Team Herald
MARGAO: The Global Romi Lipi Abhiyan (GRLA) strongly criticised the Sahitya Akademi’s “one language, one script” policy, calling it a threat to Konkani’s linguistic diversity. At a press conference on Friday, GRLA President Kennedy Afonso condemned the Akademi’s decision to recognise only the Devanagri script, arguing that it has marginalised four other scripts—Romi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Perso-Arabic—while eroding Konkani’s rich literary heritage.
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GRLA has demanded an urgent reversal of this policy and a restructuring of the Konkani Advisory Board to ensure fair representation for all scripts.The press conference was held ahead of a two-day seminar, My Country and Foreign Land in Konkani Literature, organized by the Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with the Goa government and the Education Department. The event, scheduled for February 22-23 in Porvorim, will be addressed by Sahitya Akademi General Council member Purnananda Chari and Konkani Advisory Board member Shashikant Punaji. GRLA said it intends to use this platform to send a strong message to these Akademi dignitaries, urging them to move beyond what it termed “whitewashing seminars” that promote only the Devanagri script.
“Instead of restricting their focus, the Sahitya Akademi should hold a joint seminar in Goa with representatives of all five Konkani script associations to discuss the damage done by their failed policy and explore ways to rectify it,” Afonso stated.
GRLA asserted that the policy of promoting only one script violates fundamental constitutional rights. “The ‘one language, one script’ policy directly contradicts Article 14, which guarantees equality before the law, and Article 29(1), which grants minority communities the fundamental right to preserve their language, script, and culture,” Afonso said. He pointed out that the Konkani-speaking minority in Goa has long struggled for recognition of the Roman script, which remains excluded from the Official Language Act of 1987. GRLA further alleged that this exclusion has led to Roman script Konkani being denied as a medium of instruction even in minority-run diocesan schools.
The group also highlighted census data showing a decline in Konkani speakers. “Since 2001, the number of Konkani speakers has dwindled by two lakh,” Afonso said. “Konkani is now classified as an endangered language by UNESCO, and international funding is being allocated to revive it. Yet, instead of embracing its diversity, the Sahitya Akademi and the Goa government continue to stifle it.”
GRLA has demanded that Chari and Punaji convey their concerns to the Sahitya Akademi and push for a policy change. “Not only does the ‘one language, one script’ approach go against the Constitution, but it is also actively killing the four other scripts of Konkani. If the language is to flourish, all its literary traditions must be given equal recognition,” Afonso asserted. GRLA said it is working with other script associations to organise an All India Konkani Maha Sabha to address these critical issues.
