BACKGROUND
In an article published on April 16, 1975, P.L Deshpande a doyen of Marathi Literature said that Konkani isn't an independent language and that the Sahitya Akademi has created an illusion among the Konkani speaking masses to think of Konkani as a language on par with Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu etc. He was of the opinion that the Akademi was misleading the masses; Konkani was a mere dialect of Marathi language and fails to meet the parameters of an independent language.
WHO IS DAMODAR MAUZO?
Born 1 AUGUST 1944, Mauzo is a Goan short story writer, scriptwriter, novelist, and critic in Konkani. He was awarded the Jnanpith Award( India's highest literary award) in 2021. In 1983, he was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Kremlin and the Vimala V. Pai Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Pruskar for his novel Tsunami Simon in 2011. His collection of short stories was nominated for Frank O' Connor International Award in 2015.
PRESENT
Forty- seven years after the adverse remarks, Mauzo was invited to the 95th edition of the Marathi literature festival. His presence was seen as a gesture of cooperation, coexistence and a fruitful engagement between the two camps.