Following a teletalk with the All India Congress General Secretary Ms Margaret Alva Mobile No: 09868100099 yesterday from the office of the Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly this writer alongwith Fr P Naik met Ms Alva at Room No: 306 at Cidade de Goa.
Briefing Ms Alva on the statement made by the Chief Minister Mr Pratapsing Raoji Rane that an amendment to the Official language Act 1987 needed the High Commands sanction, Mrs Alva refuted this statement and stated that this was incorrect. She informed this writer that she had spoken to the Chief Minister on the subject yesterday and that it was the State Government to decide on the issue. It may be noted that on 30th August, 2005 the Chief Minister after hectic efforts finally stated on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly that all assistance for equal treatment to Roman script will be given and that he was sensitive to the needs and aspiration of the Konkani in Roman script lovers. When questioned further on her view of the amendment Mrs Margaret Alva she felt that the All India Sahitya Parishad (in reality a miniscule collective of an essentially "only Devanagari script" ) had already approved Devanagari script as an acceptable script for the universalisation of Konkani at a meet held in Goa post liberation and therefore "was not concerned what the Sahitya Akademi felt on the issue". When pointed out by this writer documentary proof that the Sahitya Akademi New Delhi does not require script for recognising a language and that in her state of Karnataka there was an unanimous demand to continue Kannada script for Konkani as opposed to Devnagari she appeared confused with the local (Goa) demand for Roman script and of her own state Karnataka and chose to wriggle out of the situation by merely stating that the children in Karnataka go to English schools. When asked to clarify on the validity based on documentary evidence of the decision taken by the Parishad and the authenticity of those members to represent and impose their views on those who favoured other scripts ----she could not be specific. However she finally added once more that it was for the State government and not the Party High Command to decide on the issue. It is of interest to readers to know that Sahitya Akademi New Delhi is a autonomous body of the Central Government which recognises Indian Languages which have a literary history. To get recognition for Konkani - literature viz grammar, dictionaries, novels, short stories magazines poetries, plays, from mainly the three scripts viz; Roman, Kannada, Devanagari, was presented to Akademi. Of the three scripts the bulk of literature came from Roman and Kannada - not Devanagari Of the 22 languages thus far recognised by the Akademi there are one or two representatives of each of these languages in the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi. Then for each of the languages there is also an Advisory Board to suggest / deliberate on how to promote the literature and other literary activities. To constitute the Advisory Board the Akademi representatvies shortlist names of writers of the respective languages. It has been observed that ever since 1975 only those members who are protagonists of only DEVANAGARI script and some "gulllible" Roman script and Kannada writers who will "essentially toe the line of the protagonists of only Devanagari,were appointed as members of the Advisory Board it is therefore obvious that those supporting other scripts never found favour of acceptance. As a result only Devanagari script literature found easy acceptance. In fact as early as 1939 - Mr Madhav Shanbag a visionary from Karwar conceptualised the idea of bringing the Konkani writers on one fora. There the idea of constituting an All India Sahitya Parishad was discussed. Since Goa was under the erstwhile Portuguese Rule the Parishad (Conferences) were held either in Karnataka or Maharashtra. After Liberation of Goa in 1961 the Parishad had a conference in Goa the protoganists of "Only Devanagari script" for Konkani used to press for Devanagari script overriding the demand made by those of other scripts. At each of such conventions through a systametically carried out whisper campaigns the message was being conveyed "that Roman script was an alien and westernised script " and that " Kannada was strictly confined to the boundary limits of Karanataka" and therefore only Devanagari script would find easy acceptance in India. this was an outright lie. Obviously their objective was to ensure that both Konkani Roman script and Kannada script vanish and die. However despite the machevillian designs their dreams were not fulfilled. In Goa it must be said to the credit of the Roman Catholic Church and others Goans like Mr Tomazinho Cardozo tiatrist Dr Olivinho Gomes educationist Mr Wilson Mazarelo tiatrist Fr Vasco Rego sj devotional literature Fr Pratap Naik sj researcher Fr Matthew Almeida researcher Mr Antonio Piedade Moraes activist Mr Jess Fernandes writer Mr Prabhakar Tendulkar writer Mr Ulhas Buyao tiatrist D/R Mr Anilkumar tiatrist Mr Anil Pednekar tiatrist Mr Boaventure d'Pietro writer Mr Cosma Fernandes lecturer Mr Vincy Quadros Mr Zito Almeida Mr Jose Fernandes lecturer Mr Mario Menezes tiatrist some of the prominent ones besides many others who kept Konkani in Roman script alive. It is the political establishment and the protoganists of "ONLY DEVANAGARI script Konkani who chose to kill the Roman script. Ofcourse some of the above had also resigned to the fate after the passage of the Official language Act in 1987 but now 18 years later armed with documentary evidence and given a favourable political climate besides the globalisation trends and the internet and e governance the need to press for amendment to the official language act becomes necessary, now as never before. Following the success of the emails to the CM and Mr Luizinho Faleiro, Minister for Education which resulted in the assurance of the CM on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly, it is now time to prepare an all Goa movement to ensure an amendment to the Official Language Act 1987 two months in advance of the next session either in December, 2005 or January, 2006. Steps for the same are being taken in right earnest by mobilising support from all institutions. from the Cidade de Goa end GODFREY J I GONSALVES BORDA MARGAO GOA [EMAIL PROTECTED] 9822158584
