https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Meena_KakodkarMeena Kakodkar - Revision history2026-07-31T06:57:04ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Meena_Kakodkar&diff=517147&oldid=prevGlendaBancroft at 19:15, 18 December 20252025-12-18T19:15:09Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian writer (1944–2024)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Meena Kakodkar<br />
| image = Meena Kakodkar.jpg<br />
| birth_date = {{birth date|1944|09|21|df=y}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Palolem Beach|Palolem]], [[Canacona]], [[Goa]]<br />
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|11|08|1944|09|21|df=y}}<br />
| death_place = [[Margao]], [[Goa]]<br />
| education = [[Wilson College, Mumbai]]<br />
| occupation = {{hlist|Writer|Civil servant}}<br />
| spouse = Suresh Kakodkar<br />
| children = 2<br />
| notable_works = {{hlist|''Sapan Phulam'' (1990)|''Savlyan Rego'' (2016)}}<br />
| awards = {{hlist|[[Sahitya Akademi Award]] (1991)|[[Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize]] (2016)}}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Meena Suresh Kakodkar''' (21 September 1944 – 8 November 2024) was an Indian writer in the [[Konkani language]] and a civil servant. She was the first woman to receive the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] for Konkani literature, which she won in 1991 for her short story collection ''Sapan Phulam''.<br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
Kakodkar was born on 21 September 1944 in [[Palolem Beach|Palolem]], [[Canacona]], into the Gaitonde family.<ref name="TOINov24">{{Cite news |last=Kamat Maad |first=Govind |date=2024-11-09 |title=1st woman to win Akademi prize for Konkani dies |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/1st-woman-to-win-akademi-prize-for-konkani-dies/articleshow/115095170.cms |access-date=2024-12-09 |work=The Times of India}}</ref> She pursued her higher education in [[Mumbai]], graduating with a [[Bachelor of Science]] (B.Sc.) degree from [[Wilson College, Mumbai]]. She also had a keen interest in painting and completed a two-year special training course in the art form in Mumbai.<ref name="Vishwakosh1999">{{cite wikisource |last1=Navelkar |first1=V. R. |editor-first1=Tanaji |editor-last1=Halarnkar |editor-link1=Tanaji Halarnkar |others= |title=Konkani Vishwakosh |trans-title=Konkani Encyclopaedia |wslink=Page:Konkani Viswakosh Vol1.pdf/409 |type= |edition= |series= |pages=409 |volume=1 |year=1999 |publisher=[[Goa University]] |location=Goa |language=gom |wslanguage=gom }}</ref><br />
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==Career==<br />
===Civil service===<br />
Professionally, Kakodkar worked for the Government of Goa. She served in the Directorate of Accounts and eventually retired as a Joint Director.<ref name="TOINov24" /><br />
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===Literary work===<br />
Kakodkar began publishing her literary work around 1967–1968. She is credited with bringing a "new dimension" to the art of short story writing in Konkani.<ref name="TOINov24" /> Her first collection of short stories, ''Dongar Chanvalla'', was published in 1972. This collection was later included in the academic curriculum for the 12th standard by the Goa Board and for the first year of the [[Bachelor of Arts]] program at [[Goa University]].<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
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Her second collection, ''Sapan Phulam'' (1990), won the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1991, making her the first woman to achieve this honour for a Konkani work.<ref name="TOINov24" /> In 2016, she was awarded the [[Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize]] for ''Savlyan Rego'', her Konkani translation of [[Amitav Ghosh]]'s novel ''[[The Shadow Lines]]''.<ref name="TOINov24" /><br />
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Her body of work includes three collections of short stories, one collection of essays, two novels, and literature for children, including a book of moral stories and a collection of plays.<ref name="TOINov24" /> Her stories have been translated into several languages, including [[English language|English]], [[Kannada]], and [[Malayalam]].<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
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===Other activities===<br />
Kakodkar was also involved in theater and social activism. She won the first prize for Best Female Actor in drama competitions organized by the [[Kala Academy]] in 1980 and 1981.<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /> A lover of animals, she served as a trustee of the Goa Animal Welfare Trust.<ref name="TOINov24" /><br />
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==Personal life and death==<br />
She was married to Suresh Kakodkar. The couple had two sons, Mangurish and Yogesh.<ref name="TOINov24" /><br />
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Kakodkar died in [[Margao]] on 8 November 2024, following a brief illness. She was 80 years old. Her final rites were performed at the Hindu crematorium in Margao.<ref name="TOINov24" /><br />
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==Awards==<br />
* [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] (1991) for ''Sapan Phulam''<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
* [[Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize]] (2016) for ''Savlyan Rego''<ref name="TOINov24" /><br />
* Konkani Bhasha Mandal Award (1977)<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
* [[Kala Academy]] Award<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
* Narsinha Damodar Naik Award (1971)<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
* Kulagar Prakashan Award (1990)<ref name="Vishwakosh1999" /><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kakodkar, Meena}}<br />
[[Category:1944 births]]<br />
[[Category:2024 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:People from Portuguese India]]<br />
[[Category:People from South Goa district]]<br />
[[Category:Women writers from Goa]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Konkani]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation into Konkani]]</div>GlendaBancroft