NRI Entrepreneur Michael D’Souza to lead Reception Committee All India Konkani Sammelan
Mangaluru: Staunch Konkani Supporter and Promoter of ‘Vision Konkani’ Programme for the all-round development of the Konkani language, literature and culture Michael D Souza will be leading the Reception committee of the 25th All India Konkani Sahitya Sammelan as the President. CA Nandagopal Shenoy, President of the World Konkani Centre and Sahitya Akademi awardee Gokuldas Prabhu will be the Vice presidents. Konkani poet and thinker Titus Noronha will be the general secretary and journalist H. M. Pernal will be the working president of the reception committee.
The 25th All India Konkani Sahitya Sammelan will be held at Basti Vaman Shenoy Stage on the premises of World Konkani Centre on Nov 4 & 5. About 650 delegates from various parts of India are expected to attend the Sammelan, which Mangalore is hosting for the first time in the 84 years history of All India Konkani Parishad, founded in 1939 by Late Madhav Manjunath Shanbaug of Kumta.
Abu Dhabi-based NRI entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael D’Souza originally hails from Puttur and is a constant supporter of Konkani activities and programmes in India and abroad. With his signature programme ‘Vision Konkani’ he has empowered Konkani writers and Artists with a Konkani Book Publication Grant to the tune of Rs 40 Lakhs, a Konkani Music Grant to the tune of Rs 10 Lakh and a Konkani Feature Film Grant to the tune of Rs 25 Lakh. Publication of Konkani books, production of Music Singles and Feature films are under process under his visionary programme VISION KONKANI. He has established the EDU CARE scholarship programme for Konkani speaking students for higher education under the supervision of CODP, Dioceses of Mangalore. So far 3,500 students benefited from this scholarship programme.