Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MD)
Mangaluru, Nov 6: World Konkani Centre, Mangaluru in association with Karnataka State Konkani Linguistic Minorities Educational Institutions association organized a round table discussion on 'Constitutional Rights of Konkani Linguistic Minorities' on Thursday November 6 at T V Raman Pai Conventional Centre.
The conference was presided over by Ramadas Kamath U chairman of Global Education Services, Bengaluru. Keynote speaker T V Mohandas Pai, chairman of Vishwa Konkani Students Scholarship Fund, eminent Konkani activists Dr K Mohan Pai and Muralidhar Prabhu, Vimala V Pai, World Konkani Centre president Basti Vaman Shenoy were present on the dais.
Vimala V Pai and T V Mohandas Pai inaugurated the conference while Basti Vaman Shenoy welcomed the guests.
"This conference is organized mainly to inform everyone about how to use the rights given by the Constitution to the Konkani Linguistic Minorities. We need to gain more knowledge about our constitutional rights," said Basti Vaman Shenoy.
T V Mohandas Pai in his keynote address said, "In Karnataka and other states, government has started Minorities Development Corporation, and through this corporation one can avail low interest loans, higher education scholarships and grants for housing and business and many more facilities. Religious and linguistic minorities are equal. Government cannot discriminate them under Constitutional rights. But in India there is discrimination. We demand to stop this discrimination.
"We have to fight for our Constitutional rights. Constitutional provision guarantees the rights of religious and linguistic minorities. It is a fundamental right which has to be enforced by the rule of law under the Constitution," he added.
Muralidhar Prabhu in his address said, "To run an educational institution is not easy and those who have crossed more than 100 years in running an institution are great people. The Constitutional rights given to us are not just to understand, but to be used in our lives. With rights, duties and responsibilities also come.
"There are people who speak Konkani and say 'what do we get from learning Konkani when we already know how to speak?'. They also say that by learning Konkani they cannot earn their daily bread. We have to follow what the Constitution says. If Konkani has to survive, we have to support the learning process," he added.