------------------------------------------------------------------------
* G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy your holiday in Goa. Stay at THE GARCA BRANCA from November to May
There is no better, value for money, guest house.
Confirm your bookings early or miss-out
Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
GOMANTAK MARATHI BHASHA PARISHAD Regd. No. 481/74
Ponda, Goa Ph. No. 0832- 2337009
MEDIA RELEASE Date: 7.7.2006 Subject: Demand from Roman Konkani
followers. Demand is mounting to give due recognition to
Konkanni written in Roman script in the Official Language Act, 1987. Gomantak
Marathi Bhasha Parishad, representing woes of Goan Marathi people since 1974,
not only welcomes the demand but also asserts that Parishad recognises
Konkani as the language in Roman script only. Ample research was done
primarily by the late Adv.Laxmikant Prabhu Bhembre on Roman Konkani Movement
after the advent of Portuguese in 16th century. Today Roman Konkani has a
history of nearly 500 years. We whole-heartedly welcome the
statement of Dalgado Konkani Akademi that Marathi is the language of sanctum
sanctorum of Hindus and that Christians and Hindus put together, Devanagari
Konkani is not at all in use by them. Mr. Tomazinho Cardozo, a prominent
intellectual in Konkani movement is on record that the Goa, Daman & Diu Official
Language Act 1987, is the greatest scam of 20th century. We are
in possession of a note prepared by Vichar Vibhag of Goa Pradesh Congress,
chaired by Mr.Uday Bhembre, opposing grant of official status to Roman Konkani.
It is a piece created by perverse mind manifesting total intellectual
bankruptcy. All Hindus and particularly Bahujan Samaj condemns its contents.
The two scripts for Konkani have not isolated the two communities of Goa but
Devanagari Konkani has separated Christians and Hindus last twenty years, if
not 45 years after liberation, precisely like a Berlin wall. Marathi and Roman
Konkani coexisted prior to liberation with unparallel secularism and social
harmony. However, now minority community is isolated not by Roman Konkani but
by Devanagari Konkani . Mr. Bhembre frightens minority community and advises
them to accept Devanagari Konkani under the guise of threat from
fundamentalists from the majority community.
We appeal Goans, particularly Christians, to note that
RSS/VHP/BJP combine representing fundamentalism in India have never sided with
Marathi though Marathi is used for spreading fundamentalism. It may be
recalled that Mr. Bhembre was elected to legislative Assembly in 1985 from
Margao. Constituency on the support of RSS in Goa and it is he who had
declared Identity year in the name of one Vaman Varde Valaulikar, the founder
of Devanagari Konkani in Mumbai, notoriously known as Shenai Goembab, and
granted Rs. 10 lakh from the public exchequer. With Bhembre and Parrikar, the
worst fundamentalism, not of Hinduism but of Devanagari Konkani, is active in
Goa. These are the two sides of the same Devanagari Konkani coin. Modus
operandi of recent Hindu-Muslim riots in Sanvordem Curchorem should not be
overlooked.
We request Pradesh Congress committee and more so Mrs. Sonia
Gandhi, its national President, to dismantle Vichar Vibhag immediately. It
is, in fact, Avichar Vibhag nurturing rabid communalism and crude casteism
and hence Mr. Bhembre deserves to be expelled from the Congress for his
committment to Shenai Goembab instead of Mahatma Gandhi.
The late Valaulikar, the proponent of Devanagari Konkani, is of
Maharashtrian origin. He proposed Devanagari script for Konkani in 1942 but
earlier was using Roman Script for his writings in Konkani. He prophesied a
separate nation of his caste covering entire Konkan Coast with capital in Goa,
to be ruled by people belonging to his caste and administered in a language
(i.e. Devanagari Konkani) spoken by members belonging to that caste. He or his
ideas had nothing to do with Goa or Goans. Thus the whole basis of Devanagari
Konkani is anti-national, anti-constitution, racist and separatist, Parishad
has no hesitation to equate it with Fascism or Nazism.
While Parishad fully welcomes and supports Dalgado Konkani Academys demand,
it appeals them to look at Official Language issue in totality and not in
isolation. Marathi of Goa has proven history of more than 800 years. Knowing
its social potential, even Portuguese missionaries contributed to it. For
example, in Christ-Puran, a classic epic composed by Fr. Thomas Stephens, the
verses used to praise Marathi could be a matter of envy for any other language,
Christians in Goa have realised their betrayal after twenty years and Hindus,
who have been tortured for last 45 years, are in no way responsible for it.
Marathi of Goa has nothing to do with Marathi of Maharashtra, a state carved
out only in 1960, a year before liberation of Goa. It may not be overlooked
that 17 years rule of pro-Marathi political party did not do any linguistic
harm to Christians whereas draconian methods are adopted to force Devanagari
Konkani on Hindus after Official Language Act of 1987.
Both Christian and Hindus must unitedly throw out the yoke of Devanagari
Konkani for better future of Goa. Moreover apart from social conspiracy behind
Devanagari Konkani, there is an equally conspired interpretation of the
Official Language Act.
We appreciate and congratulate entire Christian community, particularly
intellectuals among them, MLAs and Ministers for understanding social relevance
of Roman Konkani, for rising to the occasion and siding with Dalgado Konkani
Academy. We also appeal all Hindus in different political parties to read the
writing on the wall and restore social status of Marathi by political action of
duly ammending or re-enacting the official language act.
Parishad looks at the language of a community as a tool for social
transformation and human development and not necessarily for religious
purposes. With total harmony between Marathi and Roman Konkani, Goans had
excelled in every field prior to liberation and even outside Goa. There has
been intellectual massacre of two generations and Mr. Uday Bhembre has dreams
of butchering two more generations before his Devanagari Konkani is fully
standardised. The claim of Vichar Vibhag that the official language had no
bearing upon what people do in Social and Cultural spheres of life is sheer
rude madness. In that case, what for crores of rupees for Devanagari Konkani
are being spent? It is pollution every moral and ethical value in public life.
There is a lofty boast made by Mr. Bhembre on Education in Devanagari
Konkani. Suffices it to say that the only Devanagari Konkani daily does not
cross sales of 1,500, while combined Marathi dailies circulation touches 1, 50,
000. Huge funds spent on Goa Konkani Academy is a raid on public money and
should be put an end to. We have also no objections to stop grants to Marathi
Academy, an unregistered society, a parasite on Marathi people. Roman Konkani
did not die for lack of government grants nor Marathi will die if grants are
stopped. This is the inherent strength of Goan Languages but Devanagari
Konkani is a leech. Moreover money spent on both Konkani and Marathi Academy
has polluted and corrupted the intellectual base of Goan society.
To conclude, Parishad demands repeal of Goa, Daman and Diu Official Language
Act 1987 and replace it by Goa Official Languages Act, 2006 with sole clause
(apart from legal terminology and format):
Marathi and Roman Konkani shall be the official languages of Goa.
By doing thisw all social abberations will come to an end and Goans will be
able to march ahead in true spirit of freedom, democracy and the constitution
of India.
Ramnath G. Naik
President
---------------------------------
Find out what India is talking about on Yahoo! Answers India.
So, whats NEW about the NEW Yahoo! Messenger? Find out.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/attachments/20060715/68705676/attachment.htm
_______________________________________________
Goanet mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
