Goa's Pride www.goa-world.com
2008-10-23 05:59:54 UTC
?? www.goa-world.com
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OPEN LETTER TO THE DEVNAGRI LOBBY
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DEREK ALMEIDA
Executive Editor
Gomantak Times, Goa
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At the outset I wish to state that the term ?Devnagri lobby? is not used in the political sense, but merely as a means of defining a group, large or small, which believes that Devnagri is the natural script for Konkani and will help unite the Konkani speaking people in the distant future.
?
This open letter follows a discussion held with leaders of this lobby over dinner, which was fruitful, enlightening and at times disturbing.
?
Presently, Goans are fighting a pitched battle over the issue of language, with Catholics / Christians demanding that the Roman script be granted legal / official recognition and Devnagri protagonists opposing it. In the background are Marathi protagonists waiting for an opportunity to get official status for their language.
?
The arguments for or against the Roman or Devnagri scripts are old and have been repeated with force and vehemence by both sides over the past many years. No purpose will be served by revisiting them once again save to say that both groups have used these arguments to build walls around themselves.
?
The situation as it stands today is that no one from the Devnagri lobby is acceptable to the Romi Konkani lobby and vice versa. Both lobbies have stopped listening to each other.
?
This has led to hardening of stands with the Devnagri lobby opposing tooth and nail any effort to amend the Official Language act and the Romi Konkani lobby demanding just that.
?
Even at the dinner meeting it became apparent to me, that while highlighting the merits of unity of the Konkani speaking people, your commitment to diversity was not equally strong.
?
While Shridhar Kamat rightly pointed out, that in the end there has to be a ?meeting point? for both these groups (Romi and Devnagri), this ?meeting point? was not defined. It is my understanding that this ?meeting point? has to be outside the traditional arguments raised by both sides. I also believe that it will remain undefined unless the Devnagri lobby gives up something. I believe it has to take the first step.
?
Some months back I had a discussion with the former editor of Sunaparant Sandesh Prabhudessai over the same issue. He told me that leading writers of the Konkani movement had taken two decisions ? one, to nip in the bud any attempt to amend the Act and second, not to interfere with the present education system.
?
Suppose we agree that the Act should not be amended. Would you be willing to implement the Dr Wilfred de Souza formula as a quid pro quo?
?
Over a year ago, when the demand for amending the Official Language Act was raised, Dr Wilfred de Souza opposed it. He said Romi Konkani could be given recognition through an executive order of the government. If you are opposed to an amendment to the Act, are you open to partial recognition through an executive order?
?
(When I use the word agree, I use it for the purpose of argument and not as a representative of any group. I do not have any authority to forge agreements.)
?
Let me take the argument one step further. If I agree that the Act should not be touched and also agree that the Roman script should not be given official status through an executive order, are you willing to review the use of Konkani in education and thereby re-standardise it to encompass all?
?
If there is no flexibility, then sadly, the only way of achieving that ?meeting point? is by waiting until one group is annihilated, in this case the Romi Konkani group. This sort of a stand always results in radicalization of the group, which fears extinction.
?
Rajan Narayan rightly pointed out that Tomazinho Cardozo was once a moderate. Three years ago when I interviewed him for Goa 365 he told me he had supported the Devnagri script in 1987 because he believed it would unite the Konkani family. Today he is a hardliner. Ever wonder why?
?
The answer is quite simple. You cannot expect Tomazinho Cardozo or any other Romi Konkani protagonist to have a stake in your ?unity? if you have no interest in their ?diversity?.
?
I appreciate it when Udaybab Bhembre says Konkani in the Roman script should be allowed to flourish in the fields of literature, religion and culture. But I also noticed that he left out education.?
?
It?s like saying you can talk to your child in the dialect of Konkani that is your mother tongue, but you are not allowed to teach him the same in school. In this case, where is the meeting point?
?
Ashwin Tombat, under whom I worked as News Editor for many years unequivocally said the Devnagri lobby has a condescending attitude towards Romi Konkani writers. He quoted the example of noted Romi Konkani writer Reginald Fernandes who is not recognized as a literary figure by the Konkani establishment. I now ask myself if this injustice can be reversed so that we are able to define the ?meeting point?, which Shridhar Kamat articulated.
?
In conclusion I ask this: Is the umbrella of Devnagri Konkani large enough to shelter the man who writes ?ghar? and the one who writes ?ghor??
?
?
[This ?Open Letter? appeared on Gomantak Times, October 23, 2008 (today).]
?
Letters to the editor maybe emailed to:
editor at gomantaktimes.com
Posted by Goa's Pride - http://www.goa-world.com with special permission from the writer.??
Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter is presented by Ulysses Menezes,
www.goa-world.com and moderated by Gaspar Almeida (since 1994)
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans
Konkani Amchi Mai Bhas Sogglea Goenkaranchi - hench amchem herans.
For all Goans, our mother-tongue Konkani, is our pride!
http://www.songs-from-goa.at/goa/
?
http://www.goa-world.com/goa/cartoons/
?
?
?
GOAN AND KONKANI BOOKS
http://www.goa-world.com/goa/
?
