Romi soldier turns 75

NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro relaunching Goykar in July 2008 in the presence of Prabhakar Tendulkar.


WALTER MENEZES reviews the work of Prabhakar Tendulkar--writer, editor, publisher and Doyen of the Konknni Movement. Tendulkar will be felicitated at a public function organized by Dalgado Konknni Akademi and Omor Prokaxon at GCCI Hall, Panaji tomorrow. Kotha-gons, his collection of short stories in Romi Konknni will also be released.

Prabhakar Tendulkar was born on June 4, seventy five summers ago. By the time he turned twenty, he was already shouldering the challenging responsibility, as editor of the Konknni section of A Vanguarda, a popular Portuguese-Konknni weekly.

‘During those days, the Portuguese regime had banned entry of Marathi newspapers from Mumbai. In such a situation, even Hindus took to reading and writing Konknni in the Romi script,’ Tendulkar had reminisced of those days, in a foreword to a book. ‘Tea bhair Kristanv bhav Romi Konknni fattlean aslech,' he had added, speaking of a community, which was always solidly behind Konknni in the Romi script.

A Vanguarda folded up three years after the Liberation of Goa but the ten-year stint (1954-1964) as editor of the weekly was long enough for Prabhakar Tendulkar to sketch in which direction, his life would flow henceforth.
Dalesh Printers, his Mapusa-based printing press, became an important hub of the Konknni movement and it was from here that countless writers in the Romi script had their first break and their first book published!

Gõykar and Konknni
Kendr (Goem)

A determined Prabhakar Tendulkar launched Gõykar, a weekly in the Romi script in 1979, to fight for Goa’s twin aspirations: statehood and recognition of Konknni as Goa’s official language. Konknni Kendr (Goem), a literary organization was also established by him, in the same year.

In 1980, somewhere in the month of April or May, Agnelo Pires and I were invited by Konknni Kendr to read our literary works. The two of us were then young and ‘budding writers’, expressing our hearts out through kovita and kotha. I remember it was a Sunday and we had left early in the morning from Kepem. Three bus-rides over two major rivers later, we were finally in Mapusa.

My short story, Omega was well received. It was, in fact, my first story. After the ‘reading session’ was over, Prabhakar Tendulkar came forward and shook my hand. It was a warm and affectionate handshake. ‘I liked the story,’ he said. Then, with a smile on his face, he added, ‘Give me the manuscript. I will publish it in Gõykar!’
True to his word, my story was carried in one of the subsequent issues of the weekly.

The writer ‘within’

While egging on and encouraging young writers like me to sharpen our literary skills, the editor never forgot the ‘writer within him’. Prabhakar Tendulkar wrote many books in Konknni on many a subject, notable among them being Rangmachi, Gulab, Tin Tiatr, Sat Prosn, Oso ho Sonvsar and Jinneche Rong.

Recipient of a number of awards and recognitions from Akhil Bharoti Konknni Lekhok Som'melon, Akhil Gomantak Nabhik Samaj, Lions Club of Mapusa City, Mapusa’s Sarvojanik Ganesh Mohatsav Mandal and Konknni Bhasha Mandal, Prabhakar Tendulkar also received the prestigious Pri Antonio Pereira Puroskar instituted by Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, Porvorim.

A year ago, when I had met Prabhakar Tendulkar at Dalesh Printers in connection with my late brother’s book of short-stories, which had earlier appeared on A Vanguarda some fifty years ago when he was its editor, he was totally disgusted at the treatment meted out to Konknni in the Romi script. ‘This is not what we fought for,’ he said. Prabhakar Tendulkar was the one leading the battle of the Konknni Porjecho Avaz from Mapusa, during the language agitation.

Attempts to kill Romi script

Writing in the inaugural issue (Voros I, Ank 1) after ‘gifting’ his Gõykar to Omor Prokaxon and now being edited by Tomazinho Cardozo, he minced no words when he said, ‘Konknniche apunn mhalgodde mhunntteleamni Romi lipintli Konknni marunk zaite proitn keleat ani azun kortat…’ (Those who pride themselves as being elders of the Konknni movement, have made several attempts to kill Konknni in the Romi script. Even now they have not stopped these attempts…)

Prabhakar Tendulkar is equally vociferous when he speaks about the Sahitya Akademi Awards (Gõykar, Oct 2008 issue). ‘Sod’dea ji pod’dot asa ti apleach bhitor Award vanttun ghevpachi koxi dista. Elsewhere in the same article, he says: Romi lipientle Konknnint borim pustokam boroun aplem akhem jivit sarlelea Fr Antonio Pereira sarkhilea boroupeak Sahitya Akademicho Award mellunk nam…’ (The present arrangement looks like they want to share the award amongst themselves… A writer like Fr Antonio Pereira who spent his whole life writing quality Konknni books in the Romi script, has not received the Sahitya Akademi Award…)

Calling a spade a spade has been Prabhakar Tendulkar’s hallmark. Even in the twilight years of his life, he continues to do just that!
Zolm-disachim porbim tumkam, Prabhakar-bab Tendulkar!

