The Kokan, Kokana & Kokanis - Emails It would be profane for a bean-counter to narrate what follows, but for a happy accident that, my childless maternal uncle appointed Lt. Governor of Goa, Daman & Diu in 1965 gave me access to the Cabo Palace library in Goa during my last, long vacation before exile to drudgery in England. >Volumes I enjoyed most were the seven listed below that offered insight into >Konkan pre-history and the contributions of Arabs, Jews, Abyssinians, >Portuguese >& the rest of the maritime rabble encountered in the pages of any book on >world >history, - imploding the prejudices and narrow conditionings of my mind. The >volumes were: i) Ancient Geography of India in 2 volumes - by Cunningham, ii) >Ferishta History of the Deccan in 2 volumes translated - by Jonathan Scott, >iii) >History of the Pattana Prabhus - by Shamrao Morarji Nayak, iv) Three Voyages >of >Vasco-Da-Gama - by H Stanley, v) Resumo Historico Da Vida - by S. Francisco >Xavier – English translation, vi) Travels of Ibn Batuta translated - by Lee >and >vii) Annals of the East India Company in 3 volumes compiled - by Bruce. While >all are delectable, our Muslim batch-mates especially those who look upon >western-India as their home may particularly enjoy reading ii) Ferishta and >vi) >Ibn Batuta, and our Christian batch-mates could find iv) & v) most absorbing. > > >Also, the very first volume published only a decade back in a series named New >Cambridge History of India is captioned ‘Portuguese in India’. Read it on a >rainy day – it will not only cure fatigue, boredom and tooth-ache but those >with >imagination will be transported to an altogether different world. (Portugal >anation of just one million total population in the 15th century >circum-navigated the world and established Global connectivity before the >wireless through its nodal coastal forts from Hormuz to Macau and their system >of Cartaz.) > > >Given constraints of time and inclination, may I list a few fillers of general >interest on Konkan and Konkanis. > > >1) The first non-Indian source that clearly mentions Konkan is the Greek >Geography of Ptolemy but which makes Konkan part of the coast of only two >provinces. However, H.H. Wilson, the famous early British Historian of India >says it included nearly the whole of the west coast of India. Grant Duff >refers >to it as the coast of Gujarat, Deccan and Kanara. Ferishta and Khafi Khan are >more precise and speak of various low-lands inhabited by Parbhus, Shenvis and >other castes and differentiate between Tal-Kokan and Ghat-matha. Vengurla >rocks >are recognized by all, the Portuguese name being Ilheos Queimados. > >2) The history and Social fabric of Konkan is among the very few in India >which it is not practicable to separate between pre and post Muhammedan >conquest >because the immigration is of fascinating antiquity and continuity. Egyptian >vessels docked regularly at Kalliena (Kalyan). Byzantine traders at Sopara and >places near Bassein, Arab traders were regulars at Janjira later conquered by >Abyssinians. Many Konkani Musalmans are lineally descended from old Arab >settlers. A Greek named Odoricus affirmed in his diary about passing over from >Ormuz in 28 days to Thana and in Thana “finding 15 houses of Nestorian >Christians who were ‘Schismatics’ and thus Heretics”. Persians, Portuguese and >Bene Israelis frequented Barugaza (Bharuch) and Muziris (Mangalore) and of >course it is commonly known that Parsis alighted/spread at Sanjana, Diu, >Dahanu, >Tarapore and Nargol.The Chitpavans are not excluded from this human cocktail >as >they were branded Kokani Brahmins or Koknasthas, the origins being obscure, >but >the palpable theory being Cleopatra’s administrators fleeing Roman pursuit via >Red Sea crashing on Kokan coast. > > >3) Sanskrit English Dictionary by Sir Moinier Williams commissioned by the >Board of Directors of the East India Company defines Kokan as a 320-mile >coastal >tract of narrow breadth and the etymology of the word Konkan is from the root >Konkana, the maiden name of the mother of Parshuram, the coastal hero. >Unsurprisingly, the first mention of Konkan occurs in the Bhishma Parva of >Mahabharata, as Bhishma was a not-so-favourite disciple of Parshuram in >archery. >. > > >Yash Kale > > On Behalf Of Vithal > >As you go south of Belgaum (in Maharashtra) the concentration of Konkanis goes >up. Mangalore and Udipi has a lot of Konkanis for example, but in none of >these >places are the Konkanis a majority. > >To summarize, Konkanis are found in Maharashtra, Goa, North and South Kanara/ >Karnataka or Mysore, and extremely few in Kerala. Karnataka is the true home >of >the Konkanis as far as I am concerned, and Bangalore is in Karnataka/ Mysore. > > >Lastly, a lot of Catholics speak Konkani and also exhibit a cuisine similar >to >konkanis, and we accept them as brothers and sisters. In fact I had a very >beautiful Catholic girl friend from Bandra. She cooked very good konkani >dishes, >sure do miss her. > >Remember State of Karnataka used to be Mysore and Bangalore is the capital of >Mysore/Karnataka. This is purely from memory, so do not hold me to it to a >T. > >I have been out of India some 41 years, and my memory is weak. > >V > > >__._,_.___ > > >. > >__,_._,___
