Basti Vaman Madhav Shenoy (6 November 1934 – 2 January 2022) was an Indian Konkani activist popularly known as ''Vishwa Konkani Sardar'' (World Konkani Leader) and was the founder of
World Konkani Centre in Shakthinagar,
Mangalore
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...
.
Early life
Basti Vaman Shenoy was born on 6 November 1934 in
Bantwal
Bantwal () is a taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India. It is located East of Mangalore city center. BC Road-Kaikamba of Bantwal is one of the fastest developing areas in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
Along with BC ...
, a town in
Dakshina Kannada District of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.
His father Basti Madhav Shenoy, popularly known as Motra Madhav, was booking agent of the CPC Bus Service of Mangalore. Vaman Shenoy's mother was Gowri alias Bhagirathi. He passed out of Tenth Standard (SSLC) in 1952 from the SVS High School in Bantwal. He wanted to pursue higher education and become a teacher but due to his family conditions he had to leave school and join his father to help in his business. For a brief period he also worked in Canara Bank. Vaman Shenoy's father died in 1957 and with this the responsibility of whole family fell on the shoulders of Vaman Shenoy. He married Savithri in 1959.
Career
Social service
Shenoy was involved in the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
, and its trade union wing
INTUC
Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) is a national trade union in India. It was founded on 3 May 1947 and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, ...
activities in Bantwal between 1954 and 1962.
During this period he was influenced by
T. A. Pai.
Shenoy was instrumental in founding Saraswathi Kala Prasarak Sangh and Saraswathi Sangeeth Shala Bantwal in 1958.
He was also an active member of Yashvanth Vyayam Shala, and took part in Konkani dramas and theatrical activities during festivities in Bantwal.
He joined
Rotary International in 1972 and rendered his service to the society as Rotarian in various capacities. In 1974 he organised eye camps and dental camps in Bantwal Taluk. For his humanitarian initiatives in providing relief to the flood victims of 1974 Flood of Netravati River in Bantwal Taluk he received Special Significance Award in Rotary Dist. 318 at Mysore. He became the president of Rotary Club in Moodabidri and organised eye camps and dental camps along with other social initiatives.
In 1977 he became the correspondent of SVS Schools in Bantwal. During this term he constructed a new building block for School Library. Basti Vaman Shenoy became the President of Yashavanth Vyayam Shala in Bantwal in 1980. He took initiative to revive the age old "Mall Khamb" and organised performance tours to several places in Karnataka. In association with Kasturba Medical College he set up an Outreach Specialist Clinic in Vyayama Shala premises in 1988.
T. A. Pai asked him to join
Syndicate Bank
Syndicate Bank was one of the oldest and major commercial banks of India. It was founded by Upendra Ananth Pai, T. M. A. Pai and Vaman Srinivas Kudva. At the time of its establishment, the bank was known as Canara Industrial and Banking Syndi ...
in 1962.
He joined Panemangalore branch as clerk. Within 20 months he was promoted as officer. In 1968 he became the manager of newly started
Raibhag branch in Belagaum District. In 1972 he transferred and returned to
Panemangalore
Panemangalore is a locality on the banks of the Netravati River near BC Road. It lies in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. The National Highway 75 passes through this region. It is located 27 km east of Mangalore city. It lies in ...
where he started his banking career and became manager of the branch.
In 1974 villages on the banks of River
Netravati
The Netravati River or Netravathi Nadi has its origins at Bangrabalige valley, Yelaneeru Ghat in Kudremukh in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, India. This river flows through the famous pilgrimage place Dharmasthala and is considered one ...
in Bantwal Taluk got submerged in the flood. Basti Vaman Shenoy took initiative in setting up several relief camps in the Taluk and supported the industry and trade activities by refinancing the traders through Syndicate Bank. He served Syndicate Bank in various branches including
Shimoga
Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...
and
Moodabidri
Moodabidri ( kn, ಮೂಡುಬಿದಿರೆ ''Mūḍubidire''; also called Mudbidri, Moodbidre and Bedra), is a town and taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. It lies 34 km northeast of the district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karna ...
until his voluntary retirement in 1992.
Konkani activism
Basti Vaman Shenoy's membership of the Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Karnataka dates back to 1980 but it was in 1992 after his retirement from his banking career he devoted himself completely to Konkani activities. Paul Moras, the President of the Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Karnataka entrusted him with the post of Organising Secretary of the Konkani Jatha a movement for organising people to demand establishment of Konkani Academy. He and others toured extensively to organise 'Jathas' (Rally) in several cities of Karnataka State. Jatha submitted the Memorandum demanding Konkani Academy for the state with the Karnataka Government in October 1992.
In 1993 Basti Vaman Shenoy became the President of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Karnataka. He initiated teaching of Konkani language in Canara High School Mangalore. He lobbied the Karnataka state government for the establishment of Konkani Academy. Chief Minister of Karnataka
Veerappa Moily
Marpadi Veerappa Moily (born 12 January 1940) is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress from the state of Karnataka.
Moily was the former Chief Minister (and the first ethnic Tuluva CM) of the Indian state of Karnataka ...
announced the establishment of Konkani Academy in the state. Thus Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy came into existence.
In 1995 from 16 to 22 December, under the auspices of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Karnataka, as Chief Convener, Basti Vaman Shenoy organised
First World Konkani Convention in Mangalore.
Margaret Alva
Margaret Nazareth Alva ( born 14 April 1942) is an Indian politician. Alva served as the 17th Governor of Goa, 23rd Governor of Gujarat, 20th Governor of Rajasthan and 4th Governor of Uttarakhand the until the end of her tenure in August 201 ...
