Bonaventure D’Pietro awarded the Dalgado Puroskar

D’Pietro awarded Dalgado Puroskar
HERALD NEWS DESK/PANJIM, MAY 10

– Famous Konknni novelist and accomplished saxoph-onist, Bonaventure Peter Fernandes (or Bonaventure D’Pietro, as he is popularly known) was awarded the Dalgado Puroskar, a Lifetime achievement award at a well-attended function in the Kala Academy.
Past President of the Karnataka Konknni Sahitiya Akademi, Eric Ozario was the chief guest and conferred the award named by the Dalgado Konkani Akademi in honour of Monsenhor Sebastiao Rudolfo Dalgado, whose sterling work for the understanding of Konkani remains unparalleled to this day.
Noted Konknni writer and Sahitya Akademi winner Datta Damodar Naik was the guest of honour, while Fr Conceicao de Chagas e Silva, an active promoter of Konknni usage in Goa Archdiocese and beyond was the special invitee. The award function was held in collaboration with Kala Academy at Kala Aca-demy’s Black Box.
While congratulating the Dalgado Puroskar 2008 winner D’Pietro, Eric said, “There are two groups of people who work for Konknni. One group works for Konknni out of convenience. Ozario also congratulated Dalgado Konknni Akademi for choosing the right person for its prestigious award.
Welcoming the gathering, DKA President Premanand Lotlikar praised Bonaventure D’Pietro for enriching the Konknni language through literature by sacrificing even his livelihood.
The awardee was intro-duced by Floriano Fernandes, executive member of DKA.
Fr Conceicao D’ Silva expressed his satisfaction that the Goa Government is at last waking up to the reality and acknowledging that Konknni is alive in Roman script. “1 have realised one thing,” he said, “unless one makes noise, one is not heard by the Government.”
On the occasion, noted tiatrist Prince Jacob’s drama Roddonaka was released at the hands of Fr Conceicao D’Silva.
At the end of the function DKA secretary Jose Salvador Fernandes proposed the vote of thanks, while Daniel F de Sousa compered the function.