Konkani Language Activist and Padma Shri Awardee N Purushothama Mallya Passes Away at 97

14 September 2026National

Eminent educationist, writer and Konkani language activist N Purushothama Mallya died on 11 September 2026 in Kochi, Kerala, aged 97. Born on 7 May 1929 in Mattancherry, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015 in the field of Literature and Education. He pioneered the Shataka (100-line) poetry form in Konkani and translated Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural into Konkani in 2002, winning the Sahitya Akademi Translation Award in 2008. He was central to securing Konkani's inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and linguistic-minority status for Konkani speakers in Kerala, and received the Vimala V. Pai Vishwa Konkani Jeevan Siddhi Samman in 2011.

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Konkani was added to the Eighth Schedule by the 71st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, along with Manipuri and Nepali | The Eighth Schedule currently lists 22 scheduled languages | Konkani is the official language of Goa; the Sahitya Akademi was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in New Delhi

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