Media Release
 
Panaji, Feb 18: Prabhakar Tendulkar, a fighter for Goan identity, founder treasurer of Dalgado Konkani Academy and the editor of now defunct “Goykar” a weekly in Konkani in Roman script passed away on Saturday, February 16, after a prolonged illness at his residence in Mapusa. He was 81.
 
Prabhakar Tendulkar actively participated in the promotion of Konkani in Roman script since the Portuguese era when he was editing the Konkani section of the newspaper “A Vanguarda”. As he had a printing press, he printed hundreds of books in Konkani in Roman scripts and helped the writers to publish their books.
 
After the liberation of Goa  he fought against all those who wanted to merge Goa with Maharashtra and destroy Goa’s identity and helped to defeat the protagonists of merger of Goa into Maharashtra in the Opinion Poll of 1967. He started a independent weekly “Goykar” in Konkani in Roman script in 1979. The aim of “Goykar” was to achieve separate statehood for Goa and  Konkani as the Official Language of Goa. Prabhakar Tendulkar, through “Goykar” was responsible to create a lot of awareness among Goan masses particularly among the Konkani readers.
 
During the Konkani language agitation he was on the fore front to make Konkani – the official language of Goa. He was the president of Konkani Porjecho Avaz in Bardez Taluka which led the movement to give official status to Konkani. Nevertheless he was highly disappointed for not giving equal status to Konkani in Roman script in the Goa Official Language Act of 1987.
 
In order to safeguard the interest of Konkani in Roman script he was instrumental in establishing Dalgado Konkani Academy – the only institution in Goa for the preservation and promotion of Konkani in Roman script. In fact he was the founder treasurer of Dalgado Konkani Academy and worked tirelessly for the success of Dalgado Konknni Academy.
 
Prabhakar Tendulkar was awarded numerous awards for his dedicated service to the cause of Goa and Konkani language which includes “Fr Antonio Pereira Puroskar” by Thomas Sthepens Konknni Kendr, “Dalgado Puroskar” by Dalgado Konknni Academy, etc.