with inputs from Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)
Panaji, Feb 3: Veteran Journalist and writer Chandrakant Keni passed away in the morning hours of Tuesday, February 3 at his residence. He was 75.
Keni had edited Goa's first Konkani daily Sunaparant till 1989 and had been active in state's social movement.
He was recipient of Central Sahitya Academy award for his novel 'Vhakal Pavni'.
Keni was also the president of the 11th All India Konkani Sahitya Parishad held at Mangalore in 1976. He was instrumental in giving a new dimension to the short story literature in Konkani.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
He was the Editor of Marathi Daily 'Rashtramat' since its inception in 1963.
Born in 1934, Keni wrote short stories in Konkani, Marathi and Hindi. He was the chairman of the Goa Editor's Guild.
Keni was also the recipient of the National Award for Journalism in 1995. Apart from the Sahitya Akademi award he had won the Dr TMA Pai Foundation Literary Award in the year 1990, Goa State Literary Awards on three occasions and the Goa State Cultural award in 1997.
A champion of the Konkani language, Keni had been closely associated with the freedom struggle of the territory from Portuguese colonialism.
Chandrakant Keni was a good story-teller and in some of his essays he narrated his personal experiences and brought in the anecdotes and stories to keep up the interest. By doing so allowed the readers to have the glimpse of his personality.
Many of his essays lie still scattered in newspapers and magazines. His topical essays in the column 'lharar lhar' (Wave upon wave) in the daily 'Sunaparant' are highly readable; Keni also authored 'Bimbam Paddbimbam' and 'Toretorechim Sonvgam'.
In his 'Toretorechim Songam' (Characters) Keni narrates interesting anecdotes and sketches memorable pen-portraits. Unlike other essayists Keni's characters are not necessarily Goan. They belong to the whole of India or perhaps to the whole world.
Keni was not obsessed with regionalism and his essays and stories had a touch of universality.