Indeed, I am totally at a loss to understand the opposition to English
from some Shablis and Harmalis of Konkani. Their fatuous demand, if
granted, would only conduce to spawning more people of their ilk ? I
mean people for whom it?s a colossal struggle to express themselves in
the world?s most coveted language ? English. Are these Shablis and
Harmalis trying to set themselves as role models for Goa?s children to
emulate? Sordid indeed!
To dilate upon this subject further? after having gone through the
text books meant for the Konkani primary studying kids, I have
realised how trashy they are. The quality of the Konkani ?texted? in
them is anything but standard! If the Konkani votaries say those books
are bound to give a sound academic base to our kids, then they are
surely kidding! My observation is that the children who learn those
texts could be in danger of going thoroughly baseless ? academically.
My question is, why press for a ?handicapped academic start? to our
children when a ?full-bodied? start is easily available via English?
Under unremitting attack from the cognoscenti, the
Konkani-Marathi-Syndicate members are now saying that they are not
averse to English being taught, as such. But they insist that its
teaching should begin after the primary schooling. But that?s exactly
where they are going wrong. Primary education is the very foundation
on which the child has to build on, educationally. But when the
foundation itself is so very fragile, whatever built on it can never
be firm!
They may not admit it, but these Shablis and Harmalis of Konkani have
been living with a huge inferiority complex all through their life
because of their failure to come to terms with English. Check it out
for yourself! Why should these gentlemen insist on passing that
?inferiority? to posterity?
Fortunately, the venom that these Shablis and Harmalis are spewing in
print against the upholders of English has not proved to be too
damaging because of the fact that the readership of their writing is
limited to a small coterie comprising Devanagari-Konkani writers only.
Put differently, their ?toxin? is virtually for their own ingestion.
Nothing really alarming about it!
I find the demonstrations organised by the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha
Mancha (BBSM) really disgusting. Since most of the BBSM members
themselves are ?defaulters? in respect of MOI, they ought to have
conducted these demonstrations in front of their own houses first,
before moving onto the streets of Goa. I am also wondering as to how
so many of the demonstrators ? who are in their teens and even while
protesting, are to be seen in their modish tee-shirts and jeans ?
could be rooting for the utterly regressive and seemingly Stone-Age
suiting primary education system in Goa.
Furthermore, I find the action of some of the BBSM guys, who have
apparently made it a fashion of returning the State awards, rather
amusing. That, one of them, because of the profusion of such State
awards he has garnered, has been returning them in a phased manner,
tells its own tale. In the first place, how could the guy in question
acquire so many State awards when several others ? far more eligible
candidates ? have been consistently ignored? For sure, that needs to
be probed!
Take the case of Goa?s Journalism colossus, M?rio Cabral e S?. He
ought to have been justly decorated with the Lifetime Achievement
Award, considering his highly precious contribution to the literary
field for well over five decades. Ironically, he has now been
conferred a State award of sorts, which even some of the ?babes of
Goan Journalism? have bagged years ago. Can there be a bigger joke
than that? That?s a commentary on how grossly devalued these State
awards are.
Now, returning to our Sapphire Celebrations ? after a huge digression
? I would like to place on record my sincere appreciation of that
nonpareil nonagenarian, Lambert Mascarenhas, for not only siring Goa
Today, but also for seeing it grow till the completion of its
?teens?. One other gentleman I would like to single out for
commendation is Goa Today?s proprietor, Dattaraj Salgaocar, whose
liberal and laissez faire attitude towards the editorial aspect of
the magazine has helped me function as the person in command of
Goa Today, for so many years, sans any inhibition.
