Tag: Romi Konkani

Books, Interventions, Interviews

Jason Keith Fernandes: The Suppression of Romi Konkani and the Shaming of a People

Courtesy: Joao Roque and Malavika Neurekar

The history of the Konkani language has been fraught with conflicts of all shades, including a complex relationship with the colonial Portuguese state, a movement to establish its existence as separate from Marathi in the 1960s, and a widespread controversy around the medium of instruction in state schools in the early 1990s. But its most interesting episode is perhaps also the least talked about.

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Books

Book Launch: Renver Borovp: Nibond & Niyall

Renver Borovp: Nibond & Niyall (Writings on Sand: Essays & Reflections), writings by the late Fr. Martinho Noronha, edited by Dale Luis Menezes, will be released on Friday, 6 October, 2017 by the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrão at the Multipurpose Hall, Krishnadas Shama Library or the Central Library, Patto, Panjim, Goa at 4 pm. The book is published by the Dalgado Konknni Akademi.

 

The title of the book draws from Fr. Noronha’s weekly column, written in the Konkani weekly Vauraddeancho Ixtt from 1978-1982. The inspiration for this title came from the biblical story of the woman taken in adultery where Christ writes in the sand. Fr. Noronha explained that the incident had a deep significance for him, as he believed that what is written on sand has the potential to touch our hearts. Fr. Noronha served as the editor of Renovação, the bulletin of the Archdiocese of Goa, after he finished his stint as a columnist for Vauraddeancho Ixtt.

 

This compilation contains all the articles that appeared in Vauraddeancho Ixtt. Fr. Noronha’s column dealt with issues of everyday life. For instance, the ever-rising price of sugar in the 1970s and 1980s was a recurrent topic in his columns. Additionally, Fr. Noronha reflected on Goan and national politics, Goan identity, the Konkani language and the controversy over the failure of the Roman script in Konkani, as well as issues pertaining to the Church and Christians in Goa. These writings allow us a critical insight into the recent past and bear witness to the fact that despite the passage of decades the many issues that Goans face remain constant.

Sorgest Pri. Martinho Noronha-n boroilolea Renver Borovp: Nibond & Niyall hea pustokachi uzvaddaunni Gõy ani Damanvche Arsebisp, Manadik Filipe Neri Ferrão hanchea hatantlean Sukrar, 6 Otubr 2017 disa sanjechea 4 vorancher Multipurpose Hall, Krishnadas Shama Library vo Central Library, Patto, Ponnje, Gõy hanga zatoli. Hea pustokachem sonkolon ani sompadon Dale Luis Menezes-an kelam ani Dalgado Konknni Akademi-n pustok chhaplam.

 

1978-1982 hea kallant Pri. Martinho Noronha Vauraddeancho Ixtt satalleacher Renver Borovp hea nanva khala aplo vibhag-lekh (column) boroitalo. Tea nanvacho adhar gheun hea pustokak mathallo dilolo asa. Borovpi hea mathalleachem xrey Povitr Pustokant aslolie eke ghoddniek dita. Niti khatir jednam Jezu mukhar ekie pordvar ostoriek haddli tednam Tannem renver kitem tori boroilem. Pri. Martinho amkam sangta ki khub pautti ami kagdacher boroilolem visortanv punn renver boroilolem-i amchea kallzant rigonk xokta. Renovação hea Gõy Arkdiosezichea niyall-potracho (bulletin) Pri. Noronha sompadok aslo. Vauraddeancho Ixtt satalleacher vibhag-lekh borovpachem bond korun tannem Renovação-chim sutram hatant ghetlim.

 

Hea pustokant Vauraddeancho Ixtt-acher chhapun yeilole sogle lekhancho aspav asa. Jinnechea chaltea ghoddam-moddincher dor sumanak Pri. Noronha aple lekh boroitalo. Tea khatir 1970 ani 1980-chea kallant jednam sakrechem mol choddot aslem, tednam hie vixim portun-portun ul’lekh zalolo amkam tachea lekhamni vachunk melltta. Tea bhair, Gõychea ani raxttriy rajkaronnacher, Konknni bhas ani lipi vad, ani Igorz ani Kristanvam mukhar aslolea mud’deancher Pri. Noronha-n aplem borovp kelem. Hi borpam sorun gelolea eka kallachem dorxon ghoddoitat ani zaiteach doskam uprantui je prosn tea kallar amkam sotaitale tech prosn atam-i apli tokli voir kaddttat hem Pri. Noronha-chim borpam amkam govai ditat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popular Essays

Why don’t you see Fascism?

