http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug72005/national16254200586.asp
DH News Service Panaji:
The war of words over the latest demand that the Roman script be also
accorded official recognition has divided Konkaniwadis in Goa.
It is 18 years since Goa got its official language, Konkani. But the
victory hard won could now be undone, say Konkani stalwarts who are
watching in alarm as the pitch is being raised to adopt the Roman
script for the language in Goa and Maharashtra.
A multiplicity of scripts would hinder rather than promote the Konkani
cause, say some of its leading writers in Goa. Devanagari is officially
recognised as the script for Konkani by the Sahitya Academy and the
state government. ?When the need is to remain united, such a demand
will only divide the Konkani people,? says Sahitya Academy member
Damodar Mauzo. Some 5 million people in the Konkan region stretching
from Maharashtra to Kerala speak the language.
Steering the case for the adoption of the Roman script Fr Pratap Naik,
director of Thomas Stephens Konkanni Kendra believes an injustice was
meted out to ?large sections of the Konkani people who knew Konkani
only in the Roman script?, when the decision was taken to adopt only
Devanagari in Goa.
?Eighteen years down the line we are confronted with the reality:
Devanagari has not taken root in Goa. It is also obvious that the
script became a tool for Saraswats to corner posts and positions,? he
told Deccan Herald.
The Jesuit priest was pivotal in getting the First Canara Konkani
Convention in December 2004 to adopt a resolution backing the use of
the Roman script. A similar resolution was adopted by a largely
Christian convention in Mumbai some weeks ago, and is expected to find
favour at Monday?s meeting in Margao.
Going backwards
Fr Naik, who has developed an orthography for Konkani in Roman script
using modified international phonetic symbols denies he is steering
Goa?s language debate to a communal impasse and insists that the
Saraswats have failed Goa?s Konkani cause. ?Konkani is alive in Goa
purely because of the Catholic schools. Where are the Konkani schools
run by the majority community?? he asks.
Angered and hurt by his accusations, Goa?s Konkani writers have
questioned the priest?s motives. ?He succeeded in dividing the Konkani
people in Karnataka and wants to do the same here,? says Mauzo.
Former editor and writer Uday Bhembre believes Goa would be better off
emulating Kerala Konkanis who have worked diligently to replace the
Malayalam script with Devanagari use. ?To debate over the script at
this point would be going backwards,? says journalist Raju Naik. He
also dismisses the contention that writers in the Roman script are
denied grants and literary prizes.
The church, which has so far steered clear of the debate, could be
compelled at some point to take a stand on the issue. The church runs
125 Konkani medium primary schools here. All of them teach in the
Devanagari script. ?We have no official position on the script,? said
church spokesman Fr Loyola Pereira
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Regards,
Carlos
