Dear Oscar, Thank you for your compliments. I do what I can for the love of my mother tongue, Konkani. Our father brought us up with pride in our mother tongue,Konkani, while most of our cousins spoke Portuguese as their mother tongue. No apologies were offered if we did not follow something told in Portuguese. The common language of conversation was English, if cross understanding in our respective mother tongues was confusing.
As most people know, I am NOT a Konkani writer. The script is not really an issue with me because I read Devanagri script also. My primary objection to the primary education in so-called "Konkani" that is implemented by the 126 Church-managed schools [they do run an English medium Primary School, known as Marina school in Verna, giving lie to the much tom-tommed "pedagogy" of mother tongue] is that my Mother Tongue is Konkani and NOT the Antruzi of Hindu Saraswat Brahmins. Why should Antruzi dialect fit in to my children's education? That we made a conscious decision to educate our three children in Jesuit and Apostolic Carmel schools is more due to the ambience and facilities for co-curricular activities. I told my children the same thing Barack Obama's mentor reportedly told the first 'not fully white' candidate for USA's Presidency, "You are going to the institution to get trained, not educated." They speak Konkani ...and have always obtained distinction marks in Antruzi up to the level they studied the language [Std. VII for two and up to Std. XII by our eldest son]..., they read and write Konkani in both the scripts, but when asked for their Mother Tongue they will not bat an eyelid before saying, "English". That is the language of their emotions, exclaimations and expletives! That is the Truth. Our parents brought us up to tell the truth, we have brought up our children to do the same. If the Archbishop of Goa, as the head of the ABE is able to bear witness to the Truth as every Christian is called to, and accept that the ABE and DSE had been blinded by the grants [aka money] for teachers' salaries in 1992 and did not see what misery they were leading the students of ABE/DSE schools and slowly killing their schools [and the minority right to teach Catechism in schools], redemption is still possible for education in Goa. Starting ICSE schools is like crucifying Simon the Cyrene. That is something Jesus Christ did NOT do. Jesus has never promised salvation to the cowards ....no matter what dogmas and pedagogies they can think of to justify their position. St. Peter, the fisherman turned evangelist who was posthumously designated as the first Pope, was known to speak his heart as his letters published in the Bible show. He was crucified, upside down at his request ...as he felt unworthy of the honour of being a successor to Christ and be crucified erect on the cross. The ABE and DSE is happy to continue in the tradition of King Herod of Judea ...and send the holy innocents to the slaughter in the Antruzi medium primary schools in the name of pedagogy. Their Teacher's Day is on 28 December annually. Theirs is the pomp and glory on this Earth. I do not know if there will be any encashable balance on their feast day ... the day 'eternal life' begins for good, practicing Catholics. Lots of them in Kandhamal-Orissa last "Holy Innocents" Day, 2007 .... and right now. Mog asundi. Miguel On 9/5/08, oscar lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Our dear Miguel, > > Your e-mail of date gives the required food for thought. Your contribution > to the Goan world is highly appreciated. On behalf of many Goans associated > with Melgoans here in Melbourne, we say "thank you very much" for all your > efforts in keeping Goans abreast of current situation in Goa! > > Our Goans in Middle East, Goa and some in Mumbai are the only ones who talk > regularly in our "Maim Bhas" and have kept the language alive for Goa. It is > due to you guys including Konkani Roman script, Konkani Mogi etc and the > Mangaloreans that our Konkani entered the guiness book of World records. > Kudos to you all! Benedict's Radio Goa is a magic in the Goan world. > Hopefully all Goans overseas are switching to Radio Goa on a daily basis and > not only on Festacho dis! > > Majority of Goans in the Goan diaspora have lost touch with our mother > tongue although we seem to have Goan organisations established for many > years. Apart from the fact that many of our parents have not spoken to us in > Konkani (some of us tend to think that the language has some inferior > connotations and we prefer to answer in English when greeted in Konkani) > Some of us have not taken the initiative to learn the language or teach our > children. Having said that there are a handful who are not ashamed to talk > in Konkani here in Melbourne and we see this on World Goa Day celebrations > conducted by Melgoans. Our website www.melgoans.com refers in which one > will also see that we, in Melbourne, Australia have been passionately > promoting Konkani through our monthly newsletters "Ghozali" and not ashamed > to talk in Konkani anytime. > > > I believe that all Goan organisations in the Diaspora should embark on > Konkani language classes something that should have been done long time ago > and which was echoed several times on forums. Some of our prominent Goans > saying "we have worked for the community for a decade or so" does not say > much as working for the community is also keeping the language alive and > putting into practice one of the purpose of the organisations i.e. "To > encourage the use of the Konkani language" which we may have been lost in > the maze of fine distinction. > > It is not late too re-focus our priorities and encourage the use of Konkani > During our events - after all we are Goans first and then the citizens of > our adopted country. > > Long live our dudache bhas - Konkani! > > Mogh sodanch asundi. > > Oscar C. Lobo > Co-ordinator - World Goa Day - Melbourne > Director - Melgoans Pty Ltd. