A section of the crowd at Lohia Maidan, Margao, opposing official status for Marathi.
MARGAO
Asserting that Konkani has been the sole official language and identity of Goa since 1987, and should remain so for years to come, a meeting held at the historic Lohia Maidan in Margao on Sunday unanimously resolved that the Konkani-speaking electorate of Goa will boycott any political party or entity that supports, assures in its manifesto, or publicly declares making Marathi the second official language of Goa.
The Sunday meeting followed a gathering held at the same venue last week, addressed by Subhash Velingkar and others, to demand official status for Marathi.
Addressing the meeting, historian Prajal Sakhardande categorically stated that Goa’s history shows that Konkani alone was the language of the original inhabitants, including the Gawdas, Velips, Kunbis, and fishing communities since ancient times.
Stating that there is no need to amend the Official Language Act to include Marathi as an official language of Goa, Prajal said that if any change is required, it should be to recognise Konkani in both Devanagiri and Roman scripts as the official language of the State.
He appealed to the Konkani Bhasha Mandal and the Goa Konkani Akademi to support the ongoing movement opposing Marathi as an official language of Goa. “Let the message be loud and clear that the people of Goa will foil any attempt to include Marathi as an official language of Goa,” he added.
Noted singer Hema Sardesai slammed those trying to divide the people of Goa in the name of language and religion. She said that the same person who had insulted St Francis Xavier is now attempting to divide people along linguistic lines. “Why are you targeting minorities? You should know that the ancestors of these minorities were all Hindus. By targeting minorities, they are insulting Hindus, Christians, and Muslims,” she said, while making an impassioned plea to the people of Goa to remain vigilant and foil attempts to make Marathi an official language.
The resolution adopted at the meeting stated that the Goa Official Language Act, 1987, was enacted following a historic and arduous struggle to recognise Konkani as the mother tongue and a unique identity of the Goan people. “Konkani is recognised as an independent literary language by the Sahitya Akademi and is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, affirming its status. Therefore, let us resolve to remain committed to protecting Goa’s unique linguistic heritage against any attempts to merge or dilute its identity,” the resolution stated.
Convenor of the meeting, Vishal Nogueiro, said he had convened the gathering at Lohia Maidan as he could not accept the demand made at the same venue last week for official language status for Marathi. Stating that Goa belongs to all Goemkars, he said people attended the meeting as Konkani speakers, not as Hindus, Christians, or Muslims.
Grandson of Jack de Sequeira, Jack Sukhija, said that Konkani alone is the official language of Goa and that Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra. He added that the people of Goa must ensure that the Act is not amended to accommodate Marathi.
Noted tiatrist Wilson Mazarello, Konkani activist Kennedy Afonso, Pratima Coutinho, Fidol Pereira, and others also addressed the meeting.
