ROMAN-SCRIPT KONKANI WRITERS IN GOA DECRY 'STEP-MOTHERLY' TREATMENT PANJIM, May 15: Some 17-years after Konkani got 'official language' status in the western Indian coastal state of Goa, mainly-Christian writers of Konkani in Goa increasingly feel their variant and script is coming under increasing pressure and gaining step-motherly treatment.
Turning pro-active, a meeting held in mid-May drew some 70 writers to state-capital Panjim, where they decided to relaunch the Dalgado Konkani Academy -- an institution started in the 1980s to promote Konkani in the Roman-script but which fell into inactivity. They also demanded government support to preserve and promote Konkani in this script, which, they said, is an age-old tradition of the Christian community in Goa. Goa's Christian minority, forming a little under 30% in this state of 1.4 million, has strongly lobbied for Konkani in the backdrop of linguistic controversies in this state. But this community has historically used the Roman-script over centuries for Konkani, while since 1987, the Konkani is in the Devanagari script has been officially recognised. Devanagari script Konkani has been used by a smaller number, but it gained weightage because of arguments such as it being a more-suited script for an Indian language, and the claim that it would bridge gaps between different community and caste groups in this state. "The perception that Devanagari script for Konkani would unite all Goans has failed," Fr Freddy J Da Costa, editor of the Roman-script popular monthly magazine 'Gulab' was quoted as saying in a statement released after the meet. Speakers at the meet also voiced angry protests over the lack of official support to the Roman (or 'Romi', as it is locally called), the allocation of prizes only to Devaganari writers, and called for support from priests and the Church -- who are among the active promoters of Roman-script Konkani -- to support a renaissance of the same. "They have taken us for granted. In Goa, there is a large section of the community which doesn't understand Devanagari," said Tomazinho Cardozo, a Konkani writer, dramatist and former politician, an organiser behind the mid-week meeting on this issue. Cardozo was a former Speaker of the Goa assembly in the early 'nineties. "Today there are many readers and writers who use the Roman-script Konkani, but there are few to guide them," said Fr Costa, whom many point to as one of the few successful editor-publishers of a Konkani journal in Goa. The other well-read Konkani journal is the weekly 'Ixtt', brought out by the Pilar Society of SFX priests, also in the Roman script. Premanand Lotlikar, a dramatist from the coastal South Goa village of Colva who has also used the Roman script for Konkani, recalls times in the not-so-distant past when readers would keenly await the publication of local novels in that script -- locally called "romanz". Dr Olivinho Gomes, a former IAS officer and ex-acting vice chancellor of the Goa University, argued in favour of a church publication in Roman Konkani and said resources could be shared among the seven regions in western and southern India which have Konkani -- though in different scripts, including Kannada -- as a prominent language in church affairs. "We apologise for the long slumber that the Dalgado Academy went into after the 'eighties," said Fr Costa. The academy, meant specifically to promote Roman script Konkani was named after a priest Mons. Sebastiao R Dalgado from Goa who spent long years promoting the small language which has an estimated 2 to 5 million speakers all put together. "We have accepted Devanagari (as the official script of Goa). Our children study that language. But still, we have a (living) tradition which needs to be sustained. Our writers have got neglected," said former Speaker Cardozo. But speakers stressed that their campaign was not meant at targeting any other script -- including the currently-dominant Devanagari. They questioned the view that a decline in the Roman script would lead to an increase in Devanagari, pointing out that neglecting the former could lead to people getting alienated entirely from Konkani and instead shifting over to larger languages like English, as seems to be happening in Goa itself. "We have to learn to call a spade a spade," argued Wilson Mazarello, a popular local dramatist who goes by the stage-name of 'Wilmix'. He was more blunt in critiquing the attitude of Devanagari Konkani writers, whom he said were responsible for cornering off prizes and official support meant for the language which was written in many scripts. Some speakers decried those who insinuate that Roman Konkani writing lacks writing. "They often say so without even reading it," argued Cardozo. Others also made the point that this form of writing allowed the commonman to express his thoughts, and arguments of quality should not be used to block the same. Speakers pointed to the inability of Devanagari Konkani publications to find a market, and rued that writers in the Roman script were not getting support. "In histories (of the language) the name of those who have contributed in the Roman script never come out," said Cosma Fernandes, a writer and teacher. Added Mathew D'Souza of Merces: "My father struggled (with humble jobs) and managed to publish a Konkani paper." Bonaventura D'Pietro, another writer, stressed that Roman-Konkani books should be published by the government in that script itself, rather than rendering it into the Devaganari script, since this would mean a limited appeal. But there were different views from others like Pratap Naik sj, a priest who heads the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr, a language promotion centre run by the Jesuits and named after a member of the same order who came from England centuries ago and wrote in Konkani. "Take any language in the world. It is people who have built a language. Did the British government promote English worldwide? Our brothers who use the Kannada script for Konkani, who gave them awards? Why do we want to go to the government with the begging bowl? Let's prepare a master plan and go ahead," argued Fr Naik. But he said such a task required a full-time commitment. He suggested the idea of a major culture-fest by the year-end, and the promotion of a federation of institution using Roman-script Konkani. Goa's language issue boiled over with unexpected fury, particularly between 1985-87, when it errupted as a bitter Konkani-versus-Marathi battle. Marathi is the language of the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, but the issue is more complex than what it seems, given its caste and communal implications here. In the mid-eighties, the then Pratapsing Rane-led Congress government brought about a complex law, as the proposed solution. It grants official language status for Konkani, with the proviso that Marathi can also be recognised for official purpose. But each 'official' purpose for either language has to be independently declared to be accepted, and the till-then little-utilised Devanagari-script Konkani was the accepted variant. Earlier too, TSKK director father Pratap Naik has argued that adopting Roman script for Konkani would be more practical and viable for the standardisation of Konkani. He has been quoted saying that the present Roman Konkani script writings were more or less orthographically correct, but a few changes would have to be introduced in order to standardise and make it acceptable script to the international community. Peter Raposo, the young priest-editor of the seven-decades old 'Ixtt' publication, aruges that almost a hundred Roman Konkani newspapers or periodicals were published at different point of time since the year 1889 (rpt 1889). These included around nine dailies, the rest being periodicals. "Why did not a single Roman Konkani daily survive is one question that will haunt its readers and those who started these papers. Most of these papers had common pitfalls. They were either a one-man show or were not managed professionally. And in fact the 'lack of funds' followed from these reasons and vice versa," argues Raposo. He disagrees with the view that there have been insufficient readers. Raposo suggests a Roman Konkani daily, arguing that "it will bring the two communities together, as it will keep a large section of people (in this case the Christians) who are alienating themselves totally from the Konkani fold". ENDS ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################