mangalore today

City writer ’Herolpius’ to be decorated with ’Konkani Kutam Award’


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sep 14, 2016: Konkani Kutam Bahrain, a voluntary forum exclusively formed for promoting Konkani language, literature and culture, selected Gratian Pius D’Silva who goes by the pen name of Herolpius for the 15th Konkani Kutam award 2016.The forum in its endeavor to support Konkani writers and artists introduced the award that consists of Rs 50,000 in cash, citation, and memento, in 2002. The award is conferred by analyzing and evaluating significant contribution to Konkani cause.


Konkani Kutam

 

The award will be presented at a glittering ceremony which will be held on September 23 in Bahrain. Gratian was born in Kudupu, under Kulshekar Parish, Mangaluru on August 14, 1954. His first Konkani short story in Kannada script was published aged 16. After graduation, he went to New Delhi, where he worked for Indian Council of World Affairs. He passed the competitive examination and joined union ministry of home affairs, where he worked for 37 years.


He has secured post-graduate diploma in Konkani. So far, his 197 short stories, 225 poems, 329 articles, five serial articles, 127 ’theen khille’ - nano serial articles, jokes and crosswords have been published in various Konkani magazines and Konkani websites. A serial of 16 chapters on the ’Kanara Konknni Christian Marriage traditions’ was published in 2012-13. His short stories were also translated in Kannada and published in various periodicals.

He has written articles and stories in Hindi and English. His eight novels and two collections of satiric stories were published in book form. He wrote and directed one drama and five one act plays in Konkani and acted as lead actor in one such drama. One of his novel Dhon Thembe Dhukhan (Two Drops of Tears) won him Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Goa award. He is the recipient of Mahan Vyakthi (2007) by Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy and other awards.