09/08/2005 Mr Rene Mendes, Co-Ordinator, WORLD GOA DAY UK
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS WIDELY AND ENSURE THAT SIGNATURES ACCOMPANIED BY RESOLUTIONS ARE PASSED on WORLD GOA DAY 2005 HELD EVERY WHERE IN THE GLOBE and send the same to THOMAS STEPHENS KONKNNI KENDR (TSKK) B. B. Borkar Road, Alto Porvorim GOA - 403 521, INDIA (0832) 2415857, 2415864 e-mail:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website:www.tskk.org Kind attn of Fr Pratap Naik, S.J. Director, TSKK MESSAGE You are aware that lovers of Roman script were following the enactment of Official language Act 1987 on 4th February, 1987 asked to compromise on the demand for Roman script Konkani for the sake of Goan unity. What turned out is that only the diocesan run schools teach Konkani in Devnagiri at the Primary school level. All others teach English or Marathi and other languages. Owing to an unfamiliar and non standardized Konkani vocabulary ( which does not match the Konkani language as spoken by 95% Goans ) and is written and taught exclusively in the Devnagiri script, parents who cant afford education opt to put their children in English schools. 18 years after the Act was passed it has dawned on the lovers of Konkani in Roman script that the ends of justice must be met NOW or NEVER as only the use of Devnagiri script has benefitted a miniscule section of the Society familiar with this language and script. Konkani continues to suffer and will affect the future of Goa and Goans. According to Fr. Pratap Naik sj Thomas Stephen Kendra Porvorim "just as a bullock cart needs two wheels to move so also does Konkani in Goa needs both the Devnagiri and the Roman script to progress" Though this realisation has dawned late in the day it is never too late. Towards this end resolutions were moved at a meeting convened by "Dalgado Konknni Akademi" (DKA), at Margao, Goa on August 08, 2005 in the presence of Konkani Roman script writers, tiatrists, artists' and Roman script lovers at Grace Church Hall, Margao, Goa on Monday, 8th August 2005 at 4.00 p.m. ******************************************************* We demand of the Goa Government an EQUAL STATUS for KONKANI in Roman & Devnagiri script RESOLUTION 1. Goa's Konkani community is divided into two groups, namely those who read and write Konkani in Devnagari script, and those who read and write Konkani in Roman script. Therefore Goa Government should give equal and official status to Konkani written in Devanagari and Roman scripts. For this the Govt. should modify the Language Act accordingly. The present Language Act,1987 2. (c) reads "Konkani language" means Konkani language in Devanagari script. We propose the following amendment to 2. (c): "Konkani language" means Konkani language in Devanagari and Roman scripts. 2. Goa Government recognizes Marathi Akademi as the official Akademi for Marathi in Goa and gives grants. Similarly, Goa Government must recognize Dalgado Konknni Akademi (DKA) as the official NGO of Konkani in Roman script and give the same amount of grants which the Govt. gives to Goa Konkani Akademi (GKA) and Marathi Akademi. 3. So far, Goa Govt. has not appointed the president of GKA from the Roman script group. The term of the present GKA president will be completed in the month of November 2005. Hence this time Govt. must appoint the president of GKA from the minority community. In the future, Govt. could appoint the president by turns from Devanagari script and Roman script groups. 4. GKA is a Govt. institution. At present a nominee of the All India Konkani Parishad is the ex-officio member of GKA. GKA Constitution must be amended to include a nominee of Dalgado Konknni Akademi as the ex-officio member of GKA. Goa Govt. appoints three persons eminent in the field of Konkani language, literature or culture as ex-officio members of GKA. While nominating these three persons Govt. should give equal representation to Devanagari and Roman script groups. 5. In the past Kala Akademi (KA) used to give annual prizes for books published in Devanagari and Roman scripts. For the last many years it has stopped giving awards to books written in Roman script. KA should be ordered to give awards to Roman script Konkani writers, and extend to them all other projects and schemes which are available to Konkani in Devanagari script. 6. Kala Akademi gives Gomantak Sharada Puroskar to Konkani writers in Devanagari script and Marathi writers. In future KA must consider and give this prestigious award to Roman script writers and artists as well. 7. Kala Akademi is established to promote the culture of Goa. Hence it should be asked to hold competitions and to promote non-stop Konkani drama, one-act plays in Konkani in Roman script, Mandos, Dekhnnis, Christmas carols, Church hymns, Motets, Intruz khells, Kantaram, Kunbi songs and dances, and other folk arts. 8. Govt. must name its new theatre for the performing arts in Margao, in honour of Late Joao Augustinho Fernandes, who is popularly known as "Pai Tiatrist". By doing this Govt. will honour a great Goan tiatrist and his minority community. If this is not done we are forced to consider it as an insult done by the Govt. to Goans and Goan tiatrists and artists. 9. Tiatr is the most popular form of theatre in Goa. To promote this local art form Goa Govt. should make available its theatres in Panaji, Ponda and elsewhere at subsidized rates for tiatrs. This generous gesture of the Govt. will boost the tiatr industry. 10. Goa Konkani Akdemi, Kala Akademi, Directorate of Art and Culture, and other Govt. departments while publishing Konkani books, should publish them in both Devanagari script and Roman script. 11. In school syllabus, lessons from Roman script Konkani must be given equal representation without changing the language and style. In college and university syllabus Konkani literature written in Roman script should be taught in Roman script itself. Students who opt for Konkani as a major subject at T.Y. B.A. or at M.A. level must know to read and write Konkani in Devanagari and Roman scripts. 12. Konkani has two representatives in Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Goa Govt. sends three names to Sahitya Akademi as its nominees. Let the Goa Govt. send names of Devanagari writers and Roman script writers by turns. 13. To promote Konkani films the Govt. must establish a separate board of film experts, and representatives from Devanagari and Roman script writers to check the quality of films and allot them subsidy. We the undersigned signatories suscribe to the above resolution and append our signatures hereunder: For organisors of WORLD GOA DAY CONVENOR Sr No: Name Contact Signature 01 02 03 ******************************************************* We trust this will recieve the response it deserves GODFREY J I GONSALVES [EMAIL PROTECTED] Borda Margao Goa ____________________________________________________ Send a rakhi to your brother, buy gifts and win attractive prizes. Log on to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/rakhi/index.html