Sebastian Borges has eloquently provided his perspective on the medium of instruction in primary schools debate. After his piece in The Navhind Times, he has another one in today's Herald. I read the Ogrelkh (editorial) in The Goan Review, edited by Fausto V. Da Costa, and it says, "Aiz kal Konknnint thoddembhov chhapon yeta tem konn vachta?" How true indeed? I was reading Goyar, the bi-monthly magazine in Romi Konkanni, and one of my relatives was surprised to see it for the first time. Here is a Konkanni-speaking person living in Goa who hasn't heard about the magazine that is in existence for more than two years. I told my relative that you will only get to magazines if she visits the bookstalls. I picked up a copy at a Mapusa bookstall and then called Tomazinho Cardozo to check if he has back issues of the mag. He was gracious enough to send me a packed of the magazine to a store in Mapusa the next day. I read some of the issues and found the writing very good (not that I am an expect on the language). The magazine covers are also good-looking and the layout inside is appreciable. There are at least three magazines that are written in Romi Konkani, though The Goan Review is both in Konkani and English. There may be other publications or periodicals, especially from the Church authorities. One periodical I picked up is Goencho Avaz, Diwalli 2010, also edited by Fausto V Da Costa and published by Fr. Freddy J. Da Costa Memorial Trust. I am not sure how often this magazine comes out per year. Then there is the venerable Vavraddencho Ixtt, a weekly published by the Pilar fathers. It is hard to know the circulation figures of each of the magazines and VI. I would be surprised if the circulation of Goykar exceeds 2,000. Gulab perhaps has a slightly higher circulation. Perhaps both Tomazinho and Fausto could provide us with figures for academic reasons. Maybe they would like to keep it a secret for reasons best known to them. One issue of Goykar that I randomly picked, Oct 2008, has 94 page, including cover pages. The lastest issue, Volume III, No 1, January-February 2011, has 60 pages, including cover pages. There are not many advertisements in almost all the issues Goykar that I received. The mag is priced Rs 15. All the three magazines are priced at Rs 15 each, but The Goan Review, published from Mumbai, costs Rs 5 extra outside Mumbai. Gulab, published from Goa, costs extra Rs 5 in Mumbai. Gulab issues are normally of 60 pages, including cover pages. So there is enough reading material for those who want to read in Konkani. The need, therefore, is to find readers. Where do you find them? I don't know. I won't be surprised if either the publishers also don't know. The fault, however, does not lie with the publishers who are trying hard to push the Konkani agenda. Despite all these rallies and calls for support for Konkani, the people haven't supported the magazines. These Konkani supporters must realize that to keep the language alive they must buy the magazines so that publishers like Tomazinho Cardozo, Fausto V. Da Costa and others can carry on their job of sustaining the language. It's not an easy task for the Konkani protagonists. Some have started sounding the death knell for Konkani. I think it is bit too early but the fear that the language would eventually die is ever present. It does not matter what medium of instruction the Goan child gets educated. What is important is that the Goan child is well-versed in both English and Konkani. I may add Portuguese. The debate over MOI is still well played in the media. It's good that there continues to be opinions from so many people -- parents, educators and observers.
Eugene Correia