?
?
?
OPEN LETTER TO THE DEVNAGRI LOBBY
?
DEREK ALMEIDA
Executive Editor
Gomantak Times, Goa
?
?
At the outset I wish to state that the term ?Devnagri lobby? is not used in the political sense, but merely as a means of defining a group, large or small, which believes that Devnagri is the natural script for Konkani and will help unite the Konkani speaking people in the distant future.
?
This open letter follows a discussion held with leaders of this lobby over dinner, which was fruitful, enlightening and at times disturbing.
?
Presently, Goans are fighting a pitched battle over the issue of language, with Catholics / Christians demanding that the Roman script be granted legal / official recognition and Devnagri protagonists opposing it. In the background are Marathi protagonists waiting for an opportunity to get official status for their language.
?
The arguments for or against the Roman or Devnagri scripts are old and have been repeated with force and vehemence by both sides over the past many years. No purpose will be served by revisiting them once again save to say that both groups have used these arguments to build walls around themselves.
?
The situation as it stands today is that no one from the Devnagri lobby is acceptable to the Romi Konkani lobby and vice versa. Both lobbies have stopped listening to each other.
?
This has led to hardening of stands with the Devnagri lobby opposing tooth and nail any effort to amend the Official Language act and the Romi Konkani lobby demanding just that.
?
Even at the dinner meeting it became apparent to me, that while highlighting the merits of unity of the Konkani speaking people, your commitment to diversity was not equally strong.
?
While Shridhar Kamat rightly pointed out, that in the end there has to be a ?meeting point? for both these groups (Romi and Devnagri), this ?meeting point? was not defined. It is my understanding that this ?meeting point? has to be outside the traditional arguments raised by both sides. I also believe that it will remain undefined unless the Devnagri lobby gives up something. I believe it has to take the first step.
?
Some months back I had a discussion with the former editor of Sunaparant Sandesh Prabhudessai over the same issue. He told me that leading writers of the Konkani movement had taken two decisions ? one, to nip in the bud any attempt to amend the Act and second, not to interfere with the present education system.
?
Suppose we agree that the Act should not be amended. Would you be willing to implement the Dr Wilfred de Souza formula as a quid pro quo?
?
Over a year ago, when the demand for amending the Official Language Act was raised, Dr Wilfred de Souza opposed it. He said Romi Konkani could be given recognition through an executive order of the government. If you are opposed to an amendment to the Act, are you open to partial recognition through an executive order?
?
(When I use the word agree, I use it for the purpose of argument and not as a representative of any group. I do not have any authority to forge agreements.)
?
Let me take the argument one step further. If I agree that the Act should not be touched and also agree that the Roman script should not be given official status through an executive order, are you willing to review the use of Konkani in education and thereby re-standardise it to encompass all?
?
If there is no flexibility, then sadly, the only way of achieving that ?meeting point? is by waiting until one group is annihilated, in this case the Romi Konkani group. This sort of a stand always results in radicalization of the group, which fears extinction.
?
Rajan Narayan rightly pointed out that Tomazinho Cardozo was once a moderate. Three years ago when I interviewed him for Goa 365 he told me he had supported the Devnagri script in 1987 because he believed it would unite the Konkani family. Today he is a hardliner. Ever wonder why?
?
The answer is quite simple. You cannot expect Tomazinho Cardozo or any other Romi Konkani protagonist to have a stake in your ?unity? if you have no interest in their ?diversity?.
?
I appreciate it when Udaybab Bhembre says Konkani in the Roman script should be allowed to flourish in the fields of literature, religion and culture. But I also noticed that he left out education.?
?
It?s like saying you can talk to your child in the dialect of Konkani that is your mother tongue, but you are not allowed to teach him the same in school. In this case, where is the meeting point?
?
Ashwin Tombat, under whom I worked as News Editor for many years unequivocally said the Devnagri lobby has a condescending attitude towards Romi Konkani writers. He quoted the example of noted Romi Konkani writer Reginald Fernandes who is not recognized as a literary figure by the Konkani establishment. I now ask myself if this injustice can be reversed so that we are able to define the ?meeting point?, which Shridhar Kamat articulated.
?
In conclusion I ask this: Is the umbrella of Devnagri Konkani large enough to shelter the man who writes ?ghar? and the one who writes ?ghor??
?
?
[This ?Open Letter? appeared on Gomantak Times, October 23, 2008 (today).]
?
Letters to the editor maybe emailed to:
editor at gomantaktimes.com
Posted by Goa's Pride - http://www.goa-world.com with special permission from the writer.??
Gulf-Goans e-Newsletter is presented by Ulysses Menezes,
www.goa-world.com and moderated by Gaspar Almeida (since 1994)
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans
Konkani Amchi Mai Bhas Sogglea Goenkaranchi - hench amchem herans.
For all Goans, our mother-tongue Konkani, is our pride!
http://www.songs-from-goa.at/goa/
?
http://www.goa-world.com/goa/cartoons/
?
?
?
GOAN AND KONKANI BOOKS
http://www.goa-world.com/goa/
?
?