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Miguel Braganza [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, 6 September 2008 3:23 AM > To: renebarreto; Benedict Lobo > Cc: Konkani Mogi; Konkani RomanScript; oscar lobo; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Tony Mendes; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Salus Correia; > newton filomeno; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Miguel Braganza; Michael Gracias > Subject: Re: GLOBAL GOAN KONKANI FORUM - Amchi - Maim Bhas Konkani. > > > Dear Benedict, > > You are absolutely right. A thing does not cease to exist just because we > are unaware of it. Research is throwing up a lot of details that we did not > know. Controversies help create the interest in research. with the onslaught > of tourism, inmigration and the shrinking global village scenario, Konkani > might have dies a slow death, unnoticed. That is no longer possible. > > Radio Goa.net is doing a great job without even the bother of script. > Technology makes things possible. > > Rene Barreto has begun the transition of WGD to WKD, because 20 August, 1992 > is the date when Konkani was recognised by the Parliament of India as a > distinct India Language and put in the Eighth Schedule on 31 August, 1992. > Konkani is also more INCLUSIVE than just the former Estado da India > Portuguesa, now known as Goa. We have a common heritage with our neighbours. > We cannot deny it while emphasizing that we do have a separate culture and > social norms....evolved during colonial rule. They are beneficial in a > Western oriented Global village ...and hence the interest in Goa. > > We need to promote the speaking and reading of Konkani. That is the first > step. Script is actually a secondary issue that has come to the forefront > because one section of the society wanted to deny it entirely. There are > growing number of red faces after Manohar Parrikar stated in the Goa > Assembly that the first dozen books written by Shenoi Goembab were in ROMAN > script. Who would have researched that...but for the script controversy? So > there. > > Mog asundi. > > Miguel > > > > --- On Fri, 5/9/08, Benedict Lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > From: Benedict Lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: Re: GLOBAL GOAN KONKANI FORUM - Amchi - Maim Bhas Konkani. > > To: "renebarreto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > "Miguel Braganza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Date: Friday, 5 September, 2008, 1:13 AM > > Hi Rene, > > > > Thanks for the initiative and pursuing GGKF .Please do > > give us further > > details ,as it is not very clear about the objective ,is it > > only a > > discussion forum for Konkani like the hundreds of forums on > > the net for > > Konkani like > > > *KonkaniCatholics*<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KonkaniCatholics?v=1&t=sear > ch&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1> > > (1509 > > > Members),*konkani_buddies*<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konkani_buddies?v=1 > &t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=7>(903 > > Members) or the more successful > > > *romintkonkani*<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romintkonkani?v=1&t=search&ch= > web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=57>(29 > > Members) moderated by Miguel Braganza or you have something > > else in > > mind.You have our full support , however i do not subscribe > > to the view that > > "We have nothing to be proud of our mother tongue > > Konkani".Ask any Niz Goan > > and he will tell how proud he is of his Mother tongue.Those > > were perhaps the > > days of the Portugese rule where Konkani was supressed and > > it became the > > language of the kitchen,they supposedly have burned all the > > Konkani > > literature available at the time in 1548 A.D.Konkani is a > > rich language, > > unfortunately history has not been good to it,there are > > inscriptions written > > in Konkani dated 1187 A.D. whereas even the earliest > > Marathi manuscripts > > are of 16th century. > > Please try to send invites to people who work for Konkani > > on the ground > > ,offcourse one of them is Wilson Mazarello ,but do try to > > include people > > like Tomazinho Cardoz,Fr. Pratap,Prince jacob ,Miguel > > ect.,let us be proud > > of our language and our heritage, and support this > > initiative by Rene. > > > > Best Wishes > > Benedict > > > > On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 1:16 AM, renebarreto > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Dear Wilson., > > > > > > I do hope that the hectic weeks at the GOA Assembly > > and other activities > > > have > > > taken a back stage. > > > > > > Time is running out on me - there is so much that > > needs to be done , I > > > alone > > > can do so much - but TOGETHER we can do then > > impossible. > > > > > > I am very pleased that you have agreed to LEAD the > > GLOBAL GOAN KONKANI > > > FORUM. > > > Since our announcements - there have been many GOANS > > who have made many > > > enquiries - > > > I believe that WE now need too move and move FAST - we > > have LOST many years > > > with > > > - we have nothing to be proud of our MOTHER TONGUE > > -konkani . > > > > > > THE GGKF has to MAKE a MOVE - a move to motivate the > > GLOBAL GOANS to > > > LEARNIING > > > and TEACHING KONKANI. > > > > > > Let our posts on the GOAN forums be simple - so that > > ALL of us can > > > understand what the message is > > > all about. > > > > > > Our FIRST move is to establish a GGKF - Discussion > > List. I wrote to you on > > > that subject two weeks ago. > > > I have given you some names - I would suggest that you > > establish this GGKF > > > - Yahoo egroup at the earliest > > > > > > Oscar Lobo - is a staunch supporter of KONKANI and a > > great supporter of the > > > GLOBAL GOAN togetherness ! > > > - WORLD GOA DAY. Please add Oscar's name as one > > of the moderators for the > > > GGKF. Benedict Lobo is another great supporter of > > KONKANI - his RADIO GOA - > > > reaches places - where other GOAN networks have > > never reached ! - I am > > > sure the GGKF will be a great asset to RADIO GOA - WE > > could help RADIO GOA s > > > - WIKI > > > Wilson - Please include Benedict as one of the > > moderators too. We also have > > > our friend Basilio Magno - lets get him too involved - > > > > > > Oscar and others on this list - please let us have > > your thoughts on how we > > > can make a success of GGKF > > > > > > I hope that Oscar and Benedict will give us at GGKF A > > LENDING HAND - by > > > PARTICIPATING. Let us > > > not be bystanders - lets GET INVOLVED - yes - YOU too. > > > > > > * Yes , TOGETHER we GOANS CAN - make it HAPPEN. * > > > * > > > * > > > * > > > * > > > *rene barreto - WORLD ALLIANCE OF GOAN ASSOCIATIONS.* > > > * > > > * > > > > > *000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000* > > > > > > > > -- > > RadioGoa.net > > For the love of Konkani > > > Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one roof. Go > to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/ > > > -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa Ph 9822982676 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
