MARGAO: At a time when the movement for equal status for the Roman script is gaining momentum, the Global Konknni Forum (GKF) has
organized a special program to mark World Konknni Day on August 20. The event will be held at the 7 Martyrs Memorial in Agasaim Church Square.
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Kennedy Afonso, President of GKF, stated that this program has been organised to commemorate the inclusion of Konknni in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution on August 20, 1992. The Goan diaspora worldwide celebrates this day with cultural programs, music, dance, and song.
GKF along with members of the Tiatr fraternity, will pay floral tributes to the seven martyrs who laid down their lives for Konknni language, and sing songs in celebration of Konknni being accepted in the Indian Constitution, without giving any importance to any specific script of Konknni language, thus giving equal importance to all the 5 scripts of Konknni, that are in use all along the Konkan belt.It is a victory for all Konknni speaking people all across the Konkan belt.
“The Devnagari lobby which is controlling the Advisory Board for Konknni for Sahitya Akademi, has gone against this constitutional mandate, by manipulating, and passing a decision on November 21, 1981, that Devnagari is the only official script of Konknni, thus depriving other scripts of Konknni from getting Sahitya Akademi’s recognition, thus undermining the value of other scripts that write and embrace Konknni”, said Afonso.
He said that regardless of all this discrimination, Goans cherish and love mother tongue Konknni, and this spirit is reflected as Goans all across celebrate World Konknni Day on August 20.
