INJUSTICE ON ROMI KONKANI.

It is 27 years now since in the name of recognizing Konkani by the Goa government in both the scripts – Romi & Nagri -, Konknni has been recognized in Nagri script only. According to the information, the Goa government has granted this recognition also with the silent nod of KPA that favoured only the Nagri script and  NOT the Romi script.

Konkani Porjecho Avaz (KPA) was a body comprising members from both the segments of Konkani – Romi as well as Nagri. This body was formed under the skippership of hardcore Nagrivadi Pundalik Naik. In fact besides him there were others also hardcore Nagrivadis in KPA. In fact they were more hardcore than Pundalik Naik but since Pundalik Naik was coming from Non-Brahmin segment, the more hardcore Nagrivadis installed Pundalik Naik as head of KPA to get better and more acceptance to KPA especially from the masses though he was thru remote control guided by the more hardcore Nagrivadis inside and outside the KPA.  

During this period I was in Kuwait where beside my job I was also promoting the cause of Konkani along with other friends and colleagues of mine. We from Kuwait were financing Konkani movement in Goa by pouring lakhs of rupees and since KPA was on the forefront to fight for Konkani, we financed KPA also.  In fact when Damodar Mauzo a member of KPA pleaded with us to help finance the big Rally and Meeting at Azad Maidan Panjim we sent almost a lakh of rupees from Kuwait for this event.  Besides, money also started flowing thru other sources from Kuwait including to Goan politicians for this event in Goa.

Then when hectic activities were going on for the final push for this movement, I came on vacation to Goa and as a General Secretary of Kuwait Konknni Kendr that was instrumental in promoting the cause of Konkani in Kuwait, I was welcomed by the  KPA members in their midst most warmly.  Then I participated in number of Rallies in Panjim in support of Konkani and even received Lathis from the Ghantti Hawaldars from Rane government. Then I participated in the Hunger Strike conducted at Azad Maidan Panjim starting with 5 days continuously by Datta Naik, Dilip Borkar and Dioniz Diniz whom I also joined on the 3^rd day and this was followed by the Chain Hunger Strike for a long time.

On the eve of my return back to Kuwait, at Keni Hotel Panji, KPA invited me as an observer only for their crucial meeting which was attended besides other members, by Tomazinho Cardoso, Erasmo Sequeira, Mauwin Godinho, Mathanay Saldanha and chaired by Pundalik Naik. During this particular meeting I have observed that the Nagri camp in KPA was wielding strong power to sway the decisions in their favour, whatever those decisions may be.  Romivadis were acting like slaves of Nagrivadis without being firm on Romi script though outside they may say anything. Even the late firebrand Mathanay Saldanha was not firm in his view on Romi script.  Erasmo Sequeira inspite of being the seasoned supporter of Romi cause was just silent while the major part of the talk was done by the Nagrivadis.

Whatever they may be but one thing I noticed in some Romivadi members of KPA an enormous amount of inferiority complex and in few the ancestral inferiority complex which gave them the sense of accepting them as lower than the others. And here, the cunning Nagrivadis from KPA capitalized. Nagrivadis recognized that there was not a single hardcore Romivadi in their midst to fight valiantly for Romi cause.  Besides, the cunning Nagrivadis in KPA created a hoax by putting fear into the minds of Romivadis that there may not be a possibility for the recognition of Konkani if both the scripts are indicated, hence priority must go for Nagri.  To oppose this hoax there was not a single hardcore Romivadi in KPA. For this reason Nagrivadi scored an off side goal against Romi Konkani while Romivadis watched this  goal  as spectators.

From here what I noticed, because I had no voice there in KPA being only an observer, I showed my dissatisfaction to a few Nagrivadis outside but they pacified me saying “Don’t worry, proper justice will be done”. They were very much careful of my aggressive posture while dealing with them on this topic and the money matters we sent from Kuwait. So much so, one of them even told his other Nagrivadis in KPA to avoid talking to me till he goes back to Kuwait. Moreover, one junior politician came with his gang of a few youth to threaten me in the reception of Keni Hotel and to silence my voice from exposing the names of the recipients of Kuwait money. Incidentally, that “one politician” was also one of the recipients of money from Kuwait.

That the KPA Nagrivadis will betray the Romivadis was a sure fact but that the KPA Romivadis like “Baizona” will surrender to the chicanery  of Nagrivadis was also a sure fact. Our so called Romi stalwarts are “Ponch” Romivadis, they want Konkani only to promote themselves in society, and they want Konkani only to keep themselves afloat in public life in Goa. Our efforts from Kuwait for the cause of Konkani were much higher because we worked for the cause and not to promote ourselves in public life. And as a matter of fact we worked for Konkani cause in Kuwait with lot of difficulties.  It was not an easy task in a foreign country where local laws and customs are totally different from our country.

The very person who claimed to be the promoter of Romi Konkani cause when he was elected to Goa Legislative Assembly of course unexpectedly he did nothing to promote the cause of Romi Konkani till the end of his term in GLA. When he was a member of GLA he was acting like a feudal lord not even wishing some of his Konknnivadis but now “churchure tache” because even a “Kuddo Mus” is not caring him in his locality. Now no Pilot Car and no other government facilities for this reason his “Suberbai” is gone down.  He belied our expectations by ignoring Romi cause when he had vast influence as a member of GLA where he was holding an important position. It is a pity that our people when they reach to the position of power they fail in their duty by forgetting their past.  This is the quality of “Ladru – Pedru” type of Goans.

