All Goa Citizens Committee for Social Justice and Action collected 56,310
signatures from Goans, tiatrists, Goans outside Goa and NRIs to support Konknni
in Roman script. They have submitted these signatures to the President of
India. The following letter gives further details.
Pratap Naik, S.J.
Moderator
All Goa Citizens Committee for social Justice and Action B/4, Mayfair,
2nd Floor, Dr. Vaidya Road
Panajim, Goa 403 001
AGCCSJA/PREZ/RS-KONKNNI/2006/04
Dr. A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM
Hon'ble President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan
NEW DELHI.
30 JUNE 2006.
Fax No. 011-2-4011689
Original of this letter along with copy of Konknni Bible in Roman Script
(POVITR PUSTOK), and other important enclosures going to
Your Excellency
by Desk to Desk Courier Service
Your Excellency,
PETITION seeking recognition of KONKNNI in R0MAN SCRIPT
under Article 347 of the Constitution of India empowering the President.
In our letter No. AGCCSJA/PREZ/RS-KONKNNI/2005/03 dt. 5th Nov. 2005, we had
promised that we would submit to Your Excellency in March 2006 the Certified
Area-wise Statements of signatures obtained from supporters for official
recognition of Konknni written in Roman Script, under the Provisions of Article
347, through Presidential Action and Notification.
2. We owe Your Excellency an explanation for the delay up to now in
fulfilling what we had proposed to do.
3. As we were preparing the final report for submission to Your
Excellency, we were told that the translation of the entire Bible (Old and New
Testaments), 60,000 (sixty thousand) copies (first edition) in Roman Script
Konknni would be ready for Blessing and release in the first week of June 2006,
by the Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrão.
4. Therefore our Executive Committee decided that our final report
to Your Excellency be prepared and be submitted to Your Excellency along with a
copy of the Holy Bible in Roman Script Konknni.
5. Accordingly, the Holy Bible in Roman Script Konknni was
blessed and released at a fitting ceremony in the See Cathedral, Old Goa, on
4th June 2006.
6. We are presenting to Your Excellency the first copy of the Konknni
Holy Bible in Roman Script, offered at our request by the Secretary of the Goa
Archdioceses Diocesan Commission for Biblical Apostolate (DCBA ).
7. We are also presenting to Your Excellency a copy of RENOVAÇÃO
(RENEWAL) No.12 of June 16-30, 2006, showing on the Front Cover the Blessing
Ceremony officiated by four Bishops.
8. The very fact that Goa Archdiocese published 60,000 copies as the
First Edition of the Konknni Bible in Roman Script, and plans a second and a
third edition of the same to take the total to one lakh copies, is adequate to
declare to the whole world that Konknni written in Roman Script is in use by
a substantial proportion of the population of a State [Goa, in this case, who]
desire the use of language spoken by them to be recognised... " This evidence
of the use of Roman Script Konknni would provide convincing proof to Your
Excellency to take a decision to make Presidential Notification declaring
Official Recognition for Konknni written in Roman Script on par with Konknni
written in Devanagari script (which is already recognised in the Official
Language Act of Goa), to fully satisfy the long-awaited desire and aspirations
of the people of Goa.
9. In addition to a copy of the Holy Bible in Roman Script Konknni
and a copy of RENOVAÇÃO, as mentioned above, we submit the following to add to
the evidence to satisfy the requirements of Article 347 of the Constitution of
India:
I. A Map of Goa showing
(a) 159 (one hundred and fifty-nine) Parish Churches, with the SYMBOL of a
Cross in Green, where Roman Script Konknni is regularly used for all ceremonies
from Baptism to Funeral Rites;
(b) 462 (four hundred and sixty-two) Chapels, with RED DOTS as symbol, where
Roman Script Konknni is in use for all ceremonies;
(c) 171 (one hundred and seventy-one) Catholic Social Institutions, with a
SQUARE in GOLD as symbol, where Roman Script Konknni is in use for day-to-day
activities and for all ceremonies;
(d) 278 (two hundred and seventy-eight) Schools and Colleges, with a TRIANGLE
in BROWN as symbol, under the Diocesan territory of the State of Goa, where
Roman Script Konknni is in widespread use.
The GOA MAP presented herewith to Your Excellency discloses the enormous
power and reach of Churches and Institutions under the Archdiocese of Goa in
all matters from life to death.
II. Our Statements of aggregate 56310 (fifty-six thousand three
hundred and ten) signatures from supporters of Roman Script Konknni, certified
by Chartered Accountant and Auditor, Mr. R.E. RAMAT of Panaji, Goa, divided into
a) North Goa District of Goa (Lok Sabha Constituency)
b) South Goa District of Goa (Lok Sabha Constituency)
c) TIATRISTS (artistes of traditional dramatic cultural
presentation) of Goa using exclusively Roman Script Konknni.
d) Goans in Bombay, Pune and Bangalore.
e) NRI Goans.
III. A tiny Video-Film of 15 to 18 minutes viewing-time showing
Catholic Ceremonies conducted in which all relevant texts are printed in Roman
Script Konknni, starting with the Feast of St. Francis Xavier at Bom Jesus
Basilica, Old Goa, and ending with the blessing of Roman Script Bible Ceremony
at See Cathedral, Old Goa, attended by large sections of believers.
We appeal to Your Excellency to kindly spare the required.time to view the
film to learn of the widespread use of Roman Script Konknni.
10. IN CONCLUSION, we appeal to Your Excellency to initiate
appropriate actions to grant Official Recognition for Roman Script Konknni
through a Presidential Notification. If a Presidential Notification comes in
the first fortnight of July 2006, the Goa Assembly Session starting during that
period will follow suit and would formally amend the GOA, DAMAN AND DIU
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT, 1987 (Act No. 5 of 1987), to give the blessing as a
fitting finale to Goa Citizens' Campaign seeking recognition for Konknni
written in Roman Script, fulfilling the aspirations of Goans in Goa and Goans
all over the world.
Soliciting Your Excellency's kind prompt action, we remain,
Encl: as listed above.
Yours gratefully,
Mr. M. K. Jos
EC Member and spokesman
---------------------------------
Yahoo! India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new Click here
Catch all the FIFA World Cup 2006 action on Yahoo! India Click here
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/attachments/20060705/3f3b31b6/attachment.htm
_______________________________________________
Goanet mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
