Mangaluru ; “If Konkani-speaking people continue to fight over the script, there will be divisions among them and in the melee there will be no future for Konkani,” Goa Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza said.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the second Global Conclave to adopt Konkani Language Plan, organised by Jagotik Konkanni Songhotton (JKS) at Kalaangann in the city on Sunday, he called upon the Konkani-speaking people to forget the past and think about the future in the best interest of preserving Konkani and its tradition and culture.

Appealing to the Konkani-speaking people to try to create interest among children towards the language, at a time when they had been lured towards English, Francis D’Souza said that Konkani gave an identity to its speakers.

Stating that purity of language is another cause for concern, he said that several steps had been taken to implement Konkani in Goan administration. Goa is the only state in the world to implement Konkani in the administration.

Earlier, Christ University Registrar Dr Anil Pinto while addressing the gathering stressed the need to preserve Konkani.

Citing the example of Alliance Francaise, Max Muller Bhavan and British Council, which have been trying hard to promote French, German and English languages respectively, Dr Pinto said there was a need to take similar steps to promote and develop Konkani. Pinto also stressed on the importance of planning and regularly checking the implementation of the Konkani language plan.

Welcoming the guests, JKS Secretary General Eric Ozario said that the second global conclave was being organised to finalise and adopt the ‘Konkani Language Plan’ to ensure a secure future for Konkani.

The JKS had organised the first global conclave in August last year. During that conclave, it was decided to initiate the Konkani Language Plan, prepare a draft, circulate it among all the Konkanis around the world and finalise and adopt it at the second global conclave.
Accordingly, a steering committee, consisting of prominent Konkani leaders and intellectuals was formed which conducted a global survey, based on which the draft has been prepared.

Stating that the Konkani Language Plan is a document containing the imperatives that every Konkani around the world must follow, Ozario said that the plan had been drafted after 18 months of consultations, churning and soul-searching.

Noting that once the plan is adopted, it is for every Konkani to implement it, Ozario said that since the JKS lacked any legal powers or religious power, the JKS would only request all the Konkanis to take steps to save the language for a better future.

Konkani Academy president Roy Castelino and Steering Committee Member Dr Ravishankar Rao among others were present. More than 150 delegates representing Konkani organisations from around the world took part in the day-long deliberations.