[Gulf Goans] Campaign on to revive Roman script for Konkani:

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:59:10 -0800

Campaign on to revive Roman script for Konkani:

[India News]: Panaji, Nov 28 : Konkani writers in Goa have launched a campaign to revive the use of the centuries-old Roman script that is being increasingly swamped by Devnagri.

With more and more Konkani speakers preferring the Devnagri script, they say the language's history and heritage are under threat. Konkani is one of India's nationally recognised languages spoken mainly along the country's west coast.

Konkani, the official language of Goa, is written in five scripts - Roman, Devnagri, Kannada, Malayalam and Perso-Arabic.

Devnagri was rarely used in the language until the mid-1980s. But a feud between the supporters of Konkani and of Marathi led to the acceptance of Devnagri as the compromise script.

Since then, the writers allege, the Roman script has been totally neglected.

"After the passing of the Goa Official Language Act in 1987, the government and institutions working for the cause of Konkani here have supported the Devnagri script only," said Dalgado Konkani Akademi (DKA) president Tomazinho Cardozo, a well-known playwright and a former speaker of the Goa assembly.

"Publication of books in the Roman script has suffered and institutions like Sahitya Akademi have stopped giving awards to Konkani books in the Roman script."

The language, spoken by 1.7 million to five million people - the estimates widely vary - began losing out on followers.

According to Cardazo, even Christians in Goa, who had been particularly close to Konkani, were moving away from it. "It is a fact that many Christians in Goa do not send their children to Konkani schools. They hesitate to talk in Konkani. In other words, they are losing their Goan identity," Cardazo said.

DKA has now launched a campaign to promote Roman-scripted Konkani. It will publish 10 books in Roman-Konkani before the end of the year, bring out an annual magazine and enrol around 2,000 members.

Cardazo also intends to start a fund-raiser to finance Roman-Konkani writers, collaborate with other institutions, launch a website and run a village-to-village 'Speak Konkani, Save Konkani' drive.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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Related Item:

Mogall Gaspar bab, Ulysses bab ani Lino bab,
 
Tumi kel'lim suchnam, Konknni Romi lipint heo khobro diuncheo mhunn , ami mandhun ghetam. Fuddarak ami Konkni ani Inglez, donuim bhasamnim amche vichar daddpachi tumkam khatri ditam.
 
Dalgado Konknni Akademi vixim jem borovp daddlam tenvuim toddkean ami Konknnint daddun ditam. Suchna khatir Dev Borem Korummhunnttam.
 
Hea amchea vavran tumcho sohokar astolo mhunn patieon ravtam.
 
Borem magun,
 
Tomazinho Cardozo,
President, DKA, Candolim, Bardez, Goa.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 9:47 PM
Subject: DALGADO KONKNNI AKADEMI

 To  : Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter, www.goa-world.com
 
Sir,
Kindly give publicity to the following news item.
Thanking You,
Pratap Naik, S.J.
Director, TSKK

E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 

DALGADO KONKNNI AKADEMI

 

 

The name

Dalgado Konknni Akademi (DKA) was established in 1988.  This Akademi is named after Mgr. Sebasti�o Dalgado, for his various contributions to enrich Konkani Language.     Mgr. Sebasti�o Dalgado was a scholar of Konkani as well as many other languages.  Dalgado was born in Assag�o, a village in Bardez, Goa on May 8, 1855.  Mgr. Dalgado devoted himself to the study of Konkani in scientific and systematic manner.  He was the first person in Goa to use Devanagari script for Konkani and to print the first Konkani book in it.  He compiled two dictionaries Konkani-Portuguese and Portuguese-Konkani; Konkani was then written as well as spoken in various dialects.  Mgr. Dalgado found his own Bardexi dialect the most suitable to standardize Konkani.  Mgr. Dalgado�s aim was to show that Konkani was a full-fledged independent language.

Mgr. Dalgado�s contribution to the development of Konkani language is immense. He rightfully deserved a prominent place but in vain. In order to keep the name, the works and sacrifices of Mgr. Dalgado alive for the present and future generations, the Akademi was named after this great son of Goa.

 The first phase:

For the first four years DKA was very active. Fr. Freddy J. da Costa was the President. Mr. Tomazinho Cardozo was the secretary and Mr. Prabhakar Tendulkar the treasurer. During this period, DKA published �Konkani Orthography in Roman Script� with the intention of bringing about a desirable unity among the writers, so that the writers could understand the principles and rules of writing Konkani in Roman script.  A number of programmes were conducted in various parts of Goa to popularise Roman script and Konkani written in it. Subsequently due to various reasons DKA slowed down and remained stand still.

 

 The second phase:

It was observed that the writers of Konkani in Roman script were totally neglected as they were not getting any financial backing from any quarters to carry on their activities. In fact, after the passing of Goa Official Language Act, the Government and the institutions working for the cause of Konkani in Goa, supported Konkani in Devnagiri script only. Publications of books in Roman script suffered. Institution like Kala Akademi stopped giving awards for Konknani Books in Roman script.

