincy Quadros, Treasurer : Mr. Walter Menezes, Other Members : Afonso Braganza, Pandharinath D. Lotlikar and Pio Esteves. Ms. Selza Lopes is the nominated member of the Executive Committee. The Members representing the Romi Konkani Institutions are : Tomazinho Cardozo, Daniel F. De Souza, Vassalo Carvalho and Anthony Miranda The Managing Committee for the period 2017-2020 is as follows : President : Mr. Tomazinho Cardozo, Vice President : Fr. Conceicao D' Silva, Secretary : Mr. Vincy Quadros, Treasurer : Mr. Celso Fernandes, Other Members : Afonso Braganza, Pandharinath D. Lotlikar and Pio Esteves. Ms. Selza Lopes  and Ms. Sonia Gomes are the nominated member of the Executive Committee. The Members representing the Romi Konkani Institutions are : Mathew D' Costa, Daniel F. De Souza, Vassalo Carvalho and Anthony Miranda The Managing Committee for the period 2020-2023 is as follows : President : Mr. Vincy Quadros, Vice President : Fr. Conceicao D' Silva, Secretary : Mr. William Fernandes, Treasurer : Mr. Celso Fernandes, Other Members : Afonso Braganza, Savio Pinto and Daniel F. De Souza. Mrs. Selza Lopes and Ms. Sonia Gomes are the nominated Lady Representatives of the Executive Committee. The Members representing the Romi Konkani Institutions are : Tomazinho Cardozo, Seby Braganza , Pio Esteves and isito Gracias Activities. The main events organised by the Dalgado Konknni Akademi every year are: A. Celebration of the following days: B. Annual Dalgado Awards: These awards are instituted to give recognition for the work done by the writers and others in the field of Romi Konkani literature, cultural activists, heritage activist, young talent, best Romi Konkani institution and journalism. These awards carry Cash, citation, shawl and a memento besides bouquet of flowers. The Akademi has also initiated the "Konknni (Romi Lipi) Sahitya ani Sonvskrutik Sammelan" (Konkani Literary and Cultural Conference) which has been held since the  year 2008. Vincy Quadros was the President of First Sommelan. Akademi also organises Writers Conference every year for the benefit of Romi Konkani Writers. Apart from this, the academy holds literary competitions on short story, poetry, essays, once act plays and novels. and organises poets' meets. The DKA also publishes a large number of Konkani books. The academy also organises contests such as novel writing and story reading in order to increase the readership and simultaneously to inculcate the habit of reading Konknni in Roman Script and to instill the love of the language among the youth. The year 2015  made a way for State level Konkani Reading Competition. Those secured first three places are selected for Final Round at Akademi's Panjim office. Cash prizes and Certificates are awarded at all levels. The DKA has ties with the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr and coordinates several activities with it. Publications. "Kallzache Kholayek Thaun" is a novel by Epifanio Valadares,a Gulf-based engineer, who took to writing because he had a lot of free time or leisure. Punching the keys on his laptop, Epifanio Valadares says that slowly the pages accumulated into a full-fledged novel. "Kallzache Kholayek Thaun" is  conceived as a tale of a boy from humble origins who goes on to do many great things – some nothing short of a miracle. Kudov, the protagonist, is a person whose innovations and inventions take him across the Indian sub-continent as a fugitive on the run from the arms of law. Kudov is the pet name of the protagonist given by his villagers – as it happens in many Goan villages – after a bird which never stays in one place. Kudov has the immense ability to acquire knowledge and use it to invent technology that could possibly change the face  of the world. He invents a cure for a very deadly disease that is poised to wipe out the whole population of his village. Next, he invents a thermo-dynamic engine which can run on water. When he elopes with his lover – who later becomes his wife – to Bombay and reaches the Taj hotel, it is that fateful day when this hotel is attacked by terrorists. Kudov and his wife were on a run from the police (and also on their honeymoon) and in the crossfire of the security forces and the terrorists, Anushka, his wife meets an untimely death . This moves Kudov to invent a device that would detect the locations of explosives that could potentially pose a threat to national security. Kudov anonymously tips-off the police about the whereabouts of terrorists. Since Kudov is unwilling to share the secrets of his innovations and because such innovations can be deadly in wrong hands, the security forces are constantly on the lookout for him. As a result, Kudov is on the run again and he lands up in Nepal. It is here in Nepal that he finally gets arrested and is brought down to Goa. "Sopon" by James Fernandes  is a collection of ten one-act plays. The author is a high-school teacher by profession. "Budd’tti" or flood by Manuel Fernandes is a novel which takes its inspiration from the Biblical tale of Noah and the deluge that God had sent on the earth. Manuel Fernandes has tried to use the symbolism of the Flood and how it inundates everything, in trying to comment about the abysmal and egregious conditions of Goan political life and also (one suspects) the declining moral values of Catholic families. The novel opens with Ronald, a small-time cloth merchant and his wife  Ravina who are very devoted to each other. But there is a sudden twist in the story: Ronald starts having an affair with a young widow, Sofia. Ravina is divorced by Ronald and he drives her out of the house – and into destitution. In another turn of events, Ronald is shown as leading an agitation against a pollution-causing factory. This agitation snowballs into a popular movement which propels him into politics. In due course of time he also becomes the Chief Minister of Goa. Agitation against big industries is an important theme in the book and I believe it  is included in the narrative because in recent times Goa has gone through many such agitations. Ravina is shown as migrating to Bombay, only to make a dramatic and somewhat surreal entry in the end. Meanwhile, due to his power and influence Ronald starts indulging himself in corrupt practices. He starts smuggling arms and precious metals as well as making under-the-table deals to set up pollution-causing industries. Ronald chances upon a hidden vault when constructing his house and he converts it into a cave; a haven for his contraband. This hidden cave is accidentally discovered by Felicio , a journalist who puts his principles and the ethics of the profession first and follows them to the book. After a lot of rather bizarre twists and turns, Ronald receives punishment for his evil deeds. His criminal activities are exposed (though in a way that would never stand a chance in a court of law!) and he has to run away from the long arm of the law as well as the frenzied fury of his voters. Ronald escapes to the surrounding jungle and returns in a state of destitution and injury to a dilapidated house, where he breathes his  last. During his funeral, suddenly, the sky becomes overcast and there is a torrent of rain. And since the novel is set on the banks of the Zuari (Cortalim to be precise), the banks of the river overflow and the resulting flood washes the coffin and with it the corpse of Ronald into the sea. Location. The Akademi is located in the old Education Department Building's second floor, near the Goa Pharmacy College on the second floor of the building based in the Goa state capital of Panjim or Panaji. Contact: +91-832-2221688