Team Herald
MARGAO: In a sharp rebuke to those insisting that only Konkani in the Devanagari script should be recognized as the official language, the Global Konknni Forum (GKF) has accused these Devanagari proponents of deliberately perpetuating the injustice faced by the 35% Catholic minority in Goa. GKF President Kennedy Afonso stated that efforts to block the Roman script from being granted equal status with Devanagari are aimed at preventing Romi Konknni from being taught in schools.
Afonso argued that the reason behind this resistance is that if Romi Konknni is taught in schools, Konkani in the Roman script will grow, leading to the flourishing of the community that speaks it. He also dismissed concerns about the orthography of the Roman script, highlighting that the Bible, written in the Romi script, maintains perfect grammar and spelling. He further noted that Romi literature received recognition from the Sahitya Akademi even before Devanagari.
Afonso clarified that the belief that promoting Romi Konkani poses a threat to Devanagari is a misconception. On the contrary, he suggested that if both scripts are given equal status, the Konkani language would thrive. From a legal standpoint, Afonso countered the argument that the Official Language Act is untouchable. He emphasized that the Constitution of India holds authority over the Official Language Act, not the other way around, and that the Act violates the fundamental and legal rights of Goa's minority population and citizens, which are enshrined in the constitution.
He also pointed out that the Constitution protects the rights of citizens to preserve their language and culture. Afonso also explained how the Official Language Act can be amended to include Romi as an official language.
He also cited examples from other states where multiple languages with different scripts coexist—which he said negated the claims of the contrary that had been repeatedly made by the Devanagari proponents.