Manohar Rai SarDessai: Makers of Indian Literature

Manohar Rai SarDessai (1925-2006) was a major voice in Konkani poetry. A scholar of French, he received his doctorate from Sorbonne University for his thesis on the topic The Image of Indian In 18 Century France. He influenced at least two generations of Konkani poets and his shadow looms large on the present time poetry in Konkani. A polyglot, he knew several Indian and foreign languages and wrote in four languages, a unique example in Indian literature. There were several strings to his poetic bow and he received several honors including the Sahitya Akademi award for his collection of poems titled Pissolim. He was also honored by the French government for his contribution to teaching of French language in India.

Madhav Borcar (1954-) a major poet in Konkani, has been writing poetry since the past five decades. So far he has published seven collections of poems and has received the Sahitya Akademi award for his collection titled Yaman. He has translated Rabindranath Tagore's Hundred and One Poems into Konkani for which he received the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize. He retired as Station Director from the All India Radio, Panaji.