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2006 * * * Y E A R * * * O F * * * T H E * * * S E N I O R
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Goa Sudharop Annual Awards on November 20, 2006 @ Mandovi Hotel @ 4:30pm
Chief Guest: Dr. Asha Vishwanath Sawardekar
A series of essays as a tribute to Goan Seniors can be found at:
http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=524
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Dear Basilio,
The Goa CM has requested me to reply to you acting purely as a Devil's
Advocate (the devil being Pratapsingh Rane), in which capacity I ask
you the following questions:
1. Since Konkani in the Roman script is written phonetically, it
follows that anyone knowing English could write it. Then, why the fuss
about Devnagiri.
2. Will it not be useful to our children, Catholic, Hindu or Muslim to
learn the Devnagiri script in which India's official language Hindi is
written.
3. If there is popular will to use Konkani in the Roman script, it
will continue to be used, no matter that Devnagiri is mandated by the
govt, will it not ?
4. If you do not know Devnagiri or prefer to use Roman in your own
Konkani writings even if you know Devnagiri, you can please continue
to do so from Spain without bothering about this controversy in Goa.
5. As for Roman being the right script for our cyber-age, I totally
agree. However if you write Konkani in Roman and people in cyberspace
don't know Konkani, does it really matter in which script you write.
6. You say the Roman script has a long history in Goa. That would make
it a history of about 500 years. I wonder what script was used for
Konkani before that.
7 If you think I am going to spend my chief ministership trying to
Romanize other Indian languages as you suggest, you ought to have your
head examined.
8. I don't think Konkani is the only Indian language that uses the
Roman script. I would suggest you take into consideration all the
North-Eastern - Assamiya, Naga, Mizo, Manipuri, Khasi and similar
languages - which also are written likewise.
9. The fact that you treasure Konkani over English, Spanish,
Portuguese and German is neither here not there as far as my chief
ministership is concerned.
10. Must I mollycoddle the minority Catholic community who prefers the
Roman script at the cost of the majority Hindu community who prefers
Devnagiri. I am not taking away the rights of the Catholic community.
As I mentioned, they can continue to use the Roman script as they wish
to, except for official purposes. The Catholics are Indian aren't
they? Devnagiri is Indian, Roman is not.
11. Finally on a personal level you call me intelligent while also
then sarcastically mentioning my "repeated chief ministership may soon
be forgotten". Are you trying to praise me and then insult me or both
simultaneously.
Yours very truly,
Repeatedly Chief Minister Pratap Rane.
On 11/18/06, Basilio Magno <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> To The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Goa
> Mr. Pratapsing Raojo Rane
>
> from Basilio Magno (Spain)
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> Dear Honourable Chief Minister,
>
> A hectic campaign has been launched by two stalwart Konkanists -Fr. Pratap
> Naik s.j., Director of Thomas Stephen Kendra and the ex-MLA Mr. Tomazinho
> Cardozo, President of Dalgado Konkani Academi, seeking equal status for
> Konkani in Roman and Devnagiri scripts. When i read on the Internet of
> their campaign, I jumped for joy that someone at last was standing up for
> the Roman script, which I have been using to write not knowing any other
> script to write in Konkani, the language I treasure most over English,
> German, Portuguese and Spanish which I write and speak. As the Chief
> Minister will know, Konkani is a very poetical language, and the only one
> written in Roman script among all the Indian languages. I had written a
> poem of 72 lines in praise of the Roman script, entitled: NOMAN ROMI
> LIPIEK, which was this year published in their magazine by Dalgado Konkani
> Akademi.
>
> The Roman script has a long history in Goa, and is indeed the right script
> in our Cyber age. I would go a step further and ask the Chief Minister not
> only to give Romi equal status with Devnagiri, but also to take the lead to
> romanise all Indian languages, as Goa is best suited to undertake such an
> initiative. One day, for this, all other States will be thankful to our
> Chief Minister and to Goa on the whole. And if anybody could accomplish
> this, it is none other than our very intelligent Chief Minister Mr.
> Pratapsing Raoji Rane, with the collaboration of all Catholic MLAs to make
> this happen soon, to amend the Official Language Bill 1987 to read:
> "Konkani language means Konkani in Devnagiri and Roman scripts. Your
> repeated Chief Ministership may one day be forgotten, but this act of
> accomodating the Roman script with equal status in the Language Act 1987
> through amendment, will remain as a monument to you and will be remembered
> for ever with love and gratitude by the minority community -the Catholics,
> who primarily use the Roman script. This is my humble appeal from Spain to
> you, dear Chief Minister. You will know me as the author-composer of the
> World Goa Day hymn "Proud to be a Goan". Do make us feel proud of our Roman
> script.
>
> With kind regards, Yours truly, Basilio Magno
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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