Gokuldas Prabhu


Krishna Gokuldas Prabhu is an Indian author, translator, and activist from Kerala who writes in the Konkani language. He is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize. He has served multiple terms as the president of the Konkani Parishad and as a member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi.

Early life and education

Krishna Gokuldas Prabhu was born on 28 December 1954 in Cherlai, Mattancherry, Cochin, Kerala. He is a polyglot, fluent in Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and English.
He received his primary education in the Malayalam medium up to the sixth standard. He completed his Secondary School Leaving Certificate at the T.D. High School in Mattancherry and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree from Sacred Heart College in Thevara, Kerala. He holds a post-graduate degree in English literature from Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Career

In 1979, he began his professional career at the Corporation Bank.

Literary work

Prabhu's literary career began in 1981 with the publication of his first Konkani writing in the Kerala-based magazine Konkani Janata. He served as the editor of Rutu, a bimonthly Konkani poetry periodical, for five years. He has also contributed articles on the Konkani language to newspapers.
His major creative works include:Prithivai Namah : A novel published in book form.Antraayami : A collection of short stories published in the Devanagari script.
Prabhu is also a prolific translator, known for translating Malayalam literature into Konkani. His translation of M. T. Vasudevan Nair's classic novel Naalukettu, titled Chavki in Konkani, was well received. He also translated K. P. Ramanunni's Malayalam novel into Konkani as Soofeen Saangil’li Kaanni.
Prabhu has presented papers on Konkani language, literature, and folklore at events organised by the Sahitya Akademi, Delhi; the Kerala Sahitya Academy; the All India Konkani Parishad; Goa University; the World Konkani Centre, Mangaluru. His works have been translated into Kannada, Tamil, English, Telugu, and other languages. Notable translations include: Antar Āyāmi into Kannada by Dr Geeta Shenoy, Tamil by N. Gopinath Hegde, and English by Pratima Asher; Rutu Sankramana into Kannada by Dr Geeta Shenoy and Telugu by Ranganatha Rao; and Prithivai Namah into Kannada by Shakuntala Kini.

Activism and organizational roles

Prabhu has held several leadership positions in Konkani literary organizations. He served as the President of the 14th Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Sahitya Sammelan held at Porvorim, Goa, in April 2001, which was inaugurated by Gulzar. He has also been a member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi in New Delhi and is associated with the World Konkani Centre in Mangalore.
In 2014, he was elected as the President of the Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Parishad for the 2014–2016 term, taking charge during the 29th session in Belgaum. He was subsequently re-elected as president for the 2016–2020 term during an election held at the Institute Menezes Braganza in Panaji.
He continues to be active in literary circles, moderating sessions on Konkani language and culture. In 2020, he moderated a national-level virtual symposium for "Konkani Manyatha Dees", and in November 2024, he chaired a session on "Culture and Reading in Konkani" at the World Konkani Literature Festival held in Mangaluru.

Works

As writer

  1. Prithivai Namah, published in 1986, is a novelette depicting rural life and nature.
  2. Antar Āyāmi is a collection of short stories published in 1991.

As editor

Prabhu edited an anthology of essays, Konkani Chaḷvaḷ Āni Mādhav Manjunāth Shānbhāg, in 2005.

As translator

  1. Chavki, published in 1997, is a translation of M. T. Vasudevan Nair's Naalukettu.
  2. Kaaḷ, a translation of M. T. Vasudevan Nair's Kaalam, was published in 2010.
  3. Sūfīn Sāṅgillī Kāṇī is a translation of K. P. Ramanunni's novel Soofi Paranja Katha.

Awards and accolades

Prabhu has received numerous awards for his contributions to Konkani literature:
He also served as the reception president for the All India Konkani Writers’ Conference held in Kochi in 1996.