H.M. Pernal wins Sahitya Akademi Award for Konkani

Konkani writer and journalist H.M. Pernal (Henry Mendonca) from Mangaluru has been honored with the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Award for his literary criticism work *Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam* (2021). The award was presented on March 31, 2026, at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi, making Pernal the fourth Konkani writer from Karnataka to receive this prestigious recognition.

*Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam* is the first Konkani literary criticism book to win the Sahitya Akademi Award. The work, published by Kavita Publications with a foreword by Jnanpith awardee Damodar Mauzo, had previously received awards from both Karnataka and Goa Konkani Akademis.

Pernal has contributed extensively to Konkani literature with over 850 poems, 100 short stories, and 2,000 articles. He founded the online literary magazine *Kitaal* in 2011 and the magazine *Arso* in 2013, and currently serves as chief editor of the Vision Konkani Book Grant Project, which aims to support publication of 100 Konkani books over five years.