Roman script backers demand equal status

The Dalgado Konknni Akademi (DKA) today, in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Wilfred de Sousa and the South Goa MP, Mr Churchill Alemao gave an ultimatum to the government to amend the Official State Language Act for according “equal status” to Roman Konkani at par with the Devnagri Konkani before December 20, 2006, during a large rally of supporters of Roman Konkani, at Azad Maidan.

The public rally was held to boycott the silver jubilee literary conference of the Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Parishad, which was inaugurates at Kala Academy Complex, today evening.

The president of DKA, Wilson Mazarello said that the Speaker, Mr Francisco Sardinha, the deputy Speaker, Ms Victoria Fernandes, Industries Minister, Mr Luizinho Faleiro, Agriculture Minister, Mr Francisco Pacheco as well as MLAs, Mr Jeetendra Deshprabhu, Mr Matanhy Saldanha and Mr Carl Vaz have extended their support to the agitation.

Dr de Sousa said that he as well as Mr Pacheco would support the amendment in the Official State Language Act for giving equal status to Roman Konkani and vote in favour of such a bill if it is introduced in the House.

Mr Alemao said that he would support the agitation if it takes on to the street and take it to its conclusive end.

Fr Pratap Naik, speaking on the occasion said that the first martyr of the Konkani language, Floriano Vaz sacrificed his life for the cause of Konkani, twenty years ago, on December 20, 1986 and hence the deadline set up. “Almost 28 per cent of the Goan people read Konkani in Roman script,” he pointed out.

‘Goem Shahir’, Ulhas Buyao said that it is the Roman script which had kept the Konkani language alive, when Hindus were only using Marathi in their religious activities.

The speakers in general termed the ongoing literary conference of the Akhil Bharatiya Konkani Parishad as a fraud on the part of those who had deliberately kept the Konkani in Roman script and their supporters at bay due to ulterior motives.

Those who spoke at the rally included Fr Conceicao D’Silva, Fr Antimo Gomes, Fr Manuel Gomes and Mr Radharao Gracias.

A strong contingent of 60 people from Mangalore led by the president of the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi and president of the ad hoc committee of Vishwa Konkani Parishad, Eric Ozario also attended the rally, supporting the Roman Konkani.

Ozario told that unity of the Konkani people cannot be achieved by thrusting on them the Devnagri Konkani. “The government should respect the dialect of the language, customs and traditions of different communities,” he added.