Pundalik blasts Wagh over 'dividing' Konkani

GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 23 September 2013 21:58 IST

Goa Konkani Academy has strongly objected to Goa Kala Academy’s decision to split Konkani language into scripts in giving literary awards while discontinuing the practice of choosing the best book from among both the scripts.

GKA president Pundalik Naik, at a press conference, today also urged the government to get the ‘divisive decision’ withdrawn immediately.

Naik also charged that Kala Academy chairman Vishnu Wagh has unilaterally taken the decision in his own political interest and not out of love for Konkani.

Both, Goa Konkani Academy and Kala Academy are the semi-government bodies constituted by the Goa government.

Naik, who is also the member of the council of Kala Academy, recalled that a similar kind of decision, taken in the past by the executive council, was later withdrawn at the general council meeting.

Since then, he said, two panels of judges were appointed to select best books in Konkani’s Devnagari and Roman scripts and the third panel knowing both the scripts was choosing the best Konkani book from among these books.

“Even we the Konkani Academy do not discriminate on the grounds of scripts but offer its schemes to both the scripts, but considering it as one language”, he added.

However, Naik felt creating script-wise awards for Konkani literature would be like treating Konkani as more than one language, like Devnagari Konkani, Roman Konkani, Kannada Konkani etc.

 

Naik also claimed neither the government nor any other body under the government can take any decision regarding Konkani language without consulting Konkani Academy.

He quoted Article 4, Clause (xix) of the Constitution of Goa Konkani Academy, which reads as

‘to assist and advise the Government of  Goa in formulating its policies in the matter of the development of the Konkani Language, Literature and Culture and in assisting it in their implementation’

Naik, who had led the state-wide agitation in 1987 to make Konkani Goa’s official language, said the policy regarding Konkani as the language and its script is taken by the Goa Assembly and no other government has any right to alter it.

The press conference was also attended by Academy vice president Bhushan Bhave and other executive council members. 


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Konkani must be Goa’s Official Language with both Scripts (Roman & Devnagri).

- John Ferns, Goa | 24 th September 2013 21:56

 

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