Shenoi Goembab
Encyclopedia
Waman Raghunath Shennoi Varde Valaulikar (Konkani
: वामन रघुनाथ शेणै वर्दे वालावलीकार) (June 23, 1877 - April 9, 1946) known popularly as Shenoi Goembab (Konkani
: शेणै गोंयबाब,Shennoi Goembab) was a noted Konkani writer and activist.
, Goa
. He attended primary school in Marathi
till 6th standard and then joined a Portuguese
primary school, where he competed "Segundo Grau" (roughly 4th grade). After discontinuing studies due to financial constraints he taught himself Sanskrit
and English at home. He went to Mumbai
in 1893 and continued with his studies there, completing High School in 1898.
and worked there for some time as a clerk in the Lahore Municipality. He returned to Mumbai where he got married and later got a job with the Italian Consulate. Later he joined a German company, Meister Lucius & Bruening, as a stenographer.
Due to World War I, the Germans had to leave and Waman was left in charge of the company. He managed the company well in the absence of its management and on their return, he earned their praise. Later he was promoted to the post of a Secretary of the company. However due to some disgruntled employees he was accused of mismanagement and left the company. After this he dedicated his life to revitalizing Konkani
.
"Goenkaaranchi Goianbhaili Vosnook" (Goan migrants outside Goa) was a series of history lectures given by Shenoi Goembab at the Saraswat Brahman Samaj, Mumbai, in 1927.
Another historical book he wrote was "Albuquerquan Goen Koshem Jiklem" (How Albuquerque Won Goa).
"Mhoji Baa Khuin Gelli?" is regarded as the first modern Konkani short-story. It was published in "Gomantopnishat", which is a two-volume collection of fiction and non-fiction. The second volume contained "Sonvsar Budti" (The drowning of the world). It used the story of the Great Flood to discuss various philosophies and includes parts from various religious works such as the Upanishads, Bible
, Qur'an
and Talmud
.
He believed that Konkani language was awaiting a revolution and it could only be brought about by its youth. This was revealed in his essays "Amrutacho Pavs" (The Rain of Nectar) and "Konkani Vidyarthiank" (For Konkani Students)
One of his major contribution was towards children's literature. "Bhurgianche Vyakran" (Children's Grammar) was written in a series of question-answers that he used to teach his son and "Bhurgianlo Ishtt" was a collection of short stories.
He also translated many works into Konkani the chief among them being Molière
's Le Médecin malgré lui, which he translated as "Mogachen Logn" (Love Marriage) and Shakespeare's Othello
, Hamlet
and King Lear
.
He is most remembered for his translation of the Bhagavad Gita
into Konkani: "Bhagwantalem Geet".
and Portuguese
and Marathi had taken the place of respect among the educated, upper class Hindus and Christians respectively. Konkani was used only to communicate with their employees, the poor and downtrodden castes. The favourable status accorded to Christians versus others in Goa by the Portuguese rulers had further caused a communal divide.
He believed that no matter how many languages a person could communicate in to earn a living, he was lost if he could not communicate in his mother tongue, the "language of your soul" as he called it. "We have been shining under others' lamps", observed Shenoi Goembab.
He began telling Konkanis about the sweetness of their mother tongue and of its rich past. He started writing books to propagate his views. Not only did he see the Konkani language as an inseparable part of every Goan's and Konkani's identity. He also saw it as a movement against Portuguese rule in Goa.
Shenoi Goembab wrote 7 books in the Roman Script and 22 in Devanagiri. This included short stories, dramas novels, poetry, essays, linguistics, philosophy history.
Perhaps, ahead of his time, Shenoi Goembab stressed on the need to eliminate caste barriers and get the lower castes educated. He said "lets make Pandits (scholars) out of Gawdes (farmers)" The alienation of the lower castes was one of the reasons why many of them switched over to Marathi.
In a communally divided linguistic community Waman Shenoi spread the message of peace and unity without rejecting religion. He equated Santeri (a Goddess popular among Goans) with the Virgin Mary in order to get the Goan Catholics
and Hindus, two major communities of Goa to join hands for Konkani. He would chant "Om Santeri Have Mercy on Us! Holy virgin Mother Bless Our Way!"
Shenoi Goembab was posthumously awarded the Konkani Person of the Millennium award by Mandd Sobhann (a Mangalore
based Konkani organization), on his 54th death anniversary(9 April 2000).
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
: वामन रघुनाथ शेणै वर्दे वालावलीकार) (June 23, 1877 - April 9, 1946) known popularly as Shenoi Goembab (Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
: शेणै गोंयबाब,Shennoi Goembab) was a noted Konkani writer and activist.
Education
He was born in a Gowd Saraswat Brahmin household on June 23, 1877 at BicholimBicholim
Bicholim is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas...
, Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. He attended primary school in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
till 6th standard and then joined a Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
primary school, where he competed "Segundo Grau" (roughly 4th grade). After discontinuing studies due to financial constraints he taught himself Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and English at home. He went to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in 1893 and continued with his studies there, completing High School in 1898.
Career
He returned to Goa in 1899 and took up a job as a teacher in a school, but left it since he wasn't satisfied. He went to KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and worked there for some time as a clerk in the Lahore Municipality. He returned to Mumbai where he got married and later got a job with the Italian Consulate. Later he joined a German company, Meister Lucius & Bruening, as a stenographer.
Due to World War I, the Germans had to leave and Waman was left in charge of the company. He managed the company well in the absence of its management and on their return, he earned their praise. Later he was promoted to the post of a Secretary of the company. However due to some disgruntled employees he was accused of mismanagement and left the company. After this he dedicated his life to revitalizing Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
.
Nickname
It is believed that he earned the nickname "Goembab" when he was going along with his uncle Chintamanrao to Mumbai aboard a steamer. A friend on board the ship remarked to his uncle "I hear you are taking this Goembab (Gentleman from Goa) with you to Mumbai." The person may have meant it as a teaser or as a derogatory term but the young and idealistic Waman took it in his stride and later used "Shennoi Goembab" as his pen-name.Writer
Waman had started writing in Konkani at the time he was working in Mumbai. His wife was illiterate but had a very good knowledge of Konkani language and folklore. He made her recite the tales and proverbs and put them in writing which were published later."Goenkaaranchi Goianbhaili Vosnook" (Goan migrants outside Goa) was a series of history lectures given by Shenoi Goembab at the Saraswat Brahman Samaj, Mumbai, in 1927.
Another historical book he wrote was "Albuquerquan Goen Koshem Jiklem" (How Albuquerque Won Goa).
"Mhoji Baa Khuin Gelli?" is regarded as the first modern Konkani short-story. It was published in "Gomantopnishat", which is a two-volume collection of fiction and non-fiction. The second volume contained "Sonvsar Budti" (The drowning of the world). It used the story of the Great Flood to discuss various philosophies and includes parts from various religious works such as the Upanishads, Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
.
He believed that Konkani language was awaiting a revolution and it could only be brought about by its youth. This was revealed in his essays "Amrutacho Pavs" (The Rain of Nectar) and "Konkani Vidyarthiank" (For Konkani Students)
One of his major contribution was towards children's literature. "Bhurgianche Vyakran" (Children's Grammar) was written in a series of question-answers that he used to teach his son and "Bhurgianlo Ishtt" was a collection of short stories.
He also translated many works into Konkani the chief among them being Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's Le Médecin malgré lui, which he translated as "Mogachen Logn" (Love Marriage) and Shakespeare's Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
.
He is most remembered for his translation of the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
into Konkani: "Bhagwantalem Geet".
Konkani Activist
He had observed how Konkani had diminished in status among GoansGoans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and Marathi had taken the place of respect among the educated, upper class Hindus and Christians respectively. Konkani was used only to communicate with their employees, the poor and downtrodden castes. The favourable status accorded to Christians versus others in Goa by the Portuguese rulers had further caused a communal divide.
He believed that no matter how many languages a person could communicate in to earn a living, he was lost if he could not communicate in his mother tongue, the "language of your soul" as he called it. "We have been shining under others' lamps", observed Shenoi Goembab.
He began telling Konkanis about the sweetness of their mother tongue and of its rich past. He started writing books to propagate his views. Not only did he see the Konkani language as an inseparable part of every Goan's and Konkani's identity. He also saw it as a movement against Portuguese rule in Goa.
Shenoi Goembab wrote 7 books in the Roman Script and 22 in Devanagiri. This included short stories, dramas novels, poetry, essays, linguistics, philosophy history.
Perhaps, ahead of his time, Shenoi Goembab stressed on the need to eliminate caste barriers and get the lower castes educated. He said "lets make Pandits (scholars) out of Gawdes (farmers)" The alienation of the lower castes was one of the reasons why many of them switched over to Marathi.
In a communally divided linguistic community Waman Shenoi spread the message of peace and unity without rejecting religion. He equated Santeri (a Goddess popular among Goans) with the Virgin Mary in order to get the Goan Catholics
Goan Catholics
The Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics and their descendants from the state of Goa, located on the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language...
and Hindus, two major communities of Goa to join hands for Konkani. He would chant "Om Santeri Have Mercy on Us! Holy virgin Mother Bless Our Way!"
Recognition
His death anniversary, April 9, is observed as Vishwa Konkani Dis (World Konkani Day).Shenoi Goembab was posthumously awarded the Konkani Person of the Millennium award by Mandd Sobhann (a Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
based Konkani organization), on his 54th death anniversary(9 April 2000).