Finally, I?d like to tender oodles of thanks to Goa Today itself,
principally for providing me the chance, over the last 25 years, of
dialoguing with numerous ?first fiddles? of diverse fields ? to name
some ? the late Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan, numero uno Odissi
exponent Sonal Mansingh, Super scientist Raghunath Mashelkar, Justice
Gurudas Kamat, ace architect Gerard D?Cunha, ?A one? modiste Wendell
Rodricks, master musician Remo Fernandes, crackjack cartoonist Mario
Miranda, legends of World Soccer ? Eusebio da Silva Ferreira and Bobby
Moore ? champion shuttler Prakash Padukone, not to forget a virtual
constellation of cricket stars, including my most favourite cricketer,
the late M. L. Jaisimha, and a shade less favourite twosome ? Sunil
Manohar Gavaskar and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Happy Ganesh.
----------
The editorial above appeared in the August 2011 issue of Goa Today
magazine.
Vinayak Naik can be contacted at <vinayaknaik59 at gmail dot com>
=====
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:43:39 -0700 (PDT)
From: CAJETAN DE <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: Bosco D'Mello <[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] SMILE................... IT'S WEEKEND (18/08/2011)
Message-ID:
<[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
THAT'S BECAUSE.......
?
There was?a Hindu middle aged couple?(Ratnakar & Mogrem), Mogrem?was in
the habit of having long conversation on the telephone, sometimes going on
over an hour, for which Ratnakar used get fed-up:
?
Ratnakar: Mogrea, I told you so many times not to use our home line too
long.
?
Mogrem: What's happening to you? you go to work and me whole day at home
and you are not allowing to take up a job, so how I?have to?kill my time?.
?
Ratnakar: Whole day I was trying to reach you from my office but our home
line was busy, so?how?am?I?supposed to contact you?in emergency?
?
Mogrem: That's why I told you to buy a mobile for me.
?
Ratnakar: By paying the home line bill I am broke, so I don't want the
headache to pay for mobile and its recharges.
?
After a week, one fine Sunday Ratnakar was at home, he surprised to notice
Mogrem?hung-ed up a call just after 25 minutes; Ratnakar thought that his
wife is going to improve herself.
?
Ratnakar: What is the matter honey? Today this particular call you had
less than half an hour conversation on the phone!
?
Mogrem: Well, that's because....... I got a wrong number.
?
Cajetan de Sanvordem
Kuwait.?
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:46:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: lino dourado <[email protected]>
To: "estb. 1994! Goa's premiere mailing list"
<[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] Ek Kovita: Konknni Amchi Osmitai
Message-ID:
<[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Sonvsarachea kon-konxanni G?ykar bhav-bhoinnam ximpoddlelim asat. Pordesan
vetana, G?ychi sonskruttay, kola ani OSMITAI vorunk mat visronant. Konknni
bhas sobemazar uloun, apnnali osmitai (identity) dakoitolea G?ykarak hi
mhageli kovita, aichea Konknni disa (20ver Agost, 2011) bhettoitam.
?
KONKNNI AMCHI OSMITAI
?
Konnnichea mogan laspi
Oddchonenk fuddo korpi
Nanvam khatir zuzpi
Konknni avoyk samballpi
Nodi-dorya uspovpi
Nitoll udkan ximpi
Imandareche G?ykar ami
?
Amchi avoybhas Konkani
Mogan jiber khelloitanv
Chodda amchea mogachi
Humollxiken tika vengoitanv
Itihas ticho rongoitanv
?
Ostomtek pavlelea G?ykara
Sogllem tum visortolo
Maimbhas ulounk visorchona
Itli moladik gireskai
Tum sonvsarak ximdaitolo
Ani amchi osmitai
Ietele pillgek samballtolo
?
Lino B. Dourado
?? (Utodd?dekar)
?
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:27:13 +0530
From: Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falc?o <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] What is Independence day
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
On Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:06:46 -0700, Santosh
Helekar wrote:<<<? It would be interesting to know exactly how many Goan
Indian citizens who
reside in Goa consider themselves
non-Indian, and want to secede from India. My guess is there are not
enough to
hold a solitary chicken coop or outhouse in battle. Cheers, Santosh>>>
COMMENT: We are not bothered in what
anyone is interested in knowing. We are here speaking facts. If there is
any
falsehood, please point out. There is no need to mince words as well as
the
subject of discussion. It is very clear that there are people in India who
have
been imposed Indian citizenship, as such, ?we are Indians first? cannot be
generalised.
