Roy Castelino becomes member of Konkani Academy

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 30, 2012 :   The state government has issued an order appointing Roy Castelino, president of the Konkani Prachara Sanchalana, as a member of the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy.

Although the state government appointed Kasargod Chinna as the president of the academy last year, it had not appointed any members for the academy.

Mr. Castelino, an entrepreneur, is a noted Konkani activist. Through the Konkani Prachara Sanchalana, he has contributed greatly to the growth of Konkani language and culture. The sanchalana has assisted needy Konkani-speaking students for the past 6 years and has encouraged the learning of Konkani through the Jagruthi Abhiyana, a program that distributes free books, provides stipend for Konkani teachers, and so on.

Om Ganesh, an internationally acclaimed actor and magician, is also a member of the academy. The state government has also appointed P. Subhash Kamath of Udupi, Mahesh R. Nayak of Mangalore, Rajaram Nayak of Bantwal, Chidananda Bhandary of Uttara Kannada, Chandrakanth Kamath of Bellary, B. S. Kamath of Shimoga, T. A. P. Shenoy of Bangalore, Manjunath Rayasiddi of Yellapur, and Mahadeva Reddy of Kuttikar as members of the academy.