by Damodar Mauzo
dymauzo@sancharnet.in
Konkani is a language spoken by over 50,00,000 people in India. In spite of colonial suppression and its late entry into mainstream literature, it has created a niche for itself in the vastness of the literary world with great literary talents like Bakibab Borkar, Dr. ManoharRai Sardesai, and others writing in the language. These stalwarts went on to inspire the then younger generation of writers like Felicio Cardozo, Pundalik Naik and many more who attained name and fame by writing in Konkani.
On the eve of the last Republic Day of India, the Central Government announced the Nation’s prestigious Padmabhushan Award to a veteran Konkani writer, thus taking cognizance of the literary output of this giant of a writer. The recipient of the Padmabhushan, octogenarian Shri Ravindra Kelekar, is today the most widely read writer in Goa and other Konkani speaking regions. Incidentally, earlier this year, the highest literary body of India had honoured him by offering him its prestigious lifelong Fellowship.
Ravindra Kelekar has an analytical mind that rationalizes and provides explanations to everything that his pen deals with. In his essays, he debates on local and global problems with a lucidity of expression that makes even difficult topics readable and enjoyable. His writings are aimed at both the common people and the intelligentsia. The revolutionary ideas discussed through his thought-provoking essays have brought him accolades from both readers and critics.
Right from the beginning of his literary career, Shri Ravindra Kelekar’s undying zeal for writing kept him ever on his toes, while his prolific and thought-provoking articles netted many young writers who took to the pen. A fatherly figure on the Konkani literary scene, Shri Kelekar is presently an institution in himself, inspiring and guiding young writers with parental love and concern. Because of this he has been called a ‘writer of writers’ whose work instills great fervor amongst the younger generation.
Shri Kelekar has an insatiable appetite for learning and a burning curiosity about the basic nature of man. He is a voracious reader who has read and absorbed the work of nationally and internationally known literary giants. An ardent follower of the Gandhian philosophy, Shri Kelekar’s writings are greatly influenced by the great philosopher of yesteryear, the late Kakasaheb Kalelkar. His long association with Acharya Kalelkar is apparent from many of his earlier books. Shri Kelekar has traveled widely within and outside the country, to the east and the west, and his experiences have found an expression in his writings. His book ‘Himalayant’ is a travelogue full of descriptions of nature’s beauty revealed with a philosophical touch. Incidentally, his was the first Konkani book to bag the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award in 1977, after the recognition accorded to Konkani. Shri Kelekar’s life has been a ‘saadhana’ of literature. Writing relentlessly over the last five decades, he has taken Konkani literature to such great heights that the rest of the country has been forced to take cognizance of Konkani language and literature. He has a set philosophy of life that is evident from all his books. Yet, he retains the zeal to learn from nature, from changing times and from the changing nature of man. His writings, including the latest ones, reveal his strong desire to understand and make understood the diverse cultures that exist on this planet.
‘Mahabharat: Ek Anusarjan’ (2 volumes), a transcreation of the epic Mahabharat, is itself an epic with a difference. In his version of the Mahabharat, Shri Kelekar has successfully tried to rationalize the mythological characters and events. His interpretations and style of writing are so interesting that one gets a feeling of reading the epic afresh. ‘Tathaagat’ is a voluminous exploration of the philosophy and life of Lord Buddha, told with a difference. From ‘Velleveilyo Ghulo’ (musings from his diary) to ‘Paanthasth’ (autobiographical essays), all his books make very interesting reading, as his style is very lucid and the flow of thoughts easy. There is hardly any genre that Shri Kelekar has not touched upon. Besides essays, he has written fiction, plays and also juvenile literature. The subject matter of his writings varies from religion to politics, from environment to economics, from theology to astronomy, from sociology to philosophy and from fiction to orthography.
Kelekar is more known in Goa as a thinker-writer, who establishes instant rapport with readers and who cares about things that matter and makes the readers’ lives different. He is a writer with vision. He led the Anti-Merger front and vehemently opposed the merger of Goa with Maharashtra. He worked for the recognition of Konkani as the Official Language of the State and also for its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Even today we find him voicing his concern about any injustice meted out to Goa and Goans. His vision is to see Goa shining on the international map. Thus, through his writings, he endeavors to give tomorrow a new form and a new meaning.
As a youngster, Shri Kelekar was inspired by Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia’s demand for liberation of Goa from the clutches of the Portuguese rulers. He plunged into the freedom movement and was forced to leave Goa to avoid arrest. He then decided to spend his days in an ashram at Vardha. He followed the principles of ‘simple living and high thinking’ in toto. In order to carry Gandhiji’s philosophy to Indian readers, and to readers of Konkani in particular, he wrote a number of books in Konkani as well as in Hindi. He writes fluently in Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati. He is also well versed in Portuguese and English. Kelekar’s Hindi book, ‘Mahatma Gandhi: Ek Jeevani’ in Hindi (1985), has been read and acclaimed widely. It has also been translated into other languages.
Kelekar has won many notable awards of the State: the Konkani Bhasha Mandal Award, the Goa Kala Academy Award and the highest literary award of the State, the Gomant Sharada Award. He is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award both for creative/original works and also for translation. He has also been accorded with many national awards. Now, to top it all, with the Fellowship of Sahitya Akademi and the Padmabhushan, he has brought accolades not only to himself but also to the Konkani language and to the State of Goa. The fraternity of Goan writers feels extremely proud of him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Born in the village of Majorda, Goa, Damodar Mauzo is a short story writer and novelist with eleven books to his credit. Winner of several awards, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award, his short stories have been translated into many languages including Hindi, English, Portuguese and French. His novel ‘Karmelin’ has been published in translation by the Sahitya Academi in several Indian languages. He has written scripts for two Konkani films, winning best screenplay award for the film “Alisha’. Two of his stories have been telecast on National TV in Hindi and a Konkani film made based on one of his novels.