Mangaluru: Basti Vaman Shenoy, Founder and Co-Chairman Emeritus from Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Prathistan, World Konkani Center, died on Sunday, because of a disease related to age.
He was 86.
His mortal remnants would be stored for the public to pay their respect in the World Konkani Center, Shakti Nagar, from 9am to 10 am on Monday.
He will be cremated on Bantwal after that.
He survived by two sons, a princess and grandchild.
He has a large family of followers and good sympathizers, and thousands of scholars have become beneficiaries of the Vishwa Konkani student scholarship program.
Known as Wishwa Konkani Sardar (Konkani World leader), he was born on November 6, 1934 on Bantwal, 25 km from here.
Even though he wanted to pursue higher education and became a teacher, after completing the matriculation in 1952 from SVS High School, he had to join his father to help in his business, because of the financial difficulties faced by the family.
For a short period, he also worked at Canara Bank.
After his father’s death in 1957, the responsibility of caring for the whole family, fell on his shoulder.
Shenoy was respected as Doyen from the Konkani language movement.
He founded the World Konkani Center in 2009 in Shakti Nagar, under the auspices of Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Prathistan.
He served as President Prathistan from the beginning of 1996 to 2021, and served as co-Cairman emeritus afterwards.
During his extraordinary term, he played an important role in uniting Konkani people spread across various castees, religions and regions, in maternal language services.
Under his leadership, World Konkani Center pioneered several programs for conservation of Konkani and cultural languages, and the welfare of the Konkani-language community.
His career as an activist KONKANI has been extraordinary.
After his retirement from the Syndicate Bank in 1992, as president of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Karnataka, he organized the Konkani World Convention in 1995, brings together all the factions of communicial communities throughout the world.
He was given the title ‘Vishwa Konkani Sardar’ for this extraordinary achievement.
He tried to recognize Konkani language, and the inclusion in the 8th constitutional schedule in India, the blessings we saw Konkani language in every currency record circulating in India.
Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy was formed by the Karnataka Government, based on the demands of the Konkani people, who were capable of being submitted to the government under the leadership of Shenoy.
He also served as president of the academy from 1997 to 2001.
He was awarded Karnataka RajyothaVA in 2010, and several other awards for his conditioned services for Konkani language and culture.
Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Prathistan has instituted Shri Basti Vaman Shenoy Vishwa Konkani Seva Purascar for outstanding public services by Konkani people.
His membership to Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Karnataka, dated back to 1980, but in 1992, after his retirement from his banking career, that he devoted himself completely for Konkani activities.
Paul Moras, President Mandal, entrusted him the position of organizing Secretary of Konkani Jatha, a movement to regulate people to demand the formation of the Conkkani Academy.
He, along with other people, widespring to organize ‘Jathas’ in several cities in Karnataka, submitted a memorandum demanding for the Konkani Academy for the state, to the State Government in October 1992.
In 1993, he became President of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Karnataka .
He plays an important role for Konkani language to be taught at Canara High School here.
He loudly lobbied the state government for the establishment of the Konkani Academy.
Because of its efforts in 1994-95, the minister’s head which was later Veerappa Moony announced the establishment of the Konkani Academy in the state.
Thus Konkani Konkani Sahitya Academy appeared.
Shenoy was also involved in the activities of the Indian National Congress and Wing Intuku Trade Union, in Bantwal between 1954 and 1962, and during this period he was influenced by PAI.
Shenoy played a role in establishing Saraswathi when Prasarak Sangh and Saraswathi Sangeth Shala Bantul in 1958.