On 28.10.18 while speaking during the function “Meet the Artiste” organised to honour Premananda Lottlikar in Margao, Tomazinho Cardoso pleaded with Nagri Konknnivadis to help Romi Konkani get its due recognition from the government. In this context I like to ask all concerned that who approved the draft bill giving recognition only for Nagri script Konknni ignoring the Romi script when major movement was done by the Romivadis? Besides Tomazinho Cardoso there were other Romivadis in KPA that spearheaded the last phase of Konkani movement to get its recognition, why they remained silent and why not insisted the inclusion of Romi script also? In fact what role these Romivadis played in favour of Romi script? According to some Nagrivadis the draft of the bill was kept open for the eyes of Romivadis too but they did nothing. Is it right?
Konkani is kept alive in Goa and among Goans mainly by the Romi script followers and denying Romi script its due recognition means robbing it of its due right.
Other sad part of this episode is this that now Konkanivadis in Goa are splitted into 2 factions totally divorced from each other and there is no much integration between the two as existed before. This split is very much vissible especially from some of the hard core Nagrivadis. Even when I was so close to the Nagri camp whose members were begging with me to help them financially from Kuwait during the language agitation AND some of them flirting with me during my vacations like "Pamprelam", have side tracked me as if we are fighting an Indo-Pak war.
When we sent