Victor Rodrigues
Encyclopedia
Victor Rodrigues was a Konkani novelist and short story writer from 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...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. He was among the most prominent novelists in the field of Konkani literature. Rodrigues specialised in writing serialised novels of extraordinary length running into more than 150 chapters.

Early life

Victor Rodrigues was born in the Anjelore locality of Mangalore, the eldest child of four children to a Mangalorean Catholic couple, Anthony and Charmine Rodrigues. While he successfully graduated high school, the family's poverty prevented him from enrolling in a college. After his high school graduation, Rodrigues joined Simon & Company and worked as a painter, where he worked for a short period. He then sought a career in painting, after having learnt painting and art from a drawing master of St. Aloysius College
St. Aloysius College (Mangalore)
St. Aloysius College is a Jesuit college in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. It is situated on a campus atop Light House Hill, overlooking the Arabian Sea....

 named Peter. He received a job at Fr. Mullers Hospital in 1960, where he worked until 1972. Rodrigues later migrated to Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

 in 1975, where he worked until 1995. He was married to Celine D'Souza. The union lasted until his death and produced three children—Lolita, Veena and Santhosh.

Literary career

While was working at Fr. Mullers Hospital, Rodrigues began his literary career writing for Mithr (Friend) and Jhelo (Garland), respectively Konkani weekly and fortnightly. He wrote his first novel Vibhadlelen Gharane (Ruined Family) in 1967 for the Konkani periodicals, Mithr and Jhelo. He wrote his first health related article on the topic of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 which was published on Jhelo. During his literary tenure, Rodrigues wrote 23 novels, the most notable being Andhkarachea Khondkant (Fond of Darkness), Rogtachi Bobatt (Bloodcurdling Screams), Don Max and Paap ani Shiraap (Sin and Curse). His literary works were published in 21 papers and magazines.

Rodrigues's stories highlighted his revolutionary views and were usually directed against perceived social evils and social customs and systems, which he found degrading. He penned his articles with the purpose of creating awareness about social justice.
His novel, Pratikar was serialised in the Konkani weekly, Poinnari, for almost 198 weeks, while Paap ani Shiraap ran for 219 weeks. Apart from his novels, he wrote six plays and two biographies of Catholic priests, Fr. Sylvester Menezes and Fr. Marian Fernandes. Rodrigues also wrote a book on traditional medicines, entitled Bholaike Daiz (Treasure of Health). His famous serial story, Paap ani Shiraap was selected by 'Mangalore Tele Films' for the first Konkani TV mega serial. It was telecasted on DD Chandana channel under the title Kanni Ashi Mogachi (A Hopeful Love Story).

Rodrigues was honoured by Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi for his contribution to literature, in the year 2000. He also received the Daiji Dubai Award in 2006, and Francis Danthy Literary Award the same year.

Notable Stories

  • Bonglyanthli Khun (Murder in the Bungalow); published in 1968 by Jhelo.
  • Maayakache Bhunyar (Foundation of the Disappearance); published in 1968 by Kannik (Gift).
  • Vidhicha Davlenth (In the hands of Destiny); a story of 62 episodes published in 1971 by Mithr.
  • Phudarachi Deswat (Destruction of the Future); published in 1972 by Poinnari (Traveller).
  • Madthir Sunn (Martyr's Daughter-in-law); published in 1972 on Poinnari.
  • Andhkaracha Khandkanth (Fond of Darkness); a story of 81 episodes published in 1973 on Poinnari.
  • Shirapachi Bali (Curse of Sacrifice); a story of 127 episodes initially published by Poinnari on 1975, and re-published in the same periodical on 2000.
  • Ragtachi Bobaat (Bloodcurdling Screams); a story of 124 episodes published in 1980 on Poinnari.
  • Don Max; a story of 64 episodes published in 1982 on Poinnari.
  • Dev Boren Karun (God bless you); a story of 33 episodes published in 1984 on Kannik.
  • Prathikar (Revenge); a story of 198 episodes which was published in 1986 on Poinnari.
  • Charles Shobhraj; a story of 18 episodes which was published in 1986 on Poinnari.
  • Paap ani Shirap (Sin and Curse); a story of 129 episodes which was published in 1991 on Poinnari.
  • Bhangarachi Istri (Golden Iron Box); a story of 25 episodes published in 1992 on Ummalo (Feelings).
  • Haun Parikpon Ghetelin (I will take Revenge); a story of 64 episodes which was published in 1996 on Poinnari.
  • Farikpon (Retaliation); a story of 24 episodes which was published in 1998 on Raknno (Guardian).
  • Dev Poleta (God will see); a story of 24 episodes which was published in 1998 on Raknno.
  • Sukon Gellyo Shelio (The Lost Sheep); a story of 32 episodes published in 2000 on Poinnari.
  • Jaathi Bailen Kazar (Marriage out of Caste); published in 1998 by Poinnari.
  • Jivatachi Desvat (Destruction of Godliness); a story of 40 episodes published in 2001 on Amchi Maai (Our Mother).
  • Ravan Rajyanthlo Veerappan (Veerappan
    Veerappan
    Koose Muniswamy Veerappan commonly known as Veerappan, was a notorious dacoit, or robber bandit, of India. He was active for a period of years in a broad swath of land covering 6,000 km² in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu...

     from the Kingdom of Ravana
    Ravana
    ' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

    ); published in 2002 on Poinnari.

Further reading

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