Team Herald
MARGAO: The Global Konknni Forum (GKF) is set to push for the recognition and promotion of Roman script Konkani with a key meeting scheduled for November 12, where GKF representatives will meet with Venzy Viegas, Benaulim MLA, to discuss legislative support for two proposed Bills in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
The first draft Bill proposes an amendment to the Official Language Act to grant Roman Script equal status alongside the currently recognised Devanagari script. The second Bill seeks the introduction of Romi Konkani as an optional subject in schools, allowing students from Std 1st to 10th to study the language in this script.
GKF spokesperson Kennedy Afonso emphasised the Bills' importance, describing them as crucial for safeguarding linguistic rights and promoting cultural heritage. He stressed that Romi Konkani represents a vital aspect of the community’s identity and history, and introducing it in schools would help preserve and promote this unique form of the language.
Highlighting progress in neighbouring Karnataka, where Konkani has been introduced as a third language with options for study in Roman script, Afonso criticised Goa’s Education Department for failing to make similar advancements. He suggested that communal pressures and the influence of the Devanagari lobby have prevented equal support for Romi Konkani in Goa’s schools.
He also pointed to the 1987 Official Language Act, which granted Devanagari sole official script status, calling it a divisive move intended to appease certain groups. According to Afonso, this decision has contributed to a gradual decline in the language's use across its various scripts, with Konkani still classified as an endangered language by UNESCO despite years of government backing for Devanagari.
The GKF is calling on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the BJP government to move beyond political pressures and demonstrate equal support for both Konkani scripts. The forum expressed optimism that MLA Venzy Viegas, a known supporter of
the Romi script, will back the Bills.