From his Sahitya Akademi award in 1983 for ‘Karmelin’, to India’s highest literary honour, the Jnanpith Award, Damodar Mauzo has made Goans and Konkani proud. Today, Damodar will be turning a grand 80, a huge milestone for this Konkani writer. “For me, 80 is a number. Yet, it is indeed a significant day which I would like to celebrate in the presence of my readers and friends. And what can be a better way than launching my books,” says Damodar, a noted short story writer and novelist.
His gift for Goa are two new short story books and yet a lot more was planned, “In fact, I was expecting the release of three more books - all in translation. One is a collection of stories translated into Malayalam by a group of eminent translators under the banner of Bhasha Samanvay Vedi in Kozhikode and being published by Matrubhumi. They now plan to release the book on the occasion of Onam. The second one is the translation of my latest novel into Hindi, translated by Dr Ramita Gurav and being published by Vani Prakashan. It will be ready in the next fortnight. The third is another collection of stories going into Marathi, translated by Shaila Mauzo and published by Majestic Publishing House. All the three books will now be launched in Goa in September 2024 at a special event.”
Speaking about his younger days in Goa and then in Bombay for his studies, Damodar reminisces, “I am lucky to be born in times of major transformations in the life of my state, Goa. I remember vividly the Portuguese regime of the fifties and early sixties until Goa was liberated. Except for the Colonial blues, where every booklet, even invitation card and pamphlet advertising tiatr had to be censored and a few political taboos, the life was normal and full of liveliness. I was 17 when Goa was liberated. We were excited when Operation Vijay was happening. On December 18, 1961, I was in the streets of Margao, along with hundreds of others, to greet the Indian army tanks marching along the street of Abe de Faria in Margao. I also saw the greedy army officers and soldiers who flocked our shops to buy every imported item at the prices prevailing then. We Goans were naive and ignorant of the imminent price rise. I also remember the corrupt practices introduced to Goans by the officers on deputation, mainly from Maharashtra. I was in Mumbai for my college studies when the Merger issue gathered momentum in Goa. Of course, I was abreast of the political situation back home. I remember having addressed an Anti-Merger mass rally of Goans in Mumbai and was pleasantly surprised to see my name among the speakers in the Times of India news item on its front page the following day. Politics apart, the best time of my youthful teens was spent either reading books from the libraries in Margao or playing football with my friends.”
How did he fall in love with Konkani? “It was the time when the sons of the soil, the people of Goa, belittled our language, Konkani. The educated Hindus felt their language was Marathi and Konkani was its dialect. Whereas, most of the elite Catholics thought that Konkani was the language of the Criadas/kiryadamgeli bhas. Only those with a foresight, like Pedro Correia Afonso, Ravindra Kelekar, Dr Manohar Rai Sardesai, Uday Bhembre, Felicio Cardozo, etc. saved our land from falling prey to the ill designs of the expansionist forces. These and many more sons of the soil anticipated the future of our motherland. And also foresaw that the identity of our land and people is tied to our language. My love for language got fortified when I reached Mumbai for my college studies. I realised how important is one’s mother tongue if we want to survive as an independent entity. Besides, though I knew Marathi, Hindi and even English well, I found that I can best express myself in my language Konkani. That is the reason I chose to write in Konkani.”
Damodar began his writing career in 1971 with his collection of short stories titled ‘Gathan’ that brought him into the limelight. Ravindra Kelekar, saw the potential in him and offered to publish his book. He was thrilled to see some of his stories going into translation into other languages like English and Marathi. The response to the first book inspired him to work for the language and literature more vigorously.
Speaking about his idols in Konkani and his friends who have supported the language over the years, this octogenarian says, “As of today, I can point out my finger at Udaybab. He is my mentor, friend and guide who has Goa and Konkani at heart. All the writers of Konkani, whether young or old, are my friends.”
After receiving the Sahitya Akademi Award for Karmelin in 1983 and the book was then translated into many other languages. Damodar explains how important translation is for Konkani, “Konkani is a language spoken by about five million people across the country. There are more speakers in Karnataka than in Goa. Our first job was to bring all the Konkani speakers under one umbrella. All India Konkani Parishad achieved this goal. Konkani was, and to some extent still is, a lesser known language in our own country. The reason is Goa was liberated much later, after the formation of states. The Portuguese regime too had almost obliterated the use of the language by passing the decree (in 1684) banning the use of Konkani. It was post liberation that Konkani flourished. The speedy advancement in literary field attracted the attention of literary enthusiasts across the country. In the absence of translations, Konkani literature would have remained restricted to its own linguistic boundaries. Today, we can boast that the rest of the country is forced to take cognisance of our language and literature because our literature is translated widely.”
Receiving the Jnanpith Award was another feather in his cap. Unfortunately, it delayed his literary works by two years, as he was travelling across India to deliver Memorial Lectures or lectures at different Universities or to address the literary forums. However, he is determined not to travel much in future unless it is beneficial to his language and his literary pursuits.
His two new books are ‘Pon’no Bazar’ and ‘Post Covid’. ‘Pon’no Bazar’ has stories that were written in the olden days. “They are the stories that could not enter my earlier collections for some or other reason. Some were topical, some had already gone into translation and hence had lost their freshness while some were lost and found later. Even after this collection, I am afraid there are at least ten to twenty stories left out as they are untraceable,” says Damodar.
He further explains about ‘Post Covid’, “All the ten stories in this collection are the product of post covid. Some stories are Covid-related while some have passing remarks of covid. The title is such because all of the stories are written after the last collection, ‘Tishthavani’ published during the pandemic. As is the case with my stories, all deal with diverse topics from glaring caste distinctions to mixed marriages and from rape victims to cowardice. There is also a story of alter ego and yet another that subtly speaks of ideology clashes.”
Damodar is also working on a OTT series in a collaborative venture. The project is under consideration of the producers and has a storyline that deals with the complexity of life in Goa today.
Damodar travels for different literary events across the country and can notice the difference between Goans and Konkani compared to other languages. “Konkani has all the potential to play its role as a mainstream language of India. Along with Literary criticism, research on various dialects and translational activity, we also need to conserve folklore and at the same time, promote cinema. People in the rest of India have great respect for Goa and Goans. When in discourse, I can proudly talk of our rich folklore and present day literature. However, when I share the platform with the likes of Jahnu Barua or Gulzar, I am at a loss to deliberate on the contribution of Konkani to Cinema today. To overcome this scenario, concerted efforts are required. As compared to the rest of the states, our Government does very little to promote the language and culture of Goa.”
As Goa has been changing in front of Damodar’s eyes, the same story get translated into his writing and it’s not just him he says. “Not only me, but all the writers especially Pundalik Naik, Mahabaleshwar Sail, Jose Lourenco, Devidas Kadam or Vincy Quadros have been writing about the transformation of Goa. The concern for the changing attitudes and the apathy of Goans as also for the greedy and corrupt practices of many of our politicians is central to their writings,” he adds.
To conclude, Damodar predicts the future of Konkani, “I am optimistic of a good future and my optimism has never failed me.”