Uday Bhembre
{{short description|Indian politician and writer (born 1939)}}
{{More footnotes|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{infobox officeholder
| name = Uday Bhembre
| image = Shubhankar Shah - Uday Bhembre - 18 Dec. 2015.jpg
| caption = Bhembre in 2015
| birth_name = Uday Laxmikant Bhembre
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|12|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Margão, Goa, Portuguese India
| father = Laxmikant Bhembre
| nationality = {{ubl|
- Portuguese
(until 1961) - Indian (from 1961)}}
| termstart = 1984
| termend = 1989
| office = Member of Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly
| constituency = Margao
| predecessor = Babu Naik
| successor = Babu Naik
| party = Independent
| awards = Sahitya Akademi Award (2015)
| otherparty = Indian National Congress (1963–1967)
| occupation = {{hlist|Lawyer|writer|politician}}
| module = {{Infobox writer
| embed = yes
| language = Konkani
| movement = Konkani language agitation
| notableworks = "Channeache Rati" (1967)
}}
}}
Uday Laxmikant Bhembre (born 27 December 1939) is an Indian lawyer, Konkani writer and politician who served as member of the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly, representing the Margao Assembly constituency from 1984 to 1989.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110811094239/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-04-01/goa/28017649_1_north-goa-south-goa-ramakant-angle LS polls: Parties play the usual faith cards] He is noted for his role as the editor of the Konkani daily, Sunaparant, and as a Konkani language activist.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110811094316/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-21/goa/28087596_1_roman-script-n-shivdas-devnagari Panel suggests notifications, FIRs in Konkani] Bhembre is also widely known as the lyricist of the famed Goan Konkani language song "Channeache Rati".
Early life
Uday Laxmikant Bhembre was born on 27 December 1939 in Margão, Goa, Portuguese India during the Portuguese Empire (now in India).{{Cite web |date=31 January 2016 |title=Meet the author Uday Bhembre |url=https://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/library/meettheauthor/uday_bhembre.pdf |access-date=5 May 2024 |website=Sahitya Akademi}} He is the son of freedom fighter Laxmikant Bhembre.{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/The-Brahmin-double-in-Goan-history/93127.html|title=The Brahmin double in Goan history|website=oHeraldo}}
After his early education in Goa, Bhembre went to Bombay in 1957 pursuing higher education. Bhembre is an alumnus of Bombay's Siddharth College. He joined Mumbai's Akashvani centre and became a lyricist. Bhembre is a lawyer by profession.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
Activism
Bhembre has been a vociferous advocate for the cause of Konkani language. He played a great role in various movements related to the language.{{cn|date=March 2025}} In the Goa Opinion Poll, Bhembre campaigned against Goa's merger with Maharashtra. At that time, he authored a column in the popular anti-merger Marathi newspaper Rashtramat. In his column entitled Bhahmastra, Bhembre campaigned for the anti-merger camp and his column played a great role in influencing the Goans in supporting the anti-merger camp.{{Cite web|url=http://www.goanews.com/news_disp.php?newsid=5597|title=Opinion Poll battle of political identity, neither linguistic nor secular: Bhembre (By: GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI)}}
Bhembre was also a leader of the Konkani language agitation, and he played a great role in the movement which led to the enactment of the Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987. This Act made Konkani as Goa's official language. Bhembre also played a role in Konkani's inclusion to the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution and in granting Sahitya Akademi's recognition to Konkani as an independent language.
Bhembre is a leader of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (Indian Languages' Protection Organisation- BBSM). This Manch has been set up in Goa to oppose the state government's decision to grant aid to primary schools imparting education in English. Bhembre and the BBSM demand that government grants be allotted to only those educational institutions which provide primary education in the students' mother tongue, i.e., Konkani and Marathi.{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/English-will-suffocate-and-stunt-growth-of-children-Bhembre/91710.html|title=English will suffocate and stunt growth of children: Bhembre|website=oHeraldo}}{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/People-Edit/Medium-of-Instruction-issue/92053.html|title=Medium of Instruction issue|website=oHeraldo}}{{cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.in/moi-issue-bbsm-describes-bjp-govt-as-gang-of-liars/|title=MoI issue: BBSM describes BJP govt as 'Gang of Liars'|first=Navhind|last=Times|date=8 October 2015|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.in/stop-grants-to-english-schools-from-next-year-bbsm/|title=Stop grants to English schools from next year: BBSM|first=Navhind|last=Times|date=7 August 2015|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.in/bbsm-to-stage-dharna-over-grant-in-aid-on-december-19/|title=BBSM to stage dharna over grant-in-aid on December 19|work=The Navhind Times|last=nt|date=16 December 2015|publisher=}} Bhembre was also the President of the Konkani Bhasha Mandal.{{cite web|url=http://konkanibhashamandal.com/%e0%a4%86%e0%a4%a6%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%87-%e0%a4%85%e0%a4%a7%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%af%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b7/|title=आदले अध्यक्ष - कोंकणी भाशा मंडळ|publisher=}}
Works
Bhembre neglected creative writing in order to take ahead the Konkani movement at social and organisational level. His articles in Rashtramat have been composed into a book entitled Brahmastra (his column in Rashtramat bore the same title). Channyache Rateem, a collection of his poems and songs, has also been published.
Bhembre's Karna Parv was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award. He also served as the editor of the now defunct Konkani language newspaper, Sunaparant.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
Political career
In the 1984 elections to the Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly, Bhembre was pitched as an independent candidate by the united opposition in the Margao Assembly constituency, against Indian National Congress party's Babu Naik.{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/The-story-teller-of-Mathgram-to-Margao/87498.html|title=The story teller of Mathgram to Margao|website=oHeraldo}} He defeated Naik and became a member of the legislature.{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.in/goa/assembly-constituencies/1984-election-results.html|title=Goa Assembly Election Results in 1984|website=www.elections.in}} He played a pivotal role in the framing of the Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language Act, 1987.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
Awards and honours
Bhembre was awarded the Kullagar Puraskar (1999), Gundu Sitaram Amonkar Memorial Award (2001), Konkani Bhasha Mandal Patrakarita Puraskar (2008), Bhangrallem Goem Asmitai (2014) Puraskar among others.{{Cite web |url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/pdf/Citation-of-Award-2015.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 July 2016 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816184908/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/pdf/Citation-of-Award-2015.pdf |url-status=dead }} Bhembre has been honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award in Konkani language for the year 2015. He was awarded the prestigious award for his play, Karna Parv.{{cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.in/uday-bhembre-bags-sahitya-akademi-award/|title=Uday Bhembre bags Sahitya Akademi award - The Navhind Times|last=nt|date=17 December 2015|publisher=}}{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Sahitya-Academi-award-for-Bhembre/articleshow/50225460.cms|title=Sahitya Academi award for Bhembre - Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=18 December 2015 }}{{Cite web |url=http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/pdf/sahityaakademiawards2015-e.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 December 2015 |archive-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222130920/http://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/sahitya-akademi/pdf/sahityaakademiawards2015-e.pdf |url-status=dead }}
He has also been appointed the Chair Professor of Poet Bakibab Borkar Chair of Goa University.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/Centre-hails-appointment-of-Uday-Bhembre-as-chair-professor/articleshow/46264416.cms|title=Centre hails appointment of Uday Bhembre as chair professor - Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=16 February 2015 }}
References
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Category:Indian newspaper editors
Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Konkani
Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in English
Category:Konkani-language writers
Category:Indian male journalists
Category:20th-century Indian journalists