DALGADO KONKNNI AKADEMI Instute Piedade, Panjim, Goa
PRESS RELEASE Im enclosing herewith a copy of the letter sent to The Secretary, Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, by Dalgado Konknni Akademi. We request you to give wide publicity for the same. Tomazinho Cardozo President, DKA. Date: 06.07.2005 To. The Secretary Sahitya Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, 35 Ferozshah Road, New Delhi 110 001 Subj: Sahitya Akademi Awards for Konkani literature. Sir, Dalgado Konknni Akademi is established in Goa for the promotion of Konkani in Roman script. Konkani in Roman script is the base on which the whole movement for recognition of Konkani language was launched and made successful. However the large readership of Konkani language in Roman script and the writers in Roman script are disappointed because the literature produced in Konkani in Roman script is not considered by Sahitya Akademi for literary awards. The popularity of Konkani in Roman script in Goa may be judged from the following facts: The use of Roman script to write Konkani dates back to 16th century when a Printing Press was brought in Goa in 1556 by the Portuguese. Since then, writing and printing of Konkani books continued in Roman script. Most of the books printed that time were religious books and since then, the Christian community of Goa is writing, reading and printing Konkani Books in Roman script. Presently we have Vavraddeancho Ixt, a weekly, Gulab, a monthly, in Konkani Roman Script all of which has a readership of over 10,000 each. There is no other journals in Goa in Konkani in any script having such a large readership. . The catholic Church of Goa has translated all the religious scriptures in Konkani in Roman script and till date, in the catholic church of Goa, everything is conducted in Konkani in Roman Script. There are over 200 Parishes in Goa. Each Parish publishes a monthly Bulletin in Konkani in Roman script for the benefit of its parishioners. There are over 200 writers which includes poets, short story writers, essayists, Tiatr script writers, lyricists, novelists etc. Their ages vary from 20 years to 70 years. At the same time there is a strong readership to Konkani in Roman script which is any time much more than in any other script in Goa. In view of this denying the benefit of Sahitya Akademis literary awards to writers of Konkani in Roman script is unjust. Moreover we would like to bring to your kind notice that the General Council of Sahitya Akademi recognized Konkani, not in any particular script, as an independent literary language. The Resolution passed by the General Council of Sahitya Akademi on 26th February 1975, which is given here below, is very clear in that respect. As Konkani fulfils the criteria formulated by the Akademi for recognition of a language, it is recognized as an independent modern literary language of India. Secondly, in 1992 through the seventy first amendment of the Constitution, Konkani was included in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution. In this constitutional amendment there is no mention of any script. >From these two historical events it is very clear that the recognition is given to Konkani language and not to any particular script. Therefore it also infers that Konkani written in any script such as Roman, Devnagiri, Kannad or Malayalum enjoys equal status. As such there is no reason for Sahitya Akademi not to consider literature in Roman and Kannad script for its literary awards and for all other benefits. Therefore Dalgado Konknni Akademi has resolved to request you to consider Konkani in Roman, Kannad and Devnagiri scripts for the literary awards and for all the related benefits. Dalgado Konknni Akademi also requests you to see that the panel of judges for the selection of the books should include representatives from the three scripts. During the last so many years injustice is done to writers of Konkani in Roman and Kannad scripts which should be stopped immediately. We are confident that you will act positively so that justice is done to the writers of Konkani in Roman and Kannad script. Thanking you, Yours faithfully, Tomazinho Cardozo Fr. Peter Raposo Jose Salvador Fernandes President Vice-President Secretary
