Konkani

It is often argued that Konkani is an offshoot of Marathi. But literary evidence points to the contrary. While this may continue to be the cause of further debate, there is no doubt that Konkani has maintained a distinct and rich identity of its own.

It is not known whether Konkani ever had a script of its own. It is supposed that the ancient Brahmi script served the purpose. Later Brahmi was replaced by Devanagari and now the local script of the region (including Roman) is used. While this has added a dynamic element to Konkani, it has also made communication between regions difficult.

In 1556 the Portuguese brought the first printing press to India. But as there was no qualified technician to operate, it had to lie idle. This machine was used in 1622 when
Fr. Thomas Stephens, a British missionary, published Doctrina Christi (Doctrine of Christ). While the title of the book is in Latin, the text is completely in Konkani in Roman script. This is widely believed to be the first printed book ever published in an Asian language, a singular honour for Konkani !

Fr. Thomas Stephens went on to publish, in 1640, Arte Da Lingoa Canarim (The Art of the language of Canara) written by an anonymous scholastic in 1580. This is believed to be the first grammar written for any Indian language other than Sanskrit.

An affidavit claiming authorship to a certain Ayurvedic treatise signed by Appu Bhat, Rang Bhat and Vinayak Pandit of Kochi written in Konkani in 1675 is also the first evidence of Devanagari in block print. 

The first Konkani newspaper 'O Konkani' was published in 1886, followed by Salak in 1889. The oldest one still in print is 'Rakhno', a weekly started on Christmas Day in 1938 and published from Mangalore. There is even a Konkani daily - 'Sunampranth' - published from Goa.

On the cultural front, an exclusively Konkani art form called Zagor (dramatized religious stories ) is still retained in Goa. Theatre (satirical plays by drama companies) even now runs to packed houses in Goa and Bombay.

Other art forms still in vogue include Mando (song sequence) and Dhulpod (string songs). Gumna, an exclusively Konkani musical instrument, is used in Gumta Padam, a distinct style of music of the Kudmis and the Mangalorean Christians.

The exact origin of the Konkanis is difficult to ascertain. According to the Puranas, they are Aryan migrants from Central Asia. Available evidence suggests that around 4000 B.C. they were settled to an agrarian life, supplemented by cattle grazing, on the banks of river Saraswati (a tributary of the Indus, now extinct) in Sindh. Then at around 2500 B.C. they migrated, (spurred possibly by the drying up of the Saraswati) to Thrihotrupura (now Tiruth). It is to this place that we can trace their breaking up into families, in the form of 'gotras'.

Another round of migrations took place at approx. A.D. 1000, this time in search of greener pastures. There were two groups. The one that retains Konkani even today landed in Gomantaka (now Goa) on the Konkan coast; while the other moved east and settled in Bangla (now Bengal) where in the course of time they assimilated the Bengali culture. The striking similarities between some aspects of Bengali and Konkani languages and cultures probably bear witness to this historic link.

Goa was chosen mainly for its fertile soil where the Konkanis, with their expertise in farming, reaped three crops an year - an unheard-of phenomenon those days. In addition to rice, they also introduced cultivation of arecanut and bettle leaf .

But here too they could not remain for long. First there was the persecution by Muslim invaders; then the plundering and looting by the neighbouring Marathas. The most oppressive regime was however inflicted by the Portuguese. During their infamous inquisition - a programme for religious and cultural conversion - the Konkani culture was ruthlessly suffocated and valuable documents of historic importance were permanently destroyed. The forcible conversion also broke their solidarity and fragmented them socially and communally.

While some preferred to stay back, a large number began to flee in batches beginning in A.D. 1510. Most settled in various pockets in Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi regions of Maharashtra, Malnad, Coastal Karnataka and Kerala. However their agrarian pursuits ensured that they remain confined close to the water; along the coast or on fertile riverbeds where they are to be found even today. 

But their coming down to Goa gave them one valuable inheritance - their name Konkani, meaning the people of the Konkan.

Courtesy: www.culturalkonkani.org