Konkani script debate heats up: Mangalore meeting advocates inclusion of all scripts

Members of the Global Konknni Forum and Mandd Shoban attending a joint symposium at Mangalore on Sunday.

MARGAO
A joint symposium organised by the Global Konknni Forum (GKF) and Mandd Shoban (Mangalore) at Kalaangan, Mangalore on Sunday has resolved to oppose Sahitya Akademi’s stand of recognising and promoting only one script of Konkani.

In a resolution adopted at the symposium, the two organisations have resolved to ask equal rights for Romi and Kannada script as well.

In the furtherance to the resolution, the two organisations have vowed to initiate action, including legal steps to impress upon the government to include other scripts of Konkani for Sahitya Awards.

The two associations have resolved to challenge Sahitya Akademi’s decision to recognise only Devanagiri script in the Supreme Court.

Delegates of the two associations met on Sunday to discuss and deliberate on the arbitrary decision of the Sahitya Akademi Konknni Advisory Board, to declare Devanagiri as the lone official script of Konkani language, and discriminating towards the four other scripts of Konkani. They also demanded equal status for Roman script, along with Devanagiri in the official language Act of Goa.

Both Mannd Shoban and Global Konknni Forum have unanimously resolved to form a new action committee, with six representatives from each organisation, under the leadership of Kennedy Afonso. Committee members include Eric Ozario, Stanny Alvares, Luis Pinto, Richard Moraes, Stephen Quadros, Donald Pereira, Kennedy Afonso, Jose Salvador Fernandes, Aplonia Rebello, Luis Xavier Mascarenhas, Cruz Mario Pereira, Michael Jude Gracias, Antonio Alvares and Dominic Fernandes.

At the symposium, Eric Ozario and other Mandd Shoban members expressed full confidence in the leadership of Global Konknni Forum president, Kennedy Afonso to take this movement to its logical conclusion, and have extended full support and cooperation to the movement.

The Global Konknni Forum president gave a powerpoint presentation, and explained the need for the various script Associations of Konkani, to come together to fight what he termed as the discrimination against the four scripts of Konkani, and for the inclusion of Romi script in the official language Act of Goa, by filing a petition in the Supreme Court of India.

Eric Ozario said, “It’s an accepted fact that, although Konkani is written in five languages, it has no script of its own, and despite this fact, back in 1981, the Konkani Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi passed an unanimous resolution saying that Devanagiri is the official script of Konkani. If one looks at the list, it becomes very clear that it’s filled by hard core supporters of Devanagiri lobby.” 

He added: “This is nothing but a discriminatory attempt to destroy all other scripts and impose Devanagiri on every one, as is done in the official language Act of Goa. This is detrimental to the unity and development of Konkani, as Konkani literature is acceptable for Sahitya awards only in Devanagiri script, and this creates discrimination to literature produced in other scripts of Konkani.

Further asserting that variety of Konkani is not in script alone, Ozario said, “There’s plenty of variety in its dialects, religions, caste, traditions, customs, festivals, and folk art.”