the goan I network
PANAJI
Supervision is welcome but the Directorate of Official Language (DOL) should not be interfering in the functioning of the Goa Konkani Akademi which is an “autonomous body” its former president and noted Konkani writer, Madhav Borkar said on Wednesday.
Speaking to ‘The Goan’, Borkar, who resigned as president of the GKA almost a year and a half ago in protest against the government’s refusal to disburse sanctioned funds to the Akademi, lamented the hurdles created by the DOL for the Academy during his tenure.
“The DOL created lots of problems, raising queries which were very absurd,” he said, adding that besides no proper flow of funds, the Academy needed to overcome many other hurdles to be able to carry out its duties.
“First of all, GKA needs proper staff,” said Borkar. “The Academi is understaffed. There is no accountant, and somebody should be there to take responsibility of the administration,” he said, while praising the secretary for doing her best, despite the staff crunch.
Borkar also highlighted the other problems faced by the GKA, pointing to the fact that its biggest constraint was space.
“There is no proper accommodation to house the Academi, there is no place to keep the books,” he voiced out, even as he noted that the Academy had some very rare books.
“If somebody wants to take a look at the rare books at the Academy, there’s no librarian there who can help. The library is managed by a clerk,” he lamented.
Borkar also lamented on the lack of proper research facilities at the GKA. “Under the conditions prevalent at the Academi, it is not possible to carry out proper research,” he explained, while nevertheless speaking highly of Dr Jayanti Naik’s documentation of folk culture.
Borkar opined that for the issues at the GKA to be resolved, the government needed to appoint a new committee, and give them proper facilities, which the government hasn’t done for a year and a half now.
The DOL holds the charge of the GKA, which is unprecedented. Though the issue of no president at the GKA has been raised several times over the months, the government has been slow to name a new president.
Meanwhile, activities of the GKA have been hampered by this, with the “Natya Mahotsav” and the awards ceremony by the GKA not being held.
The GKA was founded around three decades ago to promote the Konkani language.
