Team Herald
MARGAO: The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan (GRLA) has called on the Sahitya Akademi to abolish its “one language, one script” policy, which the group claims has devastated the Konkani language, particularly by sidelining its non-Devanagri scripts. In an open letter addressed to Purnananda Chari, General Council member, and other members of the Sahitya Akademi, GRLA President Kennedy Afonso emphasized the policy’s harmful impact on Konkani’s linguistic diversity.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
According to GRLA, the Sahitya Akademi’s promotion of only Devanagri literature has marginalized four other Konkani scripts, including Roman, Kannada, Malayalam, and Perso-Arabic. “By promoting only Devanagri, the Sahitya Akademi has created a hierarchy of scripts, where other scripts are relegated to secondary status,” Afonso said in the letter.
The group argues that the Sahitya Akademi’s stance goes against key constitutional provisions. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law, while Article 29(1) protects the linguistic, cultural, and script rights of minorities. Afonso called the current policy a violation of these fundamental rights, stating that it fosters linguistic inequality and ignores the diverse cultural heritage linked to each Konkani script.
GRLA also accused the Sahitya Akademi of abandoning its core responsibility to support all forms of literature, regardless of script. “The Sahitya Akademi’s primary function is to promote the literature of all scripts of any language, especially one like Konkani that has multiple scripts. Instead, the Akademi has become a ‘courtier’ that only supports Devanagri, manipulated by the Devanagri lobby,” Afonso said.
As a solution, GRLA demands the following steps from the Sahitya Akademi and warned that if these demands are not addressed, GRLA would call for a boycott of Sahitya Akademi events in the future.
“Organize an immediate convention in Goa to scrap the “one language, one script” policy, inviting all five Konkani script associations to discuss how to embrace literature from all scripts,” was their first demand.
“Revise the selection process for members of the Konkani Advisory Board to ensure equal representation for all five Konkani scripts,” was their other demand.
According to Afonso, the selection process should be restructured so that each script association selects its own representatives, preventing undue influence from Devnagri supporters. Alternatively, the Sahitya Akademi should create separate advisory boards for each Konkani script.
