At the recently held meeting of Fr Freddy J da Costa Memorial Trust the names of the personalities to be felicitated by Gulab, the popular Konkani monthly and Fr Freddy J da Costa Memorial Trust, for the year 2020, have been declared.
Dr Carlos M Fernandes, Assistant Professor, Teacher in-charge, Department of Library and Information Science (DLIS) and in-charge University Librarian at Goa University, has been declared as ‘Gulab’s Personality of the Year’. Renowned Konkani author, litterateur, historian and one of the major contributors in the preparation of the Konkani Lectionary, Vachpam Grônth, Rev Fr Manuel Gomes has been awarded the ‘Gulab Writer of the Year.’ While popular senior tiatr writer, director and songster Wilson Mazarello, will be felicitated with this year’s ‘Gulab Tiatrist Award’.
Due to the prevailing pandemic situation this year, the awardees will not be felicitated on July 20, 2021, as was the tradition to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late Fr Freddy J Da Costa, the founder-editor of Gulab. However, the awardees will be felicitated at a special function to be held at a later date.
The personalities for the awards have been selected by an experienced jury comprising of Guadalupe Dias, Fr Ave Maria Aponso, Marcos Gonsalves, Br John Afonso and Pio Esteves from the four nominees in each category, provided by the Trust.
The nominees for ‘Gulab Personality of the Year’ were Dr Carlos Fernandes (winner), Kumari Sonia Sirsat (Fado Singer – Goa’s Ambassador), Tomazinho Cardozo (politician, ex-Speaker, author, tiatrist and Konkani activist and Minguel Fernandes (Poder - Agnelo Bakery, Majorda).
Rev Fr Manuel Gomes (winner), Fr Eusebio Gomes, sfx, Fr Nevel Gracias and Teotonio D’Costa were nominated for the Gulab Writer of the Year award.
The nominees for ‘Gulab Tiatrist of the Year’ were Wilson Mazarello (winner), Fatima D’Souza, Cyriaco Dias and Xavier Gomes.
Gulab’s Personality of the Year - Dr Carlos Fernandes was born in Khandepar, Ponda on August 30, 1962, Dr Fernandes holds a Master’s degree in Arts as well as Library & Information Science and a PhD in Library Science; Library Consortia. He was also the curator of Goa State Central Library, Panaji from 2006 to 2020.
Dr Carlos has to his credit several edited conference volumes, including Public Libraries of 21st Century (2010) and those related to Library and Information Science Conventions held in Goa in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Dr Carlos designed and got the approval for a separate DDC number for Konkani language and Literature from DDC (Dewey Decimal Classification) Division of Library of Congress, New York, USA (2001).
‘Gulab Personality of the Year’ - Rev Fr Manuel Gomes was born in the picturesque village of Benaulim on October 21, 1953. Fr Gomes was ordained priest on April 27, 1980. He obtained his Licentiate in Church History from the Jesuit University, Gregoriana in Rome and later a Master’s degree in Spiritual Theology from the Dominican University in Angelicum, Rome.
Fr Gomes was also Professor of Pastoral Institute, Old-Goa and Rector of the Seminary of Our Lady, Saligao-Pilerne. When he was the Director of the Diocesan Centre for Biblical Apostolate he shouldered the responsibility of giving to the Konkani speaking world the long-awaited Bible in the Roman script, the Povitr Pustok (2006), with 1,60,000 copies printed so far through three editions.
‘Gulab Tiatrist of the Year’ - Wilson Mazarello was born on July 19, 1946, in Velim. Mazarello holds a degree in Chemistry and Microbiology from Mumbai University and has been a student of International Marketing and Business Management as well.
Mazarello has written 20 Konkani tiatrs besides composing hundreds of songs which are being regularly featured on the All India Radio and Doordarshan. He has produced several audio cassettes and Compact Discs. His own compositions of folk songs such as Moddgonvam Prasar, Pausacho Dis and Piknik have become immortal. Recipient of a fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, for his research work on the Konkani tiatr, Mazarello has authored the book on 100 Years of Konkani Tiatro, besides publishing two of his tiatrs Sukti Bhorti and Durig in book form.