 

In order to support and to give boost to the creativity of Konkani writers in Roman script, some well wishers of Konkani in Roman script came together and decided to revive Dalgado Konknni Akademi. Presently Mr. Tomazinho Cardozo is the President,  Mr. Jose Salvador Fernandes and Mr. Prabhakar Tendulkar are the secretary and treasurer respectively.  Besides there are other 10 prominent persons as members of the Executive Board. Various sub-committees have been formed to popularise the activities of the Akademi. Literary Committee is headed by Fr. Peter Raposo, Editor of Vavraddeancho Ixtt, while Wilson Mazarello, popular stage artiste, is the chairman of Cultural Committee. Dr. Olivinho Gomes, former Head of Konkani Department of Goa University, is the Chairman of the Committee to frame the Constitution of the Akademi, while Dr.Pratap Naik,  Director of Thomas Sthepens Konknni Kendr will head the Awards Committee. The present membership of the Akademi is over 200.

 

Aims and Objectives:

The present Executive Board has set a few aims and objectives and activities to strengthen Konkani in Roman script.

The first and foremost objective of DKA is to promote Konkani language in Roman script, which is neglected, side tracked and given step motherly treatment. Konkani written in Roman script goes back to 1560. Without its Roman script history, Konkani would not have got the recognition by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi in 1975.  It has the rich cultural heritage and it has become integral and unavoidable part of Goan culture, specifically of Christians.  The vast majority of Goan Christians read Konkani written in Roman script. Hence it has to be preserved fostered and developed.

 

DKA will make all efforts to provide support, financial and otherwise, for writers of Konkani in Roman script. It will work untiringly to obtain for them their just and lawful demands, dues and rights. DKA will recognize those institutions, which are working for the promotion and development of Konkani Language, literature and culture in Roman script.  It will initiate various activities in literary, cultural and social field through all the modern means of social communication.

 

It will provide financial assistance, and scholarships to writers, dramatists, talented important people, scholars and students to carry out research and other undertakings in the field of Konkani. Holding and organizing seminars, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, lectures, competitions of different types; undertaking and editing Konkani folk songs, music, folk literature, stage performances and other expressions of Konkani culture; Library and documentation centre facilities to the students, writers, teachers, producers and actors/actresses of Konkani; collecting and preserving Konkani documents, records, books and objects scattered with individuals and families which are related to the cultural and literary development of Konkani are other objectives. 

The Akademi will focus on promoting, assisting, and undertaking publications of children�s literature in Konkani along with providing books or magazines in Konkani language to the libraries and institutions.

It is a fact that many Christians in Goa are going away from Konkani language. They do not send their children to Konkani schools. They hesitate to talk in Konkani language in their daily life. In other words they are in the process of loosing their Goan identity. DKA will make untiring efforts to preserve our identity through Konkani language irrespective of the scripts in which it is written.

 Action Plan for 2004 �2005:

DKA has set an Action Plan for the Academic year 2004-2005.

1. To register DKA under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.

2. For giving publicity to DKA, it has planned to hold a seminar cum cultural    programme in Konkani at Marg�o in December, 2004.

 3. Publication of 10 Konkani books in Roman script that will include novels, short stories, poetry, translation, tiatr, khell tiatr, and essays.  These books will be released in December, 2004.

4. Publication of its annual magazine � PORMOLL� during Christmas.

5. DKA plans to enroll 2000 people as members for the current academic year.

6. DKA intends to finance partly the Konkani writers in Roman script to publish their first book in Roman script. 

7. Plans in collaborating with various other institutions who work for Konkani in Roman script and work hand in hand.

8. It will celebrate Dalgado Jayanti on 8th May 2005 to commemorate 150 years of Dalgado�s Birth on a large scale.  On that day a senior Konkani writer in Roman script will be honoured with �Dalgado Konknni Puroskar�. Dalgado Jayanti Celebrations will continue throughout the year ending in May 2006.

9. To launch DKA website.

10. To start fund raising campaign to promote Konkani in Roman script.

11. To launch the village-to-village programme � Speak Konkani, save Konkani�.  Through this venture we hope to unite Goans, particularly Christians, in order to strengthen their roots of Goan identity.

 

Our aims and objectives in reviving Dalgado Konknni Akademi are very clear. It is our duty to support writers of Konkani in Roman script and to provide qualitative literature to thousands of readers of Konkani in Roman script. It is also our paramount responsibility to see that our Christian community loves their mother tongue Konkani and is proud of its Goan identity.

 

We request all like minded Goans to support Dalgado Konknni Akademi in its mission. We are open for any suggestions if they are going to be beneficial for writers and readers of Konkani in Roman Script in particular and Goans in general.

 

 

Tomazinho Cardozo

President, Dalgado Konknni Akademi

Candolim, Bardez, Goa.

Phone: 9822170102

E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 

 

_________________________

Shri Tomazinho Cardozo

Odheox, Dalgado Konkani Akademi

 

Prot'ti:  Fr. Pratak Naik, S.J.,

              Director, TSKK

 

 

Tumchi voir uzvaddoilolem kobram-potr Konkani-nt onkarlear

Romi lipint Konkani vachpeank ani mogiank vhoddik urba had'dtoleam mhunn sanglear ot'titai zaunchi nam.

 

Somzotat tumi amchim magnnim sarti pavoitoleat mhunn.

Addim fuddench tumcam Dev borem korum.

 

Borem ies anvddeaun tumcam, DKA ani TSKK-chea

vangddeank.

 

 

Gaspar Almeida / Ulysses Menezes / Lino B. Dourado

www.goa-world.com

www.goa-world.com/goa/konkani/


 

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