By  JASON KEITH FERNANDES

 

The bye-elections to select the representative for the city of Panjim are being seen as critical given that it will determine if the BJP-led coalition will continue to govern Goa, and will also determine the career of the BJP candidate Manohar Parrikar. It is for this reason, therefore, that most people are on edge and apprehensive about the outcome. Some of the tensions involved in this election were made evident in the article written by advocate F. E. Noronha and published in Renovação, the newsletter and magazine of the Archdiocese of Goa. In this article, Noronha all but urged the electorate to reject Parrikar at the polls, arguing that a Nazi-like atmosphere had arisen in Goa.

 

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Popular Essays

Reading Reginald: Between “Venice” and “Russia”

By DALE LUIS MENEZES

 

During a recent visit to the Central Library in Panjim, I stumbled upon an entry in the database titled “Theatr Neketr Fuddarachem” authored by “Reginaldo Fernandes”. Knowing that generally Reginald Fernandes used an anglicized version of his name in most of his romanses, I decided to make sure if it was the same Reginald that I was interested in. The book procured for me was a small, pocket-sized one with no more than 70 pages which had badly yellowed and had become brittle as well. This book was published from Bombay in 1936.

 

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Popular Essays

Reading Reginald: Inside Africa

By DALE LUIS MENEZES

 

The last time I had written about the Konkani novelist Reginald Fernandes, I had suggested that to understand such writings as romans (and even tiatrs) we would have to think anew and look more closely into these writings. Accordingly, I had hinted that the way Reginald Fernandes understood and conceptualized ‘dignidad’ could be one of the many ways to understand the corpus of writings written in the Roman script. In response to my article, many felt (through social media) that Fernandes’ books should be put back in circulation. Though such an initiative would be welcome, this was not the point I was trying to make. Rather, what I wanted to do was to initiate critical discussion on the possibilities that are available in Fernandes’ writings.

 

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Popular Essays

Reading Reginald: Magic, Love, and ‘Dignidad’

By DALE LUIS MENEZES

 

Reginald Fernandes was one of Konkani’s most proficient writers, having more than a hundred books to his credit, with his avid readers excitedly waiting for his next offering. Fernandes wrote romans, which can be translated as novels (or novelettes, if one is being pedantic). Although Fernandes, and the genre of Konkani writing to which he contributed immensely was and is very popular, the romans as well as Fernandes have not received the critical scholarly and literary appreciation, that they so rightfully deserves.

 

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Popular Essays

National Interests and Local Interests

By DALE LUIS MENEZES

 

Goa Forward’s (GF) recent views on the expansion of coal handling at the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) should be evaluated with the party’s rhetoric of being a ‘regional party’. Surprising, some might say, that a party that stood for Goemkarponn is at odds with those who are desperately working to save Goa’s ecology. If regional interests or Goemkarponn are to be secured for the benefit of the local people, can national interests be served at the same time? Though the backlash to the statements led to a retraction as far as coal handling is concerned, nonetheless GF’s recent statements and their compromises on the issue of nationalization of rivers should make us to introspect and interrogate how national and regional interests operate.

 

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Popular Essays

Unburdening the Language from Motherhood

By KAUSTUBH NAIK

 

The debate over Goa’s language issue continues because the conflict is far from being resolved.The passing of the much controversial Official Language Act (OLA) in 1987 did anything but resolve it. In my previous columns, I have argued that the passing of the OLA was an act to impose Hindu Saraswat hegemony onto the Goan people, particularly the Hindu and the Catholic bahujan communities. In a book published in 2004, bahujan activist Ramnath Naik termed Nagari Konkani as ‘Bamani’, indicating the caste location from which the Nagari Konkani assertion emerged and is sustained till today. BJP MLA Vishnu Surya Wagh, in his op-ed article in a Marathi daily few weeks ago, also made a similar assertion, attracting sharp reactions from the Nagari Konkani camp.

 

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Popular Essays

Cantaram as Political dissent

By KAUSTUBH NAIK

 

Earlier this month, Goa Government’s Department of Information and Publicity held a ‘Konkani Kantaram Utsav’, a cantaram singing competition in which the participants were asked to sing about the achievements of the current Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government. This competition attracted a lot of criticism, noticeably from the tiatr community, questioning the government’s intentions behind organizing such a competition. Cantaram competitions are usually held without any pre-decided themes and certainly not with a rule that prohibits participants from criticizing the government. On the contrary, one of the several requirements of a cantar and cantorist is that of political sharpness. Cantorists ranging from Conception-Nelson-Anthony (famously known as the Trio kings) and William de Curtorim in the past, to the current sensation Francis de Tuem, have been famous for their radical political positions. Cantaram carry a huge affective magnitude for the Goan Catholic communities and it has played a key role in influencing public opinion at various historical junctures in post-colonial Goa.  The concerned department, in its official press release, stated that “[s]ong and drama is one of the medium used to propagating various policies, programmes and the schemes of the Government [sic]”. While using traditional cultural practices to propagate government schemes is not unheard of, there is more to the said cantaram competition than meets the eye.

 

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