THOMAS STEPHENS KONKNNI KENDR B. B. Borkar Road Alto Porvorim- 403 521, GOA, India ( (0832) 2415857, 2415864 e-mail:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website:www.tskk.org October 5, 2005 Sir,
Kindly give publicity to the following press release. Thanking you, Pratap Naik, S.J. Director ANTONIO PEREIRA KONKNNI PUROSKAR TO JESS FERNANDES Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK) has chosen the veteran Konkani writer and poet in Devanagari and Roman scripts, Mr. Jess Fernandes, as the recipient of Antonio Pereira Konkani Puroskar (APKP) for the year 2005. He is chosen for his valuable contribution to Konkani such as poetry, short stories, journalism and performance arts for the last forty five years. The award consists of a shawl, memento and a cheque of Rs. 25,000/-. The award will be conferred on him by Mr. M.V. Naik, the Director of Art and Culture, Goa on 26th October at a public function to be held at Municipal Hall, Quepem. He was born at Palolem, Canacona on 6th September 1941. He studied up to the 7th year of Portuguese Lyceum, and completed his B.A. He holds a Diploma in sanitation. He started his career as a Portuguese primary teacher. Later he served in the Health Department of Goa in various categories as a para-medical officer. He retired in 1999. He has to his credit 29 books. Some of his books are 'Paimvatt', 1994 (poetry); 'Punor Jivon', 1994 (short stories); novels: 'Nirmonn', 'Jitlem divxi titlem ghevxi',1966, 'Don Rupam', 1969. He has contributed articles, short stories, poems and book reviews to local dailies and periodicals. He has worked in the field of translation. He has translated poems of a number of eminent Indian and European poets. He has translated five books of wisdom of the Bible for the Goa diocese. Besides his literary work he has extensively contributed in the field of khell, khell-tiatr, tiatr and drama writing, directing and acting. He started to give radio programmes from 5th October 1958 to the then Emissora de Goa. After liberation he continued to give regular programmes on All India Radio, Panaji and later on Doordarshan, Goa. He has been in the field of Mando festival from the time of its inception in 1965 and received several prizes for himself and for his troupe. His poems are included in the textbooks. His poems and short stories are included in various literary anthologies. He has taken part in workshops, seminars, poetry recitation programmes in Goa and outside Goa. His hobbies are arborics, painting, music, folk art and journalism. He says that his aim in life is to live for his mother tongue Konkani, and to leave a small footprint on the soil of his motherland. Jess Fernandes is a man of many facets and talents and thus a boon to Konkani and Goa.
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