Media Release
Mangaluru, Sep 29: A symposium jointly organised by the Global Konkani Forum (GKF) and Mandd Sobhann took place at Kalaangann, Mangaluru, on Sunday, September 29.
Delegates from both associations convened to discuss the Sahitya Akademi Konkani Advisory Board's decision to declare Devanagari as the sole official script of the Konkani language. This decision has been criticised as discriminatory towards the four other scripts used in Konkani and has prompted demands for equal status for the Roman script in Goa's Official Language Act.
During the symposium, the following resolutions were passed:
Mandd Sobhann and the Global Konkani Forum unanimously opposed the Sahitya Akademi’s stance of recognising only one Konkani script. They called for equal rights for the Roman and Kannada scripts.
Both organisations pledged to take all necessary actions, including legal steps, to urge the government to include other Konkani scripts for Sahitya Awards.
The symposium also resulted in the formation of a new action committee under the leadership of Kennedy Afonso. The committee includes Eric Ozario, Stany Alvares, Louis Pinto, Richard Moras, Stephen Quadros, Donald Pereira, Jose Salvador Fernandes, Aplonia Rebello, Luis Xavier Mascarenhas, Cruz Mario Pereira, Michael Jude Gracias, Antonio Alvares, and Dominic Fernandes.
Eric Ozario and other Mandd Sobhann members expressed full confidence in Kennedy Afonso's leadership, promising their support for the movement.
Kennedy Afonso, president of the Global Konkani Forum, delivered a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the need for various Konkani associations to unite against discrimination towards the five scripts of Konkani. He emphasised the importance of including the Roman script in the Official Language Act of Goa and proposed filing a petition in the Supreme Court of India.
Stany Alvares, president of the Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Academy, noted that the six language academies of the Karnataka Government concluded that literature in the Kannada script would be prioritised. They also intend to pressure the Central Sahitya Akademi to grant equal status to Konkani literature in Kannada script alongside Devanagari.
Eric Ozario stated, “It’s an accepted fact that, although Konkani is written in five scripts, it has no script of its own. In 1981, the Konkani Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi passed a unanimous resolution declaring Devanagari as the official script of Konkani. If one looks at the list of the board members, it becomes clear that it is filled with hard-core supporters of Devanagari.” He asserted that this needs to be challenged in the Supreme Court of India.
Eric added that this decision represents a discriminatory attempt to undermine all other scripts and impose Devanagari, particularly as the Official Language Act of Goa currently favours it. This creates significant disparities for literature produced in other Konkani scripts.
The symposium emphasised that the richness of Konkani extends beyond its scripts, encompassing various dialects, religions, castes, traditions, customs, festivals, and folk forms. Imposing a single script on this diverse tapestry is seen as misguided. The mantra of "Unity in Diversity" remains crucial for the future of the Konkani language.