Konkani Devnagiri Script Supporters should Act Immediately In the recently concluded Goa State Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition Mr Manohar Parrikar raised the issue of the grievances by Marathi group and supporters of Roman script for Konkani group. He said that the Govt. should appoint a committee and settle this issue. The opposition parties will fully cooperate with the govt. While replying to this point the Chief Minister Mr Digambar Kamat has assured the house that he would form a committee to settle this language issue once and for all. In this background, the Nagari lobby should join hands with the supporters of Roman script to give equal status to Roman script at the earliest to avoid Marathi also to become the State Language. If the Nagari lobby delays there is a danger that Roman script supporters and Marathi supporters will join hand and succeed to their objectives and in the bargain Konkani will be defined the New Act "Konkani means Konkani in Roman script". If this happens that will be the end of Konkani in Nagari script because as it is, it exists mainly due to the financial support of the state and Central govts.
In Goa most of the books in Nagiri script are published with the government aid and practically there is no readership as the books are not sold in book stalls. Childrens of Nagari lobby people study either in English medium or in Marathi medium. Their schools are either in Marathi medium or English medium. In Karnataka Konkani is taught in schools only in Kannada script in 102 schools. More than 1800 children study Konkani in Kannada script. Though there is a provision to study Konkani in Devnagiri script too, not even a single student has opted for it. All the proceedings of Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademy are done only in Kannada. In Kerala too there is a provision to study Konkani but no student has opted to study Konkani in Devnagiri script. Such provision is not awailable in Maharashtra. In democracy no 'Act' is final and permanent. If the constitution of India is amended several times what prevents the Goa govt to amend its own Language act 1987? govt. exists to serve the people and their legitimate aspirations. For the survival of Konkani in Goa Roman and Nagari scripts must be recognised as official and equal in the Language Act. If Marathi too becomes the official language of Goa the blame has to be borne by Nagari lobby only. For its own survival and honour Nagari lobby should immediately take necessary steps to rectify its past sin and join hands with Roman script supporters to obtain the official status to Roman script in the Language Act. Roman script literature has a history of more than 450 years. Devnagiri script was only forced on people. It was not a spontaneous script of Konkani people. Though it enjoyed all kinds of grants and honours from both state government and central government it has not yet become the natural script for its people. Though 21 years have passed since the Language act was passed Devnagiri periodicals, books have not gained momentum in the book stalls. Where in Kannada script there are 5 Weeklies, 30 monthlies and more than 100 regional and other periodicals that do not receive even a single government advtisements and awailable in the Book Stalls of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gulf Countries. But there is not even a single weekly in Devnagiri script of Konkani. It looks as if people use the script only to get honours, awards, grants, position, jobs and Government advertisements. Ancy Paladka Konkani Poet, Mumbai -- Ancy S. D'Souza, Paladka E2-139 Diwan Apt III Vasai Road East Thane Dist - 401 210 Tel: 0250-2390225 Cell: 9320733213 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]