Lavi Ganjimat and Bajpe Parish bags Raknno Awards

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, September 2, 2024: Lavi Ganjimat, a renowned Konkani writer, and the ’Amche Sheth’ parish magazine from St. Joseph Church, Bajpe, were honored with the ’Raknno Sahithi Prashasthi - 2024’ and ’Raknno Athyuththam Firgoz Pathr Prashasthi - 2024,’ respectively. The awards ceremony took place on the morning of September 1, 2024, at the Bishop House Hall in Mangalore.

The Bishop of Mangalore, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, presented these prestigious awards, accompanied by Rev. Rupesh Madtha, Editor of Raknno. The awards, the first of their kind, recognize outstanding contributions to Konkani literature and journalism.

Raknno, a bilingual Konkani-English weekly run by the Diocese of Mangalore since 1938, provides spiritual, social, cultural, and political analysis to Konkani readers worldwide.

The event began with a prayer led by writers from Mulki Parish, followed by a welcome address by Fr. Rupesh Madtha. Dr. Edward Nazreth introduced the awardees before the official presentation of the awards by the Bishop. The awardees expressed their gratitude and shared their thoughts, thanking the organizers for the recognition.

In his address, Bishop Saldanha highlighted the beauty of the Konkani language and commended the writers for their efforts in promoting Konkani language and culture. He also praised the service provided by Raknno Weekly.

Konkani Writers’ Gathering

Following the award ceremony, an input session featured speeches from renowned poet Andrew L. Dcunha, awardee Lavi Ganjimat, and Rev. Ivan Dsouza OCD, Editor of ’Naman Balok Jezu,’ a Konkani monthly. Fr. Rupesh Madtha moderated the discussions, which included contributions from the audience.

All guests and speakers were presented with a book as a memento. The event was compered by Francis Dcunha Mulki, with logistics managed by Pramod Hospet. Approximately 100 prominent editors and writers, including Dolphy Cascia, Richard Moras, HR Alva, Fr. A.D. Lima, and Jason SDB, attended the gathering. The program concluded with lunch at 1 p.m.