Says script preserved cultural, linguistic heritage
MARGAO
The Global Konknni Forum on Monday asserted that the Forum’s demand to grant equal footing for the Roman script with the Devanagari script in the Official Language Act has nothing to do with the Portuguese.
Instead, it is a demand to undo the injustice and script-based discrimination of the last 37 years, and to give the Roman script its rightful place in the Official Language Act.
Forum Secretary Salvador Fernandes stated that Subhash Velingkar’s recent statement criticising the long-standing demand to include the Romi script in Goa’s Official Language Act (OLA) seems to be the result of his frustration that Marathi has no scope to be elevated on par with Konknni in the OLA. “Velingkar is trying to hang onto the coat-tails of Konknni people who are demanding official recognition for the Roman script on par with the Devanagari script. Velingkar should know that the status of Konknni cannot be altered by elevating Marathi without delivering a body blow to the very foundation of Goa’s Statehood, and that the people of Goa will not tolerate the same,” Salvador said.
While speaking against the Portuguese, Salvador said Velingkar accepts that the Portuguese wrote Marathi in Roman script for the sake of people who were converted during the Portuguese regime. “Hence, Velingkar should be grateful to the Portuguese and to the Romi script, as it supported the Marathi language to flourish in Goa, in spite of Marathi having its own independent script a thousand years ago according to Velingkar,” he said.
He added: “After being unsuccessful in dividing the people of Goa, who have followed age-old communal harmony, he is now out to divide the people on linguistic lines — forgetting that the language controversy in the State was over a long time ago.”
Salvador said Velingkar should know that their demand is based on Article 29(1) of the Indian Constitution, which states that any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same. Under this clause, it is our fundamental right to protect the Roman script from discrimination, he added.
