Fortunately Konkani has several Malayalam words in it

Kochi Mayor Dinesh Mani listening to the members of the Bharatiya Konkani Bhasha Vikas Sabha, as they narrate their problems to him in chaste Konkani.

KOCHI: For Dinesh Mani, it might be one of the toughest days of his life as Mayor. He is familiar with many languages and intonations - from the market slang of some of the Kochi councillors, to the polished baritones of the Brighton Hooves administrators and the thick booming dialects of African legislators.

But Mani was bewildered when a group of Konkanis came to his chamber and narrated their grievances in their language.

In fact, the first citizen of the city practically gaped as a group of 35-odd Bharatiya Konkani Bhasha Vikas Sabha (BKBVS) members flooded the narrow entrance of the Mayor’s cabin. He, in fact, had never expected such a big group.

Recovering from his astonishment, the Mayor welcomed the members with his trademark smile. He pointed to the chairs, gesturing them to sit down, but did not utter a word, for he feared he might offend the sensibilities of the Konkanis by speaking to them in Malayalam.

When everyone was seated, Dinesh Mani nodded in anticipation (straining his eyes a bit - as if he had a premonition that something odd was coming). The whirring of the air conditioner on the window was all that could be heard.

Then Sabha secretary P R Shanmugham started speaking in pure Konkani with clarity and speed of a free-flowing gurgling stream.

“Konkani Avail Bhashakaram Anukulyam Dhuvka. Keralanthu Konkaniya Bhashakarank Samrakshana Dhuvka.”

At first the Mayor nodded (with erratic timing and an amused expression); then when the one-way dialogue gathered momentum, Dinesh Mani strained his neck forward as if to catch any familiar sounding word.

Whenever he heard a word that sounded something similar to Malayalam, he nodded, and when pure Konkani came gushing, he sank back to his chair as if in despair.

He turned, looked around, moved his legs, snapped his thumb knuckle and at times cupped his face with his hands and looked impassively at the gathering. At one point of time, he actually yawned (but tried to suppress it midway, resulting in a contorted face).

Then his cell phone came to his rescue. On the first ring, the Mayor stuck the phone to his ears. But the relief was short lived, and again the narration continued.

When the narration ended, the members presented a memorandum. One could clearly see the relief on the face of the city manager when he realised that it was in Malayalam. It was however, heartening too see the city Mayor giving an uninterrupted hearing for a good cause.

"I understood a great deal. Fortunately Konkani has several Malayalam words in it," the Mayor chuckled over phone.