Media Release
Panaji, Apr 11: Each person has a dream and he tries to realize that dream. But very few struggle very hard to reach them and only such people become successful in their lives. One such rare personalities of Goa is Gunaji Sadanand Desai who has begged the highest degree in Konkani and realize his dream.
Gunaji Desai is the Head of the Department of Konkani at Chowgule College. He is a popular teacher amongst the student fraternity. He also heads the Infantry Wing of N.C.C. of the College.
He began his teaching career as a teacher in Loyola High School, Margao in 1988. He was appointed as the Lecturer in Konkani in Smt. Parvatibai Chowgule College in 1995.
He completed his school education in Shri Katyayni Baneshwar Vidhyalay in Pansulem, Canacona. The school had taken over to English as a medium of instruction in 1977. He was in the first batch of students who passed SSCE from the school in the year 1982-83. In the year 1992-93 the Goa University set up a full-fledged Konkani Department and he was in the first batch of students who completed their M.A. in Konkani Language. While pursuing his Masters Degree Course, he appeared for the University Grants Commissions National Eligibility Test and Junior Research Fellowship Examination. He was the first Goan student of the Department of Konkani who succeeded in clearing both examinations. This success was lauded by the community.
From the academic year 1992-93 to 2008-09 around 350 students registered themselves for Masters Degree in Konkani. Some of them dropped out of the course. In this span of 17 years he is the first student to acquire a doctorate in Konkani.
Dr. Gunaji Desai researched on “Shennoi Goembabalem Konkani Sahitya Ani Samajik Chetna” and completed his research under the guidance of Dr. Chandralekha D’Souza, Head of the Department of Konkani at Goa University. Dr. A. R. Raphael was the Vice-Chancellors Nominee. Vice-Chancellor, India International Multi-varsity Prof. Dr. Pramod Talageri was the External Referee for the viva examination. The degree was awarded at the hands of Chancellor of Goa University H.E. Dr. Shivinder Singh Sidhu, Governor of Goa State during the Convocation ceremony conducted this year.
Dr. Gunaji had been awarded Fellowship to complete his research under Faculty Improvement Programme under the Tenth Five Year Plan of UGC.
He had been a member on the Board of Studies of Konkani at Goa University, member of Editorial Board of Goa Secondary and Higher Secondary Board of Education for preparing Konkani Text Books for std. ninth and tenth. He was a Treasurer of Junior Red Cross for South Goa. He was the leader of the Junior Red Cross delegation of Goa State Red Cross Society which represented Goa state for the National Integration Camp at New Delhi. At present he is on the Executive Committee of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Goa and on the Board of Directors of the Madgaum School Complex Co-operative Society.