The announcement of the prestigious Jnanpith Award for our great Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo is a joyous and uplifting occasion for our land and for us all -- indeed a bright spark, amidst the gloom and nauseating political environment. A very down to earth and outstanding personality, Damodar Mauzo has been a prolific author and very outspoken in all that he writes and speaks. Extremely knowledgeable and always with a very broad outlook, Damodar Mauzo has been a symbol of honesty, integrity and commitment for all to emulate. He truly embodies the noble spirit of universal humanism.
While we are battling through very dark and turbulent times, with the much celebrated world’s largest democracy now in deep peril, great writers and thinkers like Damodar Mauzo are a ray of hope. While we celebrate the great honour bestowed on him, let us remain committed to this struggle to ensure that voices of dissent are not stifled and nobody is allowed to suppress our right to express the thoughts we have. Let us not forget that some fanatics did try to do that to him, a few years ago. Our great country must regain, its democratic and secular fabric.
