MARGAO
The Global Konkani Forum has on Sunday vowed to continue the movement until the Goa government amends the Official Language Act 1987 by granting equal status for Roman Script, along with Devanagari, demanding passage of the Amendment Bill in the winter session of the Legislative Assembly.
Reminding that former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar had promised that Konkani in Roman Script would be taught in the schools, to preserve and protect the script, the GKF adopted a resolution at its first public meeting at Navelim demanding that the government of Goa must remove all hurdles in the Education Department and allow schools to teach Konkani in Roman Script in a phased manner, starting from 1-10th from the next academic year.
Addressing the meeting, Forum president Kennedy Afonso said the GKF has launched a three-pronged strategy to achieve the demand for equal status for Konkani in Roman Script. One, he said the Forum will mobilize the people to force the government to bring an Amendment Bill in the winter session of the Legislative Assembly to amend the Official Language Act. Secondly, he said the resolutions adopted at the gram sabha meetings and the resolutions taken by the MLAs will be forwarded to the Commissioner, Linguistic Minorities to seek justice to Konkani in Roman script.
Kennedy told the people that the Forum will knock the doors of the judiciary as a last resort, saying the Forum has already consulted a Supreme Court lawyer to take up the cause of Konkani in Roman script.
Addressing the meeting, Velim MLA Cruz Silva explained how the resolutions tabled by him in the Legislative Assembly was scuttled by vested interests in the just concluded session. Saying that the fight seeking justice for Konkani in Roman script is not against Devanagiri script, Cruz said the linguistic minorities have the right to protect their script.
In his address, Konkani writer, Michael Gracias directed his ire at the Congress party for causing tremendous loss to Konkani language. He blamed the Congress for hatching the conspiracy to deprive the Christians of the benefits of Konkani. “It was Digambar Kamat who had acknowledged Konkani in Roman script by starting grants for Dalgado Konknni Akademi and also formed TAG. Former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar was instrumental in giving the office to DKA and the grants. But, the Congress is responsible for destroying Konkani”, he added.
Prof Antonio Alvares blamed former Congress Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane as the chief conspirator behind the division in the Konkani movement also the division amongst the political leaders hailing from Salcete to serve his vested interests.
The first public meeting at Navelim was held as part of the sustained movement to demand equal status for Roman Script, along with Devanagari in the Official Language Act 1987.
Vowing to take the issue to the people, in every village across Goa, the GKF said the Goa government in collaboration with the Devanagari lobby, which controls the Goa Konkani Language Advisory Cell, are not even allowing their children to learn Konkani in Roman Script, and has forcibly imposed Devanagari on them, which is a mismatch from house language to school language, thereby affecting their academic performance.
“Authors and writers of Konkani Roman Script are not entitled for Sahitya Awards, thus choking literature in Roman Script. Sufficient grants are not given to Dalgado Konknni Akademi to develop Roman Script, as compared to Devanagari script. Lack of knowledge of Konkani in Devanagari deprives our youths from getting govt jobs”, Kennedy said, while saying this discrimination will be sorted out only if equal status is granted to Roman Script.
