CRIMINAL INJUSTICE TO KONKANI.

Since the time of exit of Portuguese from Goa  I have been promoting the cause of Konkani, first as a small school going boy and later on as a young man from Kuwait.  When the issue of Statehood for Goa became known to prevent merger of Goa with Maharastra, fighting for the cause of Konkani became imperative.   When I went to Kuwait in 1975, the first movement of mine was for the cause of Konkani and that was to establish a Konkani Daily owned by the people.  The late Evagrio George was my link who was the man on the field in Goa.  All the earlier Roman script Konkani Dailies lacked the required funds to sustain and failed. Uzvadd was surviving on fringe but it was owned by Chowgules who were pro-mergerists and pro-Marathi. While busy in campaigning for starting of one people’s Romi Konkani Daily, suddenly I got the news that Evagrio George met with an accident and died.

Immediately then Gurunath Kelekar a freedom fighter, a staunch lover of Konkani and the editor of Romi Konkani Weekly "Goencho Mog" from Margao initiated his movement in Goa under the banner of Novem Goem Pratishtan (A trust) to establish a people’s Daily in Konkani in two scripts – Romi and Nagri.  For this project some of the Trustees along with the supporters of this cause travelled on foot all over Goa asking donation for this project.

According to all the learned NGP Trustees comprising Doctor, Lawyers, Journalist and activists,  all selected by Kelekar,  the budgeted amount required for this project was Rupees Five Lakhs.  Once one lakh was collected they promised to start first the Romi Daily and when the collection reaches to 5 lakhs, the Nagri script Daily would start.  This was the written assurance NGP given to the public and this view in mind they went all over Goa for money collection, this Yatra lasted for about a month. 

Since Kelekar was aware of my move for the people’s daily thru the late Evagrio George before his death, Kelekar asked me to support NGP which I immediately did by forming a new association in Kuwait known as “Novem Goem Pratishthan Kuwait Somiti” to raise funds for NGP project.  The Kuwait Somiti was formed with highly influential and intellectual Kuwait Goans  of which type are not existing now in Kuwait.  Mr. Alexander Menino Fernandes from  Colva was also responsible in the formation of this Somiti which was headed by one senior and highly reputed Goan,  A. B. Fernandes also from Colva.  Me as an initiator was appointed as Jt. Secretary along with Alexandre M. Fernandes.

Then we as a team worked very hard to raise funds for this cause first by contributing money from our pockets and then from others thru donations and also  by organizing Tiatros.  Within a short time we managed to collect one lakh which we sent to NGP, Goa and later on more.  The final amount we collected from Kuwait for NGP was a little less than 5 lakhs of rupees. This was our money from Kuwait alone but besides Kuwait, donations came also from other parts of the Gulf and elsewhere, however the Kuwait donation was much higher.

To raise the fund in this way  from Kuwait we the then Kuwaitcars worked day and night doing extreme sacrifices even putting our jobs and other facilities into problems, inconvenienced our personal and family life because to struggle to raise such a huge fund in a country like Kuwait where the local laws are so rigid is very difficult, especially during that particular time. But we all did it for the cause of Konkani.  Inspite of doing so much what was the result?  Not only Romi Daily NOT survived but Nagri Daily never realized even though we from Kuwait itself sent the required money as budgeted by all the educated trustees of  NGP.

It is very much hurting to write here that NGP trustees frittered away recklessly the people’s money by fighting among them like Cats and Dogs.  They failed miserably to maintain the trust people invested in them by acting irresponsibly. If it was their personal money they would act very cautiously but since it was from the public they made wrong use of it. In the bargain we from Kuwait lost our credibility in front of the people while thru NGP movement some trustees gained foothold in public life.  The two main trustees Dr. Rebello started accusing Kelekar and Kelekar to Dr. Rebello. In the bargain not only NGP came into extinction but with it the great ideal behind NGP also came into extinction thru the Criminal Injustice to Konkani Cause.

After NGP move, in coordination with the late  Mathanay Saldanha, I, as proposed by Mathanay, was to go to the Goans in Kuwat again with an idea of purchasing Goan land for Goans only thru their contribution just as we did for NGP.  The time was very ripe then to venture into  this project but when NGP failed us on Konkani front I felt shy to approach our people in Kuwait again and thus our second project of purchasing Goan land remained unfulfilled otherwise a good portion of Goan land would remain in our hands instead of going it into the hands of Delhivalas and other non-Goans who are become big Bhattkars in Goa.

 

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