Uday Bhembre

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Uday Bhembre
Bhembre in 2015
Member of Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly
In office
1984–1989
Preceded byAnanta Narcina Naik
Succeeded byAnanta Narcina Naik
ConstituencyMargao
Personal details
Born
Uday Laxmikant Bhembre

(1929-12-27) 27 December 1929 (age 94)
Margão, Goa, Portuguese India, Portuguese Empire (now in India)
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Indian National Congress (1963–1967)
Writing career
OccupationAdvocate, Konkani language activist, poet, author
LanguageKonkani
Literary movementKonkani
Notable worksChanneache Rati (1967)

Uday Laxmikant Bhembre (born 27 December 1929) is an Indian lawyer, Konkani writer and former member of the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly.[1] He is noted for his role as the editor of the Konkani daily, Sunaparant, and as a Konkani language activist.[2] Bhembre is also widely known as the lyricist of the famed Goan Konkani language song Channeache Rati.

Early life[edit]

Uday Laxmikant Bhembre was born on 27 December 1929 in Margão, Goa, Portuguese India during the Portuguese Empire (now in India).[3] He is the son of eminent freedom fighter Laxmikant Bhembre.[4]

Education[edit]

After his early education in Goa, Bhembre went to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1957 pursuing higher education. Bhembre is an alumnus of Mumbai's Siddharth College. He joined Mumbai's Akashvani (radio broadcaster) centre and became a lyricist. Bhembre is a lawyer by profession.

Activism[edit]

Bhembre has been a vociferous advocate for the cause of Konkani language. He played a great role in various movements related to the language.

In the Goa Opinion Poll, Bhembre campaigned against Goa's merger with Maharashtra. At that time, Bhembre authored a column in the popular anti-merger Marathi newspaper Rashtramat. In his column entitled Bhahmastra, Uday Bhembre campaigned for the anti-merger camp and his column played a great role in influencing the Goans in supporting the anti-merger camp.[5]

Bhembre was also a leader of the Konkani language agitation, and he played a great role in the movement which led to the enactment of the Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987. This Act made Konkani as Goa's official language.[5]

Bhembre also played a role in Konkani's inclusion to the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution and in granting Sahitya Akademi's recognition to Konkani as an independent language.

Uday Bhembre is a leader of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (Indian Languages' Protection Organisation- BBSM). This Manch has been set up in Goa to oppose the state government's decision to grant aid to primary schools imparting education in English. Bhembre and the BBSM demand that government grants be allotted to only those educational institutions which provide primary education in the students' mother tongue, i.e., Konkani and Marathi.[6][7][8][9][10]

Bhembre was also the President of the Konkani Bhasha Mandal.[11]

Books authored[edit]

Bhembre neglected creative writing in order to take ahead the Konkani movement at social and organisational level. Bhembre's articles in Rashtramat have been composed into a book entitled Brahmastra (his column in Rashtramat bore the same title). Channyache Rateem, a collection of his poems and songs, has also been published.

Bhembre's Karna Parv (कर्णपर्व) was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award. He also served as the editor of the now defunct Konkani language newspaper, Sunaparant.

Member of Legislative Assembly[edit]

In the 1984 elections to the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly, Uday Bhembre was pitched as an independent candidate by the united opposition in Margao, against Indian National Congress party's Anant Narcinva Babu Nayak.[12] Bhembre defeated Nayak and became a member of the legislature.[13] Bhembre played a great role in the framing of the Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987.[citation needed]

Awards and honours[edit]

Bhembre was awarded the Kullagar Puraskar (1999), Gundu Sitaram Amonkar Memorial Award (2001), Konkani Bhasha Mandal Patrakarita Puraskar (2008), Bhangrallem Goem Asmitai (2014) Puraskar among others.[14] Uday Bhembre has been honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award in Konkani language for the year 2015. Bhembre was awarded the prestigious award for his play, Karna Parv (कर्णपर्व).[15][16][17]

He has also been appointed the Chair Professor of Poet Bakibab Borkar Chair of Goa University.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ LS polls: Parties play the usual faith cards
  2. ^ Panel suggests notifications, FIRs in Konkani
  3. ^ "Goa Legislative Assembly". www.goavidhansabha.gov.in. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ^ "The Brahmin double in Goan history". oHeraldo.
  5. ^ a b "Opinion Poll battle of political identity, neither linguistic nor secular: Bhembre (By: GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI)".
  6. ^ "English will suffocate and stunt growth of children: Bhembre". oHeraldo.
  7. ^ "Medium of Instruction issue". oHeraldo.
  8. ^ Times, Navhind (8 October 2015). "MoI issue: BBSM describes BJP govt as 'Gang of Liars'".
  9. ^ Times, Navhind (7 August 2015). "Stop grants to English schools from next year: BBSM".
  10. ^ nt (16 December 2015). "BBSM to stage dharna over grant-in-aid on December 19". The Navhind Times.
  11. ^ "आदले अध्यक्ष - कोंकणी भाशा मंडळ".
  12. ^ "The story teller of Mathgram to Margao". oHeraldo.
  13. ^ "Goa Assembly Election Results in 1984". www.elections.in.
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ nt (17 December 2015). "Uday Bhembre bags Sahitya Akademi award - The Navhind Times".
  16. ^ "Sahitya Academi award for Bhembre - Times of India". The Times of India.
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Centre hails appointment of Uday Bhembre as chair professor - Times of India". The Times of India.
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