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DKA to hold 'symbolic rally' in support for Roman Konknni BY HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 7 – The Dalgado Konknni Akademi (DKA) said it will hold a "symbolic rally" on February 10 on Azad Maidan, here, at 3 pm to gear up support for Roman script Konknni and urged supporters to show their protest by boycotting the Konknni Conference organized by the All India Konknni Parishad (AIKP) on the same day in Panjim. Addressing a press conference in the city on Tuesday, DKA's executive member and past president, Tomazinho Cardozo said. "We demand with the State Government to amend the Official Language Act 1987, giving equal status to Konknni written in the Roman script on par with Konknni written in Devnagiri script." Cardozo said DKA urges Roman-script Konknni lovers to boycott and openly show their protest during the forthcoming Konknni conference organized by the AIKP at Kala Academy from February 10 to 12. Executive member, Fr Pratap Naik (Thomas Stephens Konkani Kendra) questioned the government's logic sanctioning Rs 12 lakh for the conference, "How can an unregistered society get public money for an event where hardly any Roman script proponents are scheduled to participate?" Naik said AIKP has no legal status because it is not registered under the Societies' Registration Act 1860 and as such has no right to ask for or receive grants, subsidy and funds from the government. "A coterie of writers controls AIKP and manipulates all matters related to Konknni." Terming the language act as a betrayal of the sentiments of the people, Cardozo said the same had created a rift between Roman script and Devnagiri users. "Eighteen years back, I was convinced that Devnagiri would unite Konknni lovers, but I was wrong. Now a stage would come when 'Romi' Konkanni will be completely isolated," He lamented that the Act's retrograde policy, "ek lipi, ek bhas, ek sahitya, ek samaz" (one script, one dialect/language, one literature, one community) had caused irreparable damage to the unity of Roman Konknni and distanced away writers from writing because there were no benefits for them. The rally on February 10 is not a "show of strength"; it is only symbolic, Cradozo said, but warned, "DKA will follow its demands with the government for another six months. If there are no results, the 'symbolism' would be converted into a 'mass movement.'" -- Salaam ali kum. Gabe Menezes. London, England