Dr. Ferdinando dos Reis Falc?o.
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:50:17 +0530
From: Tony de Sa <[email protected]>
To: "Goa's Premiere Mailing List, Estd 1994"
<[email protected]>, "J. Colaco" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fighting Corruption begins by reporting
Corruption and not by these hunger fasts
Message-ID:
<CAPsceg85E=zhy_thh4ot0nrcpsyxu6pcu8feu7zxj3lngye...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
JC: <<<COMMENT:
There is a public order issue: What does a Govt do, IF a particular act
creates a public order issue? The Govt is compelled to go to the Law i.e.
the court. BTW: If the Constitution is to be followed, it t be followed by
everybody.....not only yhe Govt. ps: Looking at how corrupt Goa/India have
become ...over the past 50 years, I can safely assume that this Hunger
Strike will be attract a lot of attention, create public disorder, perhaps
cause the fall of Govt ....and then the Corruption will continue unabated.
All this IMHO is a show ....like the Advani Yatra ....which eventually ed
to
the "accidental" (Sure!) destruction of the Babri Masjid. JC>>>
Dotor Bab,
One man's freedom fighter is another man's anarchist. Thus spake yours
truly. The problem with corruption in India is that there is need for an
attitudinal change and more than that a change in the psyche of the
Indian.
We are completely at home with giving and taking bribes and don't think
twice about it. Leave alone taking/ giving bribes. Do we think twice about
breaking the law in our daily lives? Do we hesitate to go down a no entry
road or do we hesitate to park illegally or make illegal u turns? On the
contrary, if we are caught by the sleepy arm of the law, we would rather
bail ourselves out with what is euphemistically called a handout to the
Police Fund. When I talk about the change in the psyche of the Indian, it
is
about fundamental honesty and fundamental perception of the right and
wrong.
I know this will be unpleasant to the palette of many of us, but facts
While I am in total agreement that corruption of the magnitude that is in
India, I also feel that there are certain mechanisms built in the
constitution of India which deal with various situations that may arise
vis
a vis law and order. Can Parliament be bypassed to compel a piece of
legislation? Let us take a hypothetical case wherein a liquor baron wants
to
benefit from liquor sales. So he hands over say a couple of crores of
Rupees
to a few known public figures and asks them to campaign for no excise duty
on alcohol sales. Now this is a cause which potentially has a large
following. Who doesn't want his evening tipple at a fraction of what it is
costing now? So as the campaign hots up and peoples imaginations are fired
up with the thought of low cost booze, those prominent public figures go
on
a public fast unto death for the cause of cheap alky. Should the
Government
bow down?
Of course this is a far fetched example. But illustrates and gives colour
to
the present day situation.
Corruption has to be stopped from the grass root level. From the police
man
at the praca who turns a blind eye to the overloaded bus or conveniently
looks away from the neighbourhood matka den, the Talathi who 'transfers'
your Form I & XIV and hence your property to another for special
considerations, from the peon at the government office who moves your
papers
from one desk to another to the Minister who allows an MLA to gouge huge
chunks of our Mother land to export ore to the Chinese our enemies, the
Guardian of the Law who peddles the counterfeit notes that he himself has
confiscated, to the Minister who forgot to pay his taxes in lakhs of
rupees
and the Minister who was caught at the airport ferrying illegal sums of
money in Indian and Foreign currency because he did not know that it was
against the law; and oh..... I could add a myriad of examples but my arms
ache after pounding the keyboard for a few minutes.
Let us stop corruption where it hurts most.
Long live the Republic.
--
"Tony de Sa" < tonydesa at gmail dot com>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:27:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: Santosh Helekar <[email protected]>
To: " estb. 1994!Goa's premiere mailing list"
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] What is Independence day
Message-ID:
<[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
It is only worthwhile to talk about "most" Goans, and the sane ones at
that. It is very likely that most in this case is more than 90%.
