MARGAO
The Global Konknni Forum, in collaboration with all Konknni script associations, has announced plans to hold an All India Konknni Maha Sabha at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, on 3rd January 2025, from 9:30 am to 5 pm.
The decision was made during a roundtable conference held on Sunday at Kalangann, Mangaluru.
Global Konknni Forum President Kennedy Afonso outlined the main aims of the Maha Sabha: to demand equal status for Konkani in the Roman script in Goa’s Official Language Act alongside Devanagari, to push for the introduction of Roman-script Konknni in schools from Std 1 to Std X, and to seek equal recognition and respect for all Konknni scripts by the Sahitya Akademi.
The Maha Sabha will also call for a more transparent, democratic selection process for the Konknni Advisory Board, with board members nominated by respective script associations and approved by the Sahitya Akademi.
“This is a historic step, uniting all Konknni associations across the Konkan belt in a grand, annual Maha Sabha. The AIKMS will celebrate the rich diversity of Konknni language and culture and acknowledge the contributions of various scripts to its literature,” Afonso stated.
He added, “The AIKMS will also highlight the injustices faced by the four scripts of the Konknni language. We believe it is unfair that the Goa government excludes Roman-script Konknni from the Official Language Act, and that the Sahitya Akademi has designated only Devanagari as the official script without linguistic evaluation.”
Afonso urged Konknni speakers from Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Goa, along with Konknni associations, the Tiatr Academy, and other organisations, to join in and support the first AIKMS to ensure its success.
