Pics: Joshwa D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)

Mangaluru, Mar 13: A meeting to gather suggestions to oppose the single-script policy of the Central Sahitya Akademi to award Konkani works was convened by the Jagotik Konknni Songhotton (JKS) at Kalangann here on Sunday March 13.

President of JKS Siddhanath Buyao from Goa welcomed the gathering and explained the need for the Central Sahitya Akademi to render equal treatment to all the scripts in which Konkani is written.

"Even in Goa most of the literary needs of people are fulfilled through Romi script even though both Devanagari and Romi scripts are used by the people. But unfortunately an attempt is being made to impose Devanagari script as the only script in the country for Konkani language. This will hamper the diversity of the Konkani language. We have been writing Konkani in various scripts as per our region. We need to oppose this and get united to preserve the cultural diversity of our mother tongue."

Gurkar of Mandd Sobhann and secretary general of JKS Eric Ozario said, "In the name of a single script for one language and thereby for the country, former heads of the Central Sahitya Akademi and a few scholars subjected the people using other scripts to various difficulties and atrocities. Scholars of other scripts have been trying to make all the scripts as important as Devanagari. Now the time has come for people using all the different scripts to unite and challenge this stepmotherly treatment."

President of Mandd Sobhann Louis J Pinto, several eminent scholars and Konkani writers from Goa, Karnataka and Kerala were present.