Goan Catholics and the Konkani Language
by Pundalik Narayan Naik

One can't ignore certain happenings, which struck at
the very root of the aims and goals of the Parishad to
unite the entire Konkani community in one single bond.
In Goa, the chief centre of Konkani, the Christian
community has always been and remainded a formidable
aspect of the movement. Goa emerged victorious in the
historic opinion poll in 1967 and managed to maintain
its separate identity in 1985, during the official
language agitation this unified force was our chief
strength. But this force and unified strength got a
jolt when some politicians misguided them during the
dispute concerning the medium of instruction at the
primary education. It is the universal principle of
education that the child should be taught initially
through his mother tongue. A section of the Christian
community prided in English and was prepared to
agitate for it. This was a blow at the very root of
the Konkani movement.

This community is getting attracted towards English on
a large scale. Even today, in Goa, whenever two
educated Hindus meet other, they would invariably
converse in Konkani. But in case of educated
Christians they would invariably communicate in
English. Some days ago, I was travelling by train from
Goa to Mumbai. A Catholic family from Bardez entered
the compartment in which I was travelling. The child
was of about five or six year's old. The family
clearly belonged to a labour class. Throughout the
journey the husband and wife conversed with each other
through Konkani but while speaking to their child they
communicated in broken English. The child too, spoke
in English with her parents. While lying asleep at
night, the child seemed to have had a dream and
suddenly shouted Mai gue! Otherwise, it was only
English throughout the journey.

The Catholic community has taken a decision as what
will be their children's language. The future
generations of the Catholic community will have
English for their day-to-day dealings and Konkani will
only be the language for dreaming! I am not speaking
this with the intention of criticising anyone. Father
Moren Souza, our well-known priest from Goa, is the
editor of the religious periodical, Dor Mhoineachi
Rotti (Our Monthly Bread) ever since 1964, in one of
the interviews he gave to the periodical recently, he
says, "the Catholic community is attracted towards
English. Question arises, whether this community has a
future or not. Will the next generation of Catholic
in Goa know the Konkani language? It's a matter of
great concern."

When the doubts expressed by Father Morenbab will
become real, the Konkani community will suffer a
stroke of paralysis. It will paralyze on one side.
Once upon a time, this community was pressing hard for
the Roman script.
       
But now they need neither Roman nor Devanagari script.
It has abandoned Konkani itself.

The chief components of the Konkani movement haven't
shown sufficient seriousness in keeping the Catholic
community bound to Konkani. We have gone in search of
Catholics whenever we needed them to form our
movement. But once that was done, we have ignored them
totally. We didn't prepare any programme for
Christians when they would give up the Roman script
for Konkani. The most important of all, the Catholic
community produced many political leaders for Konkani
but hardly anyone among them emerged as a Konkani
literary leader. Evagrio George was doing this kind of
work. We looked to some of them as representative
leaders of the Catholic community but other Catholics
came to be their followers. We continued to depend
upon the same so-called representatives instead of
trying to locate a new one, who lifts up a little dust
when he gets up from the ground or the earth.

Contribution of Masses

Maybe, the Konkani masses have not been able to
contribute much to the Konkani literary or written
treasure; however, orally, it has contributed
immensely. The masses have done a great job in
fostering and developing Konkani through folkfore.
Most important of all, the Konkani language is always
on the lips and tongues of the masses. The common man
has not allowed any foreign language to prosper on his
lips in the name of artificial culture and
sophistication. It is true that the language develops
in the form of grammar, lexicon, criticism,
appreciation, etc. However, if the same language is
not in vogue in day-to-day speech, it dies out. There
are several instances in the world of such rich
languages, dead out of disuse. One single example of
the Sanskrit language would more than suffice.

The masses have some special media. We shall have to
approach them through this media. Music is his very
being. It has its own variety of music which is in no
way inferior to any type of music. It is very
impressive hence it gets imitated even at the national
level. If we approach the masses through music, I am
sure, the masses will not hesitate to place their
hearts in your palms. There are innumerable singers
and musicians among us. They have enriched our
language in their own way.

