Team Herald
MARGAO: On the occasion of Goa Liberation Day, at an event organised at Benaulim, Fausto V Da Costa, the editor of Gulab magazine, urged the student community to focus on preserving and promoting the Konkani language, highlighting that Konkani is an essential part of Goa’s identity.
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The event, held on Thursday, featured the prize distribution ceremony for an essay writing competition conducted in Roman script. The competition aimed to commemorate the traditional script and emphasize the importance of writing in Roman script. Along with Da Costa, the event was attended by local MLA Jose Salvador Fernandes, editor of Fuddari, and Zilla Panchayat member Joseph Piment.
Da Costa, speaking at the event, expressed optimism for the future of Konkani in Roman script.
“After reading all the essays submitted for the competition, it is clear that there is a bright future for Konkani in Roman script,” he stated.
He also commended Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas for his efforts in preserving the Konkani language and promoting Goa’s culture.
“Those who participated in the competition have demonstrated a natural talent for writing in Konkani. We must all work together to protect and preserve our language, as it is integral to our identity,” Da Costa emphasised.
Jose Salvador Fernandes, during his speech, acknowledged the unique initiative of Viegas, noting that he is the first among Goa’s 40 MLAs to organise an essay competition in Konkani using Roman script.
Viegas said while many speak about the importance of language, few take action to preserve Konkani in their daily lives.
“I have taken the opportunity to contribute to the promotion of the Roman script. People must use Konkani in their everyday interactions. The Roman script is widely used in Tiatr and Konkani magazines, and the students who participated in this competition have proven they can write in Roman script fluently,” Viegas said, emphasizing the need for greater efforts in preserving Konkani.
