Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Oct 26: Edwin Joseph Francis D'Souza, a prominent Konkani writer and recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award, fondly known as Edwin J F D'Souza, passed away at 75 years of age in the city on Thursday, October 26.
Born in Valencia, Mangaluru on June14, 1948, Edwin Joseph Francis D'Souza was an alumnus of St Aloysius (Autonomous) College, Mangaluru. He held a degree in commerce and a postgraduate diploma in Konkani, in addition to five online diplomas from the Bible School in the United States, specializing in Christian Theology.
In 1964, he published his first short story in Konkani, and from then on, he wrote 33 novels, over one hundred short stories, columns, satires, and more. Many of his short stories have been translated into English, Kannada, Hindi, Kashmiri, Malayalam, and Tamil. Edwin received thirteen state, inter-state, and international awards, including one from Dubai, for his literary contributions. His celebrated short story, "A Cup of Hot Coffee," was featured in the anthology "Our Favorite Indian Short Stories," published by Jaico Books and curated by the late Khushwant Singh. His heartwarming short story "Chocolates" appeared twice in the Reader's Digest Guide to Food, Special Collector's Edition.
Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, published several of his short stories in its publications, "Prateechi" and "Indian Literature."
In the field of translations, Edwin was recognized for his work translating from English to Konkani (in Nagari/Kannada script) and vice versa. Some notable translations include thirteen of his own Konkani short stories into English, compiled in an anthology titled "Chocolates" by English Titles Publications, Chennai. He also adapted and translated A J Cronin's "Shannon's Way" and Robert Greenshaw's "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison." Furthermore, his translations of select short stories by Guy De Maupassant, James Joyce, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Chekov regularly appeared in Konkani periodicals. He was accredited as a translator by the Sahitya Akademi, Chennai chapter.
Sahitya Akademi assigned him the task of translating the Konkani biography of the renowned poet and dramatist, the late C F D’Costa. Additionally, he was tasked with writing the biography in English of the late V J P Saldanha.
His trilogy, a single-volume work spanning 1008 pages, was published by the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi in 2015. It is considered a significant achievement in Konkani literature. In 2014, his first anthology of 22 short stories in Konkani (Devanagari), titled "Poinn" (The Journey), was jointly published by Bimb Publications and the Goa Konkani Akademi, with a release at the 29th All India Konkani Parishad in Belgaum on February 28, 2014.
He also contributed dialogues for the Konkani movie "Boxsane" in 1995.
In March 2012, he received The Book Sellers' & Publishers' Award (BAPASI) from Chennai for his lifetime dedication to a minority language.
The Goa Konkani Akademi published his 450-page novel, "Kallem Bhangaar," in the Nagari script. This novel earned him the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi Best Book of the Year 2013 and the Best Book of the Year 2013 award from the Vimala V Pai Vishwa Konkani Award. He also received a recent award from the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
In 2015, the Federation of Konkani Catholic Association honored him, and he received recognition from Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, erstwhile Mangaluru bishop Dr Bernard Moras, and others. "Konkani Kutam, Bahrain" presented him with the Konkani Literature Lifetime Award in 2015.
He was a member of the general council of the Sahitya Akademi (2008-2012), New Delhi, and also served as a member of the expert committee for the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, deciding on the Fellowship Awards for Research. Edwin D'Souza additionally served on the Board of Studies for Konkani at Goa University.
It's worth noting that Edwin D'Souza served as the president of the 11th All India Konkani Sahitya Sammelan, which took place in February 1992 in Karwar.
Edwin D'Souza leaves behind his wife Marcelline Jane D'Souza, daughter Ruth Esther D'Souza, son-in-law Sudhakar Prabhu and grandchild Anoushka Prabhu.