Konkani folk artiste Gopal Gowda passes away

Renowned Kudmi Konkani folk artiste M Gopal Gowda died here on Wednesday due to a cardiac arrest, sources said. He was 64.

Gowda was an accomplished Kudmi folk artiste whose troupe had rendered more than 200 performances across the country. He won several awards for his contributions for the promotion of Kudmi Konkani folk art including the 'Janapad Prashasti' award of Konkani Sahitya Akademi in 2002, 'Rajyotsava' award of the Dakshina Kannada district administration in 2014 and Mandd Sobhann Kalaakar Puraskar in 2017.

His research papers have appeared in Konkani and Kannada periodicals, research magazines and text books. He had presented papers at several seminars and symposia and presented shows on Doordarshan.

His writings and publications presented in detail the Kudmi history, their dialects, culture, traditions and beliefs..