, the then Central Minister was the Hon. Chairman, and
K.K.Pai was the Chairman of the Organising Committee. 5000 delegates from all over the world attended this convention. The convention brought together Konkani speaking people from all regions, religion, dialect and sub communities. The then Chief Minister of Karnataka
H.D. Deve Gowda inaugurated the convention. The 7 days convention consisting of seminars, debates, cultural presentations, exhibition and food festival was a grand success. Delegates honoured Basti Vaman Shenoy with a title of "Vishwa Konkani Sardar" (World Leader of Konkani). Basti Vaman Shenoy presented before the gathering of world representatives of Konkani people his dream to establish a permanent entity for the preservation and promotion of Konkani language, art and culture. The convention unanimously gave a mandate to establish World Konkani Centre in Mangalore with a resolution in the valedictory function of the convention.
In 1996, Shenoy inaugurated the First North American Konkani Convention at New Jersey, United States. He toured North American cities promoting the cause of Konkani during his visit. In 1997, Shenoy became the President of Karnataka Konkani Saithya Academy. He served two terms as President of Academy till 2001. During his tenure as President of Academy he initiated a process of lobbying with the Government of Karnataka to introduce Konkani in the schools of Karnataka as the optional third language. Under his tenure Academy produced "Konkani Samanthar Shabdakosh", a series of books on stalwarts of Konkani community "Konkani Mahamanest Pustakmala" and a volume on showcasing the rich Konkani art form of Kavi murals "Konkanyali Kavikala" written by Dr. Krishnanand Kamath. In 1998 Academy organised a three-day "Konkani Kala Utsav" in New Delhi. President Basti Vaman Shenoy led the 130 member cultural team to showcase Konkani Culture at the capital city. He was instrumental in organising workshop for developing teaching material in Konkani language in collaboration of
Central Institute of Indian Languages
The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) is an Indian research and teaching institute based in Mysuru, part of the Language Bureau of the Ministry of Education. It was founded on 17 July 1969.
Centres
The Central Institute of Indian Lan ...
in 2001. This workshop successfully brought out a Konkani Primer Book called "Konkani Kalo".
In 2002, as the Organising Committee chairman, Basti Vaman Shenoy successfully organised the 20th Adhiveshan of
All India Konkani Parishad in Mangalore.
In 2004 he became the President of
All India Konkani Parishad, took charge at the 26th Adhiveshan held at Kozhikode.
Shenoy served as one of the three jury members for the 2015
Sahitya Akademi Award
The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
(Konkani).
Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation
KLCF was promoted by Konkani Bhasha Mandal Karnatak to fulfil the mandate of the delegates of World Konkani Convention to establish World Konkani Centre at Mangalore. It came into being immediately after the World Konkani Convention in 1995. Basti Vaman Shenoy became its president. Banker, philanthropist and social leader K. K. Pai became Chairman of the KLCF. The Foundation stone marking the beginning of construction work was laid in a ceremony in September 2005 by P. Dayanand Pai. The then Union Minister Oscar Fernandes and Cooperative Minister of Government of Karnataka Shri R. V. Deshpande were present. Basti Vaman Shenoy toured relentlessly to raise funds for this project in India and abroad.
Vishwa Konkani Abhiyan
Under the auspices of KLCF, Basti Vaman Shenoy initiated a movement called Visha Konkani abhiyan aimed at creating opportunity of interaction between Konkani writers and scholars with their counterparts in other languages of the country. The Abhiyan was inaugurated at New Delhi on 12 October 2008 by former Union Minister Margaret Alva. M.
Veerappa Moily
Marpadi Veerappa Moily (born 12 January 1940) is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress from the state of Karnataka.
Moily was the former Chief Minister (and the first ethnic Tuluva CM) of the Indian state of Karnataka ...
released a book on
Rashtrakavi M. Govinda Pai translated to Hindi from Konkani. Economist and Sanskrit scholar
V. R. Panchamukhi (former chairman ICSSR) presided over the function. A seminar "Integration Through Languages" was held in which scholars from Panjabi, Hindi, Persian, Urdu, Kannada and Konkani languages participated. Similar programs were held in Baroda, Mumbai and Pune.
World Konkani Centre
World Konkani Centre, built on a 3 acre plot called Konkani Gaon (Konkani Village) at Shakti Nagar,
Mangalore
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...
was inaugurated by Shri Digambar Kamat, Honorable Chief Minister of Goa on 17 January 2009. The World Konkani Centre named after chief patrons Dr. P. Dayananda Pai and P. Satish Pai consists of a library, a museum and convention facilities like boardroom, seminar hall and auditorium. As per the KLCF the centre is founded "to serve as a nodal agency for the preservation and overall development of Konkani language, art and culture involving all the Konkani people the world over."
On 6 March 2010, Vishwa Konkani Bhasha Samsthan (World Institute of Konkani Language) and
World Konkani Hall of Fame were inaugurated by journalist
Rajdeep Sardesai
Rajdeep Sardesai (born 24 May 1965) is an Indian news anchor, reporter, journalist and author. He is a consulting editor and an anchor of India Today Television. He was the Editor-in-Chief of Global Broadcast News, that included CNN-IBN, IBN7 ...
at World Konkani Centre. A Konkani ethnic shoppe was inaugurated by Ramdas Kamath U. (Senior Vice-President,
Infosys Technologies Ltd.) on this occasion.
Awards and recognitions
*
Rajyotsava Prashasti
The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as t ...
by Government of Karnataka in 2010
*Language Award by
Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy in 2008
Personal life and death
Shenoy died at his home in Thumbe, on 2 January 2022, at the age of 87.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shenoy, Basti Vaman
1934 births
2022 deaths
20th-century Indian writers
Konkani-language writers
People from Dakshina Kannada district
Konkani people
Writers from Karnataka
Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2010