Team Herald
MARGAO: Several supporters of Konkani in Roman script held a silent protest at the All India Konkani Parishad venue against the discrimination of Roman and other scripts.
They also called for boycotting programmes organised by the Sahitya Akademi and the All India Konkani Parishad.
A group of Konkani speakers using Kannada script also joined the protest.
The protesters demanded equal status for the Roman script in the Official Language Act and the introduction of Roman script in schools. They demanded the dissolution of the Advisory Committee of the Sahitya Akademi.
Roman and Kannada script enthusiasts clarified that they are not opposed to the Devanagari script, but are against the discrimination faced by other scripts. They alleged that the inclusion of Devanagari in the Official Language Act represents a significant conspiracy against the minority Catholic community using the Roman script.
Dressed in black costumes and wearing masks during the protest, supporters of Konkani in Roman script, representing the Global Konknni Forum (GKF), Mandd Sobhan-Mangaluru, and the Konknni Lekhak Sangh Association, assembled at the INOX theatre.
For a few minutes, they made their presence known at the entry gate of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, where the All India Konkani Parishad was taking place.
Later, they marched to Lohia Maidan, Margao for an open mike session.
Addressing reporters and the gathering, Kennedy Afonso, GKF president, alleged that proponents of the Devanagari script have deliberately marginalised the Roman and other scripts.
He questioned the criteria used by the Sahitya Academy to designate Devanagari as the official script for Konkani, claiming that it deprives other scripts of their rights and constitutes significant discrimination under the Constitution.
He asserted that this is a deliberate attempt to undermine the Roman Script.
Anthony D'Silva challenged Fr Mousinho Ataide, stating that they would permit schools to teach Konkani in the Roman script, if they wished to resolve the issue.
Michael Gracias alleged that the Official Language Act represents a conspiracy against Catholics who use the Roman script.
He said, “If Fr Ataide supports Devanagari, then he should convince the Church to conduct all religious activities in Devanagari script.”
Vikas Lasrado, a member of Mandd Sobhan-Mangaluru, clarified that their stance is not against the Devanagari script, but in support of Konkani as a whole.
He said, “Deliberate attempts are being made to deprive Konkani speakers who use scripts other than Devanagari, as some seek to maintain control over the language.”
Jose Salvador Fernandes stated that All India Konkani Parishad has not given any invitation of dialogues to the Global Konknni Forum, and alleged that they are spreading lies on the issue.
Several renowned tiatrists, including Roseferns, Prince Jacob, Pascoal de Chicalim, Michael Gracias, and Aplon, along with members from Mangaluru and beyond, demanded equal treatment for the Roman script alongside other scripts, rather than favouring only Devanagari. The open mike session at Lohia Maidan garnered significant support from Roman script advocates, who vent their ire over the discrimination faced by the Roman script.