Context:
In 1987 subsequent to mass
demonstrations composed overwhelmingly of bahujan Catholics the legislature of
the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu recognised Konkani in the Nagari
script as the official language of Goa. This recognition of script was used to
privilege a brahmanical project of fixing the identity of Konkani in the Nagari
script alone, sidelining in this process the more vibrant and older tradition
of writing Konkani in the Roman script, and its largely Catholic users.
Consequently, a movement for the official recognition of Konkani in the Roman
script emerged as a result of a systematic campaign of suppression of cultural
and literary productions in the Roman script. More recently, with the Kala
Academy, the premier state-supported cultural body announcing awards for literature
in the Roman script, it is being maintained by some that the Roman script may
in fact destabilize the status-quo that favours the Nagari script (and
therefore brahmanical hegemony), leading to a number of persons coming out
seemingly making concessions to the Roman script. One such overture was made by
Prabhakar Timble in The Navhind Times,
Goa. Timble is a legal expert as well as the former State Election Commissioner
of Goa. The following article is a response to Timble that was disallowed
publication in The Navhind Times.
*
The recent statements of support in
favour of the continuation of awards reinstituted by the Kala Academy for
literary works in Roman script will possibly bring good cheer for the votaries
of this script. However, it is important that these statements of support be
examined for their logic, rather than the superficial support they seem to
offer. In proposing this course of action, reference is particularly being made
to the opinion piece, “Promoting Konkani Language Culture” by
Prabhakar Timble in The Navhind Times dated
15 October, 2013.
While Timble seems to be supporting
the recent decision of the Kala Academy to offer literary works in the Roman
script to obtain awards, his real fear is that the status quo as regards the
place of Konkani in the Nagari script will be upset if the demands of the Roman
script activists is allowed to go further. This fear is clearly evident in his
statement: “The official language accepted in Goa is Konkani in ‘Devanagiri’
script. This is a settled issue because of the sacrifice and enlightened minds
of the leaders of all communities.” Indeed, the core of the demand of the Roman
script is not that literary works in the Roman script get awards, but rather
that Konkani in the Roman script be given its legitimate place in the Official
Language Act (OLA). This demand has been made because even though this form of
Konkani is an older version of Konkani, and continues a vibrant production of
Konkani culture, it has been subjected to all kinds of abuse and suppression in
the years since the OLA was enacted. Further, while Konkani alone may be
recognised as the official language of the state, the fact is that the
operation of the Act continues to give official language status to
Marathi. This has resulted in Goa having
two official languages, de facto. The issue of the status of official language being
awarded in favour of Konkani in the Nagari script is, therefore, by no means “settled”.
Indeed, contrary to Timble’s suggestions, there are very large numbers of
members of the bahujan samaj who
refuse to acknowledge Nagari Konkani as a legitimate Goan language because they
see it as a ploy to ensure brahmanical supremacy in Goa. Consequently, the lone
Nagari Konkani newspaper that exists has one of the lowest figures of
circulation, lower than Konkani newspapers in the Roman script, and many times
lower than Marathi language newspapers. These bahujan samaj activists would possibly accept Romi Konkani as an
authentic language, but continue to refuse to accept the Nagri version. It is
in recognition of this reality of the operation of the OLA, and to ensure that
Konkani in the Roman script also enjoys the status that these two other
languages enjoy, that the activists for the Roman script have been agitating
right from the days that the OLA came into effect.
Timble inserts a number of subtle
arguments to ensure the exclusive privilege that Nagari Konkani activists seek
to retain. Indeed, it is around such arguments that the votaries of both
Marathi and Nagari Konkani have often ganged up against the proponents of
Konkani in the Roman script. The first of these arguments is to suggest, as
evidenced above, that the decision in favour of Nagari alone was made by
“enlightened minds”. The suggestion, therefore, is that those who challenge
this supremacy of Nagari are unenlightened “fanatics” who seek to sow the seeds
of division. The problem, however, is, as Timble himself recognises, that the
division already exists, perpetuated in large part by the suppression of
non-Nagari Konkani by the votaries of Konkani in the Nagari script. This
suppression involved state supported institutions like the Kala Academy and the
Goa Konkani Akademi refusing to consider works written in the Roman script for
state awards, the systematic disparagement of productions in the Roman script
like the tiatr (a form of drama) and romans (novels or novellas) as lacking
in standard. It needs to be recognised that the grant of awards is often not
merely the establishment of a standard, but also a way for the state to extend
financial support to the arts.
The other argument that Timble throws
up, and one that must be subjected to greater scrutiny, is his suggestion that
the “Romi script is an accident of history”. It was this very suggestion that
formed the basis of excluding the Roman script from the OLA. The implications
of this argument are extremely dangerous since it suggests that the people who
spoke the Konkani language had a certain trajectory of cultural development
already chalked when its fulfilment was interrupted. The interruption implied is
clearly: the arrival of the Portuguese and the establishment of their rule in
the subcontinent. If the arrival of the Portuguese is seen as the cause for
this accident of history, then surely there are a number of other accidents
that occurred. The most crucial of these is the conversion of a sizable portion
of the Goan population to Christianity. Must this Christianity also be seen as
an accident of history because its growth coincides with Portuguese rule?
Timble may well suggest that this “accident” be accepted and understood, but it
is because these historical facts are seen as accidents that the Roman script
and its cultural productions have been consistently deprived their rightful
place in officially recognised Goan culture. Even if the state celebrates
aspects of Goan culture that result from Portuguese intervention in local
society, these are seen as exceptions rather than the rule. Herein lies the
problem where Catholics are regarded as outsiders and foreigners to the
acceptable national community, and any assertion of their difference is construed
as being unacceptable. This intolerance of difference is amply evident in
Timble’s suggestion that “‘One language, One Script, One community’ is not a
wrong dream. But, it is an ideal paradise whose time has still not arrived.”
Like the other votaries of the hegemony of the Nagari script, Timble too
clearly believes that difference is a problem that must ideally be erased. By
this logic, one can imagine that in Timble’s paradise all persons will be Hindu
as well.
In conclusion, the statements of
support by persons such as Timble should be read with caution. These statements
do not recognise the legitimacy of Konkani in the Roman script, nor the demand that
the Roman script be given an official place in the OLA. The sole purpose of
Timble’s statement of support is to ensure that the delicate balance of
linguistic power that currently exists in favour of both Nagari Konkani and
Marathi is not tilted towards Marathi and Konkani in the Roman script. The fact
is that while Konkani in the Roman script continues to be patronised by its
loyal supporters in Goa, Konkani in the Nagari script has failed to achieve
this position largely because it is an artificial creation that has sought to
suppress Konkani in the Roman script, and has failed to achieve the trust of
the Hindu bahujan who continue to use
Marathi as a weapon against this particular Konkani.
(Written along with Dale Luis Menezes this post was first published on Round Table India on 28 Oct 2013)
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