Gokuldas Prabhu

Krishna Gokuldas Prabhu (born 28 December 1954) is an Indian author, translator, and activist from Kerala who writes in the Konkani language. He is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize. He has served multiple terms as the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Parishad and as a member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi.

Early life and education Krishna Gokuldas Prabhu was born on 28 December 1954 in Cherlai, Mattancherry, Cochin, Kerala. He is a polyglot, fluent in Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and English.

He received his primary education in the Malayalam medium up to the sixth standard. He completed his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) at the T.D. High School in Mattancherry and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from Sacred Heart College in Thevara, Kerala.

Career In 1979, he began his professional career at the Corporation Bank.

Literary work Prabhu's literary career began in 1981 with the publication of his first Konkani writing in the Kerala-based magazine Konkani Janata. He served as the editor of Rutu, a bimonthly Konkani poetry periodical, for five years. His works have been translated into Kannada, Tamil, English, Telugu, and other languages. Notable translations include: Antar Āyāmi (अंतरआयामी) into Kannada by Dr Geeta Shenoy, Tamil (Ulparimanangal) by N. Gopinath Hegde, and English (The Being Within) by Pratima Asher; Rutu Sankramana into Kannada by Dr Geeta Shenoy and Telugu (Rutu Sankramanam) by Ranganatha Rao; and Prithivai Namah into Kannada (Prithvige Namana ) by Shakuntala Kini.

Activism and organizational roles Prabhu has held several leadership positions in Konkani literary organizations. He served as the President of the 14th Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Sahitya Sammelan held at Porvorim, Goa, in April 2001, which was inaugurated by Gulzar. He has also been a member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi in New Delhi and is associated with the World Konkani Centre in Mangalore.

He continues to be active in literary circles, moderating sessions on Konkani language and culture. In 2020, he moderated a national-level virtual symposium for "Konkani Manyatha Dees", and in November 2024, he chaired a session on "Culture and Reading in Konkani" at the World Konkani Literature Festival held in Mangaluru.

Works

As writer

Prithivai Namah, published in 1986, is a novelette depicting rural life and nature. Antar Āyāmi is a collection of short stories published in 1991.

He also served as the reception president for the All India Konkani Writers’ Conference held in Kochi in 1996.