Lager than life

David Home and Habeeb Kamaal holding five 'Little Devils'.



An assortment of five different imported malts is used to generate this unique strong lager. With alcohol strength exceeding 5 per cent but not 8 per cent, this has rightfully won awards in all beer tastings of the world. Onilda Fernandes chats up with David Home, the Australian chairman of the TVB group International.

Following an extensive stint with several business’ including oil rigs, prawn boat fishing, construction, major cattle property, importation of clothing, and the likes, what got you attracted to the beer world?
After several mishaps with my previous companies, somewhere in 1991, I established the TVB Hospitality Marketing Company, signing major contracts over the last 18 years, in more than 15 countries and over 5 continents. Here, apart from creating software, I started an Upselling Training Division that focus’s on Hotel Front Desk, Reservation and Food & Beverage training techniques.
When the Craft Beer industry in Australia boomed, I took the plunge and decided to venture into this line.

A saving grace then?
Most definitely! There’s an expansive market out there. Following the success of Craft Breweries and Specialty Craft Beer and Ales in the USA, Canada, Germany and Australia, we are glad to introduce these new beverages to India.

With quite a few breweries already positioned here, how do you plan to stick out?
At the outset, we are India’s first official regional craft beer brewer. So there really cant be two of us. Then there’s the undisputed fact, that India is 30 years behind the rest of the world when it comes to the beer market. How many superior lagers, ales and stouts would you actually find here? There are about 50! This is our goal-expanding the minds of beer consumers.

What are you offering us?
Firstly, all natural ingredients. No added sugar, no artificial colours and nothing except the flavour of yeast, hops, malt and pure fresh water.
Secondly, due to the increased percentage of specialty malt and hop ingredients used by our Brew masters, one will experience a fuller, more complex aroma in Little Devils beers compared to the typical light mass market lager style of beers. The aroma should remind you citrus, flowers, herbs, caramel, cocoa and fresh baked cookies.
Finally, nothing is left to chance, as we monitor the brewing process, to ensure every small batch delivers the same character and freshness missed in mass-market beers.
More importantly, the people who created the original recipes 30 years ago, are the same who carefully blend all the ingredients today.

Beer is a more all round beverage wine, encompassing a wider range of flavours to any dining experience. Elaborate.
Beginning with Little Devils wheat beer, its versatility allows it to go with many foods. Low bitterness with light fruity flavours, it is the perfect beer to go with all vegetarian meals, seafood and side dishes of various Indian yogurts.
Then there’s the Golden Ale, which accentuates North Indian meals like Tandoori Chicken or sweat-marinated kheema.
Likewise, Indian Pale Ale is a perfect match for real spicy, oily and aromatic cuisine in India.

What’s a lager?
Lager is one of the two types of beer, the other being, ale. Introduced in about the 20th century, it became popular due to its mild effect on the palette. It is bottom fermented.

And ale?
It is brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting brewers' yeast. This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer. Ales go well with strong food.

When did you decide to launch in India?
About 18 months ago, after conducting a survey and several tests. We are now fully marketed in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Maharshtra and now, Goa.

Where is your brewery based?
In Uttar Pradesh. Though we are currently building one in Himachal Pradesh as well. All our raw materials are imported though.

Any setbacks so far?
Not really. That’s probably because; we are not competing with the mass-market beers. Ours is a premium product and we are catering mainly to the beer connoisseurs. Many are surprised of the different tastes available, drinking, as they have been, the same liquid for the past 30 years.

What next?
I want to expand this product further, to the other states in India. Also, I have plans to start up Beer Pong in some of the clubs that I have tied up with. This is basically like table cricket played on an 8 feet long table, each player intent on landing the ball in one of the 10 cups of beer on the other end. When the ball lands, the defending team must consume all of the beer inside that cup.
Hopefully, like all the other countries in the world, this will open up a National tournament or championship.