Tiatr & Film

Another medium to reach the masses is through drama.
The society likes to see its reflection in the drama.
In Goa, Tiatr is a very successful form of drama.
Tiatr won over the relationship with the masses and
the commoner has fully fostered this form of play over
a hundred years. Today Konkani drama, is trying to
establish a link with the masses.

In Goa, Konkani poetry, the short story and novel have
not yet reached the masses. But, while retaining its
literary character, the drama has managed to go and
settle there. The commoners have taken great pleasure
and delight in seeing its own reflection in the
theatre. Konkani drama will perform a great historical
task in future in bringing the masses towards Konkani.
We can't boast of any noteworthy tradition of kirtans
and pravachans.

There is yet another medium, which appeals to the
commoners. And that is the film. We are lagging far
behind in this arena. The South Indian languages
prosper through films and engrave a place in the
hearts of the viewers.

In Konkani, so far, hardly a dozen films have gone on
celluloid. In 1997, for the first time a state-level
film festival was held in Goa. But in the absence of
celluloid films, it turned out to be a video festival.
The first prize winning film in the festival did reach
the national hook-up and via the C-D technology, it
received sub-titles in 12 languages. Film festival is
a very good and encouraging activity but that is not
sufficient. Basically the production of films needs
lot of capital and some arrangements in this sphere
will have to be made. The Goa government does not have
any plans. Goa doesn't have the system of giving
grants as they have in Maharashtra and other states.
There are special facilities for making regional films
in Karnataka and Konkani films get some benefit
occasionally, that's all. Nothing in this regard has
been happening on the Konkan fora. Everybody is quiet
as if "Konkani film is not our subject." If a Konkani
film can be sub-titled in 12 languages and it gets
telecast in those 12 language centres, then why can't
other language films be subtitled into Konkani? Such a
thing must take place. Nobody enquires about it.
Occasionally an individual in his private capacity
takes up courage and enthusiastically produces a film
on his own and then repents after sustaining heavy
losses. None comes forward to rescue him. It's a
tragedy that the Konkani forum has not yet recognised
that Konkani film is essential for the development of
the language.
       
It is absolutely necessary that we should look at the
film-medium more seriously, the medium, which can keep
the masses, glued to the Konkani environment.

Inclusion of Youth Force
The future of any movement essentially depends on the
youth force. The youth has always been in the
forefront of the Konkani linguistic and literary
movement. I had entered the Konkani movement as a
young volunteer during the tenth session of the
Parishad held in Panjim in 1974. There was a special
session for the youth in that conference. The
youngsters, who participated in that Parishad, and
were seen on the dais, later made dazzling
contribution to Konkani over the last 25 years. The
leadership of the official language agitation held in
Goa in 1986 was really handled impressively by the
youth.

The official language movement was shouldered by the
youth. The leadership, too, was entrusted to them.
During the agitation, Mr. Rabindra Kelekar had been
asked by one of the youngsters:
"If you are a senior writer in Konkani how is that
there is no place for you in the agitation?"
Rabindranbab had  replied. "I am not childless. The
youngsters are carrying forward my tradition. The
Konkani movement is not sterile or impotent. It has a
great and long tradition. It passes the baton from one
hand to the other in a race as ordered by the
mother-Konkani. I am absolutely sure, they would not
go against the wishes of the  mother-Konkani."

"Awakening the masses about Konkani, accepting the new
technology for Konkani and absorbing the youth in the
Konkani movement is three-tier plan or Trisutri which
I have kept before you. I am sure, if these three
principles are implemented properly, Konkani would
emerge as a great force on the map of India in the
first half of 21st century."

Pundalik Narayan Naik is an eminent Goan writer.
Excerpted from his presidential address at the 22nd
All India Konkani Parishad at Belgaum.