I don’t accept the version that there was a last minute change in the terminology of the draft Konkani Bill where it was stated that “Konkani means Nagri script Konknni”.  This statement “Konkani means Nagri script Konknni” was included much earlier and NOT at the last minute and as such every KPA member had an access to this draft bill to check.  However, if Romivadi members of KPA have failed to check this then they failed in their duty and thus they betrayed the Romi segment of their trust.  They are all to be treated as traitors and as such they should be boycotted from campaigning and talking for Romi cause. Moreover, the genuine Romivadis who are on forefront currently to fight for the cause of Romi  Konkani must call a public meeting either in Margao or in Panjim to protest over the mishandling of this issue. Posterity should know who betrayed the Romi Konkani otherwise posterity will judge the history on this topic wrongly.

The Romivadi traitors who betrayed Romi Konkani should be discarded from Romi circle otherwise they will discard Romi from Konkani itself.

 

A.    Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.

FRAUD ON ROMAN SCRIPT KONKANI.

                                       

             

“Ghorcho Bhedi Bhailo Chor ?”…...  Fraud on the Roman Script

Each time the leaders  of Romi Konknni Movement meet for a discussion anywhere, there is one particular sentence one gets to hear over and over again and that is  “The Clause in the Official Language Act of Goa 1987: Konkani means Konkani in Devnagari Script , was the biggest fraud of the 20th Century”.

Each time I hear this, I go home and think to myself if indeed there was a ‘fraud’ of such a magnitude then who are the people responsible for this “fraud” and if we know who they are, why have we let them go scot-free?

Unfortunately for me , I was not in Goa during this period and as a result did not have the faintest idea as to who all could these fraudsters be. Neither was there anyone willing to provide me with the
answers.

I started wondering as to why people want to keep this part of the
game under wraps. Why this suspicious silence?

My inquisitiveness to investigate made me probe for answers at every
opportunity I got. Who could be the main architects of this “fraud”
and why  are they left to go scot-free?

I said to myself , let me begin from the beginning. First of all, who
were the interested parties? Meaning who were the “stake-holders”?

Then I noted:
a) The Government of Goa , Daman & Diu.
b) The Opposition Parties in the Assembly.
c) The Independent M.L.As.
d) The People of Goa, Daman & Diu.

It is but logical to believe that at that time all the stake-holders
were consulted, discussions held and compromise-formulae worked out.

Now, as the subject of discussion was Goa and Konkani I’d like to, for
the present, leave out Daman & Diu and their interests in the Official
language Act of 1987.  Let me concentrate on Goa and Konkani alone and
the so called “fraud”.

This “fraud”, as I understand means depriving “Romi Konknni not only
of it’s rightful place in the Official Language Act of Goa 1987 but
also  was a conspiracy to kill Romi Konknni and propell Devanagari
Konknni into prominence.

There is a famous saying in Konkani  “Ghorcho Bhedi, Bhailo Chor”
which means  to say, “An outsider cannot rob a closed house without
having an insider for an accomplice”.  To make this analogy more
relevant in the present context , I’d like to take the entire
Political System and the Devanagari Lobby as “Outsiders” and the
protagonists of Romi Konknni as “Insiders”.

I am told that some of the Romi Konknni Leaders who are still around
and were a part of the “Konknni Porjecho Avaz (KPA)” then, were called
for consultations on the issue and they tell us that  in the Original
Draft of the Bill there was no “clause” at all mentioning “Konkani
means Konkani in Devanagari Script”  and that this “clause” was
introduced only at the last minute without consulting any one of them.

They further add that , even they came to know about this “clause”
only on the morning of the day, namely 05 February 1987 through local
English news papers.The Official Language Bill was introduced in the
assembly on 17th July 1986 and it was passed in the Assembly on 04
February 1987. The people  had no reason to doubt their own leaders.
The entire rank and file of the Romi Konknni users accepted this as a
“fraud” , as told to them, and set about their work of bringing an
amendment to the Bill to rectify the “fraud”.

It was an uphill task and many Romi Konknni Leaders are , even as I
write, working towards this end. Still however, in the midst of all
this work the thought of how a people’s Government could  commit a
“fraud” on the same people who elected it , kept bothering me ie. how
our leaders of Romi Konknni were kept uninformed of such a major
change in the final draft of the Bill.

I also often wondered why “this  bothering thought “ keeps popping up
in my mind from time to time.  But now, I finally know the reason why.
There is a reason. There is always an explanation to everything that
happens. There has to be.

Recently, while on an another work of Romi Konknni, I was browsing
through some old newspapers and I accidentally came across a page of
“Herald” Wednesday dated 9th July 1986, and there it was. An answer to
my “bothering thoughts”. An “expose” of a lie deliberately hidden
under the carpet for so many years.

On the newspaper was printed the final draft of the Official Language
Bill of Goa 1987 prepared not at the last minute by the Government but
much in advance somewhere around 1986.  The same final draft leaked
out and reached the office of Herald and Herald brought it out in
print on the 9th July 1986. The final draft of the Bill was there for
everyone to see complete with the clause  “Konkani language means the
language in Devnagiri Script”.

Then who are these Romi Konknni leaders who tells us that they came to
know of this “Clause” only on the morning of the day the Bill was
tabled in the House?

The final draft of the Bill was there in the Herald for everyone to
see , 7 months before it was tabled. Were our Romi Konknni leaders the
only ones who did not read this issue of Herald? Or, is it that our
Romi Konknni leaders had taken all of us for  a ride ? The reason was
now crystal clear to me and for everyone else to see.

There was definitely an “injustice” but  there was no “fraud” of the
type our Romi Konknni  leaders claim to have taken place. We were sold
off by our Romi Konknni leaders who were in KPA.  It was,  as the old
Goan Romi Konknni saying  goes  “Ghorcho Bhedi Bhailo Chor”.

By Wilson Mazarello
(Convenor, Romi Lipi Action Front)