Roman War

Campaigners for the Roman script have already begun to lobby with Goa’s Catholic MLAs to bring in a legislation. Sources say they have contacted all the 14 Catholic MLAs in the House of 40.

Town and Country Planning Minister Babush Monserrate is among those who have pledged support. He attempted to raise the issue in the assembly, but party leaders advised caution. Monserrate has received support from MLAs from the Catholic heartland of Salcette and other constituencies of San Andre, St Cruz, Taleigao, Calangute and Saligao. Controversial Congress MP Churchill Alemao is backing the cause with the revival of Prajecho Avaz, a defunct organisation.

THE Church, however, has kept a safe distance from the controversy saying it is happy with the current language status. The Church runs more than 100 schools with Devnagari Konkani as the medium of instruction.

But the tiatrists—performing artists who have a major influence among the Catholic community—are not backing out. According to Wilson Mazarelo, president of the Dalgado Konkani Academy, more than 60,000 copies of the Konkani version of the Bible were sold even before its publication. This, according to him, shows that there is a demand for Konkani in the Roman script.

However, says veteran Konkani writer Uday Bhembre, ‘‘multiplicity of scripts has created problems for the development of Konkani. Therefore, in 1939, the All India Konkani Parishad, the apex institution of Konkani speaking people from Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, appealed to the Konkani-speaking community to gradually adopt one script—Devanagari. Therefore perpetuating more scripts will be harmful for Konkani.’’

According to Madhavi Sardesai, a linguist from the University of Goa, the use of Devanagari script for Konkani was not an ‘‘influence of Marathi’’, much less a ‘‘Goan Hindu expression’’.

BUT this debate, Bhembre insists, should not suggest that anybody was against the Roman script. The two government cultural institutions, the Kala Academy and the Goa Konkani Academy, have already revised their policies so that there are no obstacles in the use of the Roman script.

Education in Konkani in Goa began in 1963, according to Bhembre. In 1990 the Diocesan Society of Education introduced Konkani as a medium of instruction in their schools.

But now there could be trouble ahead. A body calling itself the All Goa Citizens Committee of Social Action and Justice has written to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, declaring that Catholics would support the BJP if they backed equal status for the Roman script.

More saner voices in Goa are advising caution. Says Dr Tanaji Halarnkar, vice president of the state controlled Goa Konkani Academy, ‘‘the division of the Konkani-speaking people would mean the loss of the language in the long run.’’