MANGALURU: ‘Raknno’ Konkani Weekly hosted the prestigious ‘Raknno Prashasthi 2026’ award ceremony, a book release, and a gathering of Konkani writers and readers on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at the Bejai Parish Hall. The event celebrated literary excellence and underscored the urgent need to preserve and promote the Konkani language in daily life.
The programme commenced with a solemn prayer featuring the chanting of ‘Krista Puran’ chapters by Konkani scholar Rev. Fr Jason Pinto, SDB, which was followed by a traditional welcome dance. Rev. Fr Rupesh Madtha, Editor of ‘Raknno’, officially welcomed the gathering and the dignitaries.
Most Rev. Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore, presided over the programme.
The literary awards ceremony saw the ‘Best Writer of the Year 2026’ conferred upon Dr Jerry Niddodi. Dr Edward Nazareth delivered a comprehensive felicitation address honoring the awardee’s contributions. In his acceptance speech, Dr Jerry Niddodi expressed his gratitude, stating, “For more than 25 years, I have written for ‘Raknno’. It has always supported me and given me a platform to grow my mother tongue. Long live Konkani.”
Additionally, ‘Angelorcho Anj’ of the Angelore parish was awarded the ‘Best Parish Magazine of the Year 2026’. Mr. Roshan Patrao, the editor of the magazine, was officially honoured on the occasion, with words of felicitation delivered by Mr Francis Dcunha.
Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest, Sri Joachim Stany Alvares, President of the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, made a special appeal to all Konkani writers and parish magazine editors. He requested them to consistently send copies of their publications to the Academy to ensure the region’s literary contributions in the Kannada script are properly archived and pre
served.
During the event, the Bishop officially released Mogachi Tsunami, a debut collection of short stories authored by Donald Pereira of Budkulo Media. Following the release, Pereira expressed his deep gratitude, acknowledging that ‘Raknno’ provided him with the foundational platform to learn, grow, and establish himself as a contemporary analytical Konkani writer.
In his presidential address, Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha described Konkani as the dearest language of the heart and lauded ‘Raknno’ for continuously nurturing its growth. Reflecting on his own literary journey, the Bishop shared that he learned to write in Konkani through the publication. He stressed the critical necessity of speaking and living the mother tongue, warning that the community risks losing its cultural richness by abandoning spoken Konkani. He urged ‘Raknno’ to actively promote the spoken language among youth and children, particularly by emphasizing the use of Konkani numbers and vocabulary in everyday conversations.
The event also featured a Konkani language training session led by resource person Rev. Fr Valerian Fernandes, a former editor of ‘Raknno’. His session provided in-depth instruction on Konkani numbers, genders, grammar, and vocabulary. Following the session, Rev. Fr Fernandes was felicitated by the dignitaries in recognition of his dedicated service.
Dignitaries present on the dais included Rev. Fr Stany Pereira, Parish Priest of Bejai; Mr Nirmal Dsouza, Vice President; and Mrs Avitha Pinto, Secretary.
The programme was meticulously coordinated by the ‘Raknno’ editorial team in collaboration with Bejai parish members. Mr Godwin Pinto, Coordinator of the Bejai parish commissions and editor of the ‘Bejaicho Kolo’ parish bulletin, proposed the vote of thanks. The entire event was smoothly compered by Thara Lavi Ganjimat.
