Another Konkani bastion totters…
Following the medium of instruction (MoI) controversy, the Konkani Basha Mandal (KBM) last year mooted the idea of starting a secondary school in the English medium, reportedly after it was evident that children educated in the Konkani medium of instruction were having difficulty in gaining admission in English secondary schools. This prompted the KBM leaders to do the unthinkable ~ have a rethink on whether to continue imparting education using Konkani as the medium of instruction.
Now, another previously unthinkable proposal is on the cards, if the claim by the Romi Lipi Action Front is to be believed. Efforts are apparently on to virtually dissolve the Jesuit-run Thomas Stephen’s Konkani Kendra (TSKK) at Porvorim. According to news reports, the effort is on to merge TSKK with the Xavier Centre of Historical Research (XCHR) and initiate an MA degree course in History and Research. Last month’s official newsletter Jivit and the XCHR annual report, claimed that the Jesuits are pursuing the plan for merger of the two institutes. It is unclear what this entails for Konkani and its research. Konkani lovers however are apprehensive that it could sound the death knell for the Konkani movement, at least on the Romi lipi front.
TSKK is a 32-year-old institution which is credited with not just coining new words in Konkani but also for having launched Konkani texts and produced some pioneering work in the language. TSKK’s prize money for Konkani literary work has been popular among Konkani-mogis. In fact, the institute at Porvoriom boasts of an array of traditional Goan flora and fauna, some of them on the verge of extinction, all virtually under one roof, so to say. No wonder TSKK’s mini-botanical garden housing samples of local edible fruit plants and rare plants was once the cynosure of botanical students and plant lovers, having won accolades from the Goa Botanical Society. In December 2010, then President Pratiba Patil honoured TSKK for its pioneering work from among 25 institutions worldwide.
What is disturbing is the fact that Jesuits who were pioneers in the development of the language over the centuries (in keeping with the Church principle of reaching out to the masses through the indigenous language), are now liable to be accused of working against the primary purpose for which TSKK was launched. Considering that TSKK was built on the support of donors who were made to believe that the funds collected would be utilized for the growth of the language, would it be morally right to change the objective of the mission for which the donors offered contributions in the first place?
Thomas Stephens was the Jesuit superior of Salcette (1590-1596) and is credited to have prepared the first catechism and prayers in Konkani in book form. TSKK’s work with its array of books and other collections has been rightly recognized by the Goa University which has termed it a Konkani Research Centre.
However, it’s rather strange that what St Francis Xavier, who arrived in Goa and took pains to master the language and use it as a basic tool for communication and dissemination of the message of Christ, is today possibly being undone by a section of his followers. With globalization, English is certainly necessary and welcome for all Goans. But never at the cost of making Konkani redundant. The two must exist side-by-side and proposals, however well-intentioned, that harm the promotion of Konkani must be revisited.
