Team Herald
MARGAO: Reacting to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s recent appeal to the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, to consider tiatr script books for national literary awards, the Global Konknni Forum (GKF) has criticised his failure to specify that the request should include books written in the Konkani Roman script.
The GKF emphasised that tiatr literature has been written in the Roman script since 1892 and urged the Sawant government to push for its inclusion in the Sahitya Akademi’s recognition process.
According to Jose Salvador Fernandes, Secretary of GKF, the Sahitya Akademi’s General Council recognized Konkani as an independent literary language on February 26, 1975. The resolution stated, “As Konkani fulfills the criteria formulated by the Akademi for recognition of a language, it is recognized as an independent modern literary language of India.” However, the resolution did not specify any script for Konkani, allowing contributions from all scripts, Fernandes explained.
He further pointed out that in 1981, the Sahitya Akademi’s Konkani Advisory Board, dominated by Devnagari supporters, passed a decision recognizing Devnagari as the sole official script for Konkani. This, he argued, has marginalized Konkani literature in other scripts. Fernandes stressed that the Akademi, as a body promoting Indian languages and literature, should not engage in script-based politics, as a language is not inherently tied to a specific script.
Fernandes warned that the dominant Devnagari lobby might attempt to impose its script on tiatr literature as well, erasing the distinct identity of the Roman script, which has been the foundation of tiatr writing for over 133 years. He expressed concerns that if tiatr books are considered for Sahitya Akademi recognition in the future, they might be required to be submitted in Devnagari, compromising the uniqueness of the Roman script.
GKF highlighted that tiatr performances, held regularly in Goa and internationally, play a crucial role in preserving Konkani language and culture. These performances also serve as a platform for discussing social and political issues affecting society.
In light of this, the Global Konknni Forum urged the Sawant government to take a firm stand and request the Sahitya Akademi to accept tiatr script books in Konkani Roman script—without merely appeasing the Roman script Konkani community, which has faced discrimination since the enactment of the Official Language Act of 1987.