A group of leaders from the Konkani Bhasha Mandal (KBM) addressed a press conference on Wednesday in Margao. They responded to demands for equal status for the Romi script by claiming it already has equal status in Goa. But since when? And where in the Official Language Act of Goa does it state that the Romi Konkani script can be used for all official purposes alongside the Devanagari script? They also argued against introducing the Roman script in education, claiming it would create divisions among students based on their community. However, aren’t these leaders already creating divisions by allowing Hindu students to study in Marathi medium primary schools while forcing Catholic students to study in Devanagari Konkani primary schools in Goa?
These leaders might have their own reasons, but the fact remains that Devanagari Konkani is of no use to the Catholic community. It’s a waste, especially for job applications outside Goa. Why do these selfish people refuse to give the Romi Konkani script its rightful place in the Official Language Act, knowing that the Catholic community uses only the Romi script in daily affairs. I believe that as long as Romi Konkani is not given equal official status with Devanagari Konkani in the Official Language Act by the State government, there will be no unity, and Konkani-speaking Goans will remain divided. This is an open injustice towards Romi Konkani script supporters and Catholics in Goa.
