Konkani Nirantari - A distant view…by Maxim Lobo

  •   Mon, Jun 01 2009
  •  

Italy

What a spectacular moment! What an outstanding achievement!! It was not anybody stealing the limelight, but Konkani taking the center stage as it became the obsession of thousands for an engrossing 40 odd hours. You were forgiven for having tremors in your lower abdomen, frenetically logging on for quick updates on Daijiworld and getting immersed in the Guinness count down. That was probably the state of affairs with all Konkani buffs miles and miles away from the action-packed ‘Maandd’ at Kalaangann, Magnalore.

It was fitting that all and sundry converged on Mangalore, the place that has been the hub of so much of Konkani activity, unabated by the unjust indifference shown by the powers that be, to celebrate Konkani, to manifest Konkani culture. Konkans were understandably cock-a-hoop as they erupted in spontaneous dance and why not? They deserved every bit of that and more. After all, they had weathered all the challenges to send crashing a major Guinness Record, and with that their fears and loads of sceptics too. 

‘Not just a matter of Guinness Record’ echoed Walter Nandalike wisely, with a timely dose of perspective. I confess, even I wasn’t as much sure as to what this gigantic event would do to Konkani. Quickly, I was made to eat humble pie as I myself became an avid supporter when the event finally began to roll. Lo and behold! All of a sudden it dawned on me as to what this was doing for Konkani and the Konkans!

At Konkani Nirantari, Konkani was showcased, so were its verses and tunes, its poets and musicians, its seasoned talents and budding ones. In sum and substance, Konkani Nirantari showcased Konkani culture and its people. What a feat that, and that too with admirable precision and workmanlike planning. So, it wasn’t just a matter a Guinness Record, was it?

Konkani Nirantari showcased the dire need of leadership and the power of it; Leadership with vision and leadership with a penchant for making a difference. Fr Denis D’Sa couldn’t have been more correct when he said “those who dream big make a difference. Eric and co have always made a difference”. Eric Ozario and his team need to be given a standing ovation for this unparalleled feat and unprecedented leadership. They have dared to dream big and achieved it big time.

There sure was more leadership all through, most of all, in willing to work behind the screen, letting your precious voice merge with that of the multitude. For once, Konkans were proven wrong. Who said, we have serious handicap in working with our tribe? Thousands, throwing in thin air their egos were up against the monster. They sang and sang and the wall came crashing down. It was a mere chance that Nirantari had to be cut short at 40 hours, for one could sense that there was all the enthusiasm to go on and on!

Thank goodness, there was daijiworld to splash the headlines in quick time and keep the ones in the diaspora passionately involved. Otherwise, we would have been the unfortunate lot as the Indian media was caught napping. And why would they, after all, there weren’t any celebrities that could boost their ratings!

A Guinness record has been set. How long will that stand? That’s some question pal! But why should that bother anyway? Records are meant to be broken. Someday – well, I pray not that soon – may be even this one will have been wiped out. But what it did for Konkani will not easily be erased from the psyche of Konkans for a long, long time. So there you go: let that joy be Nirantari as it spurs to unleash the Konkani love and pride with some concrete deeds.

Long live Konkani Nirantari.
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Leave a Comment

Title: Konkani Nirantari - A distant view…by Maxim Lobo



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.