From what I have stated it should be clear that I am talking about
ethnicity, not nationality. Nationality is established by birth or
naturalization, irrespective of ethnicity. Grown siblings who do not agree
on their ethnicity can be subjected to molecular genomic analysis.
Cheers,
Santosh
--- On Wed, 8/17/11, Bosco D <[email protected]> wrote:
RESPONSE: Nice safety with the adjective "most".
RESPONSE: Does this imply that the earlier referred "most"
Goans "know the history of Goa and India, beyond stupid
sound bites" ??? How does that correlate??
I think Santosh is simplying the issues of ethnicity and
nationality. Nationality is more like a commodity these days
when one is retained depending on one's circumstances or
requirements. However it is evident here that the usual
India-baiters are nor resident in India. At other times I've
seen grown siblings who cannot agree on their own
ethnicity.
> It would be interesting to know what the subjects of
> Ashokavardhana Maurya's Indian empire in 250 B.C.E.
called
> themselves.
RESPONSE: Perhaps some considered themselves Greek
(descendants of Alexander's cavalry)!!
- B
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:33:54 +0530
From: "floriano" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>, "Goa's premiere mailing list,estb. 1994!"
<[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fighting Corruption begins by reporting
Corruption and not by these hunger fasts.
Message-ID: <B6FC51A631134DEE91BE75BA955D9B38@home>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
I have fought corruption all my life and I have facts to prove my
statement.
I too want to see corruption sent to Tihar Jail. This must be started with
Advani going to Tihar jail for moral corruption and turpitude over the
Babri Masjid issue. Is Advani not a criminal in the Parliament?? Why do we
have so many criminals in the parliament? Let Anna Hazare's movement clean
the Electoral System prevailing to see that no criminal or a potential
criminal gets into the Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies.
The threat of going on an indefinate fast is something what we say in
Konkani ; Maka zai tem mevona zalear, aum kodoitolom or kodoitelim. What
is
that?
The story goes that they wanted a boy but were blessed with a girl. So
they
attached a wax 'bully' to make it a boy. Every time the tantrum of the kid
did not work it threatened to go next to the fire place. And therefore
got
what it wanted.
Is Anna Hazara Kodoita???
Cheers
floriano
goasuraj
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bosco D" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2011 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Goanet] Fighting Corruption begins by reporting Corruption
and
not by these hunger fasts.
-----Original Message-----
From: floriano
RESPONSE: Surely the status quo....corruption, et al is not desirable??
For now the Goa papers say: http://t.co/HxwZzuA
- B
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:12:36 +0100
From: Gabe Menezes <[email protected]>
To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!"
<[email protected]>
Subject: [Goanet] Song for the day.
Message-ID:
<caafx5v4ydx65nv52oggsqckexqn1u9pzqjqg+pcb+8-kc1f...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Patsy
Cline<http://www.youtube.com/artist/Patsy_Cline?feature=watch_video_title>
:::::
Seven Lonely Days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwPYi9Mqyrw
--
DEV BOREM KORUM
Gabe Menezes.
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:31:28 +0530
From: Nelson Lopes <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Goanet] Benjamin silva prize
Message-ID:
<cajp2+q0dsx6y9rmfk1f+scgxvosu_ehgnwxjfgky3kajkpd...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Benjamin Silva Prize
Master Elroy Lopes. Assumpta Convent High School, Chinchinim Sarzora
is awarded the prize for standing first among the boys of Assolna
Velim, Chinchinim/ Sarzora ?Schools He receives a cash award of
Rs3500/ along with the citation He obtained 498/600 marks at the SSCE
of April 2011 The prize is an special encouragement for the boys,as
the girl students outshine them for 20years now.The prize is in the
third year of its institution The felicitation function was ?held ?at
the hands of the donor. ,in the presence of the Trustees of P.C.Trust
End of Goanet Digest, Vol 6, Issue 782
**************************************
