Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar, during Zero Hour in the ongoing assembly session on Thursday, has urged that Marathi be given the status of 'Raj Bhasha' (Official Language) and notified/recognised as the second Official Language of the State by giving his own silly justifications. Well, Konkani is not just the mother tongue of Goans but is a language of our unique identity/cultural heritage of Goa. And taking this fact into consideration, Konkani was rightfully bestowed the top position and made the sole official language of the state way back in 1987.
Forget about the circulation of Marathi newspapers and invitations during Hindu weddings, the language that is practically still spoken by 90% of our Goan population (irrespective of caste, creed and religion) in the State on the ground level or in public life is Konkani, and not Marathi. Our 'Mai-bhas' Konkani alone is a unifying force, a strong cement which still binds all the major communities of the state into one linguistic community.
Ignorant leaders like Arolkar should therefore stop misguiding Goans by giving their own silly explanations/justifications and demanding more rights for Marathi in the State under some pretext or the other. Because as per the Official Languages Act, the Marathi sympathisers can make good use of this language for all official purposes in Goa, i.e. government correspondence, invitations, functions, circulars, police panchanamas, etc. Moreover, the advertisements for even the government vacancies clearly state that besides Konkani, knowledge of Marathi can be desirable for candidates who wish to apply for government jobs in Goa.
Now, this being the case, what more rights do leaders like Arolkar want for Marathi in Goa? It’s essential that our leaders focus on preserving and promoting the language that truly unites Goa”Konkani”rather than pursuing divisive agendas that risk undermining our State’s cultural fabric. Goa’s future lies in respecting its heritage while embracing unity, not in unnecessary linguistic contests.
