Dear friends,
On May 8, the 154th birth anniversary of Mons. Sebastiao Rodolpho Dalgado was
fittingly celebrated by the Akademi which bears his name, the Dalgado Konknni
Akademi (DKA). Very appropriately, the celebration included two workshops on
Konkani writing. While eminent Konkani writers Damodar Mauzo and Pundalik Naik
guided about 60 participants in the finer aspects of Short story and Novel
writing respectively, Tomazinho Cardozo was the moderator for both the
workshops; the Chief Guest at the inaugural function was Professor Dr. Olivinho
Gomes, a former officiating Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Goa University (GU). [He
is one of those who have occupied this position for a few days when the regular
VC had gone out of Goa. The law demands that when the head of the institution
(VC or Principal of a College) goes out of station even for a day, he must hand
over temporary charge to a senior faculty member. In GU this onus falls on the
senior-most Dean of a
Faculty. In a College it is the senior-most Head of Department.] Though
extremely commendable, this activity of DKA has raised many questions.
According to the Secretary of DKA, Dr. Gomes described the Official Language
Act (OLA) of Goa, which puts the official stamp on the Devanagari script, as
‘an attempt at cultural and political genocide’ and a ‘deliberate attempt to
alienate nearly 5 lakh Goans who read and write Konknni in the Roman script.’
If this is correct, then Dr. Gomes must accept the charge of having been a
willing accomplice in this dastardly attempt because, as the topmost teacher of
Konkani, the Professor and Head of the Department of Konkani at GU, he has
taught the language exclusively in this script for over 15 years; he is not
known to have ever attempted to teach it in the Roman script as well. In
addition, Principals and Headmasters of schools and colleges (not to talk of
Konkani teachers) where Konkani language was taught since 1962, may also be
similarly charged, because no institution ever made even a feeble move to teach
Konkani in the Roman script.
The question now is: When, and how, did this wisdom dawn on Dr. Gomes?
It is claimed that the DKA was established to ensure that Konkani writers in
Roman script live with honour and dignity, something that they had been robbed
of by the OLA. It was also claimed that Roman script writers had been denied
the Sahitya Akademi Awards solely because of script. The DKA staged its “First
Romi Konknni Sommelon” in December 2008. There the keynote address was given
by a Konkani writer in the Kannada (not Roman) script. In the course of that
address, the “Speaker” had made some noteworthy statements: (1) Itle dis amcho
lok Nagori lipiechea ani tantum borounche Konknnichea gulamponnant jiyetalo.
(All this time our people lived as slaves of Nagari script.) (2) Aryan kull,
Sonvskrut bhas, Nagori lipi ani apli zat povitr, unch ani bori hem
bamonnvadachem aplem zan'vem dusreanchea golleant ghalunk te ratdis vavurtat.
(Day in and day out they endeavour to tie their Brahmin thread of the
superiority, goodness, and holiness of
their Aryan race, Nagari script and caste round the necks of others.) (3)
Apli axil'li, naxil'li Xixi Konknni boli ani Nagori lipi amcher thapun, porot
ek pavttim bhaxechea ani sonvskrutichea mollar te amkam battaunk sodtat ani
sodam kall tanche savllent dovrunk polletat. Hi tanchi fituri amchea sadea ani
bhollea lokak somzona. (By imposing their axil’li naxil’li Konkani dialect and
Nagri script on us, they want to once again subjugate us and keep us in their
shadow for ever. Our people do not realize this subterfuge of theirs.)
Some ten days prior that Sommelon, I had asked the President, Vincy Quadros
whether a book exhibition had been planned on the occasion. On receiving a
reply in the affirmative, I had requested him to separately display those works
which had missed the Sahitya Akademi Award because of script. But, let alone
the separate display, no book exhibition materialized! Let us not forget that
an exhibition of books has been a regular feature of most of the Konkani
Sommelans and Parishads to date; and a fine repository of books in the Roman
script, the Library of (Antonio da Piedade Moraes’) Goenkaranchem Daiz, is
within sight of the venue of the Sommelon. This has fortified the mistaken (?)
notion that there is no quality Konkani literature in Roman script worth
displaying.
In the light of the above, I request / invite the Secretary of DKA to kindly
respond to each of the following:
1. Why was there no exhibition of Roman script books during the Sommelon?
2. Please provide a list of meritorious Roman script Konkani works (and
their authors) which were denied the Sahitya Akademi Award because of script.
3. Please state why these meritorious authors are not chosen to be
resource persons at any of the workshops conducted by the DKA? How else do you
expect them to live with honour and dignity when you yourselves are ignoring
them?
4. In spite of the sound advice of the Keynote “Speaker”, why do you
persist with the enemies of Roman script, the Bamons who write in Nagri?
Please note that this is a regular feature. Why do you want to perpetuate
their hegemony over those whom the “Speaker” referred to as “our people”? Are
you so dumb as not to see their subterfuge even after being shown it?
5. Even in your workshops on Roman script orthography, you bring a Kannada
script Konkani writer as resource person. Do you feel that no Roman script
writer can correctly guide writers in this respect, in spite of the fact both
the then President and Secretary of DKA were members of the Committee which
formulated the GKA orthographic rules?
6. Why did you have only one person as moderator for both the sessions?
Could you not find even one more Konkani writer in Roman script to do the
honours? And why is this one person a permanent fixture on your dais? Or do
you feel that this is the only writer who must live in honour and dignity while
others are consigned to the auditorium to applaud this honoured and dignified
personage?
Let us hope that the secretary of DKA will favour us with clearcut answers to
these questions and set our mind at rest.
Sotachench zoit zatolem.
Mog asum.
Sebastian Borges
Bring your gang together. Do your thing. Find your favourite Yahoo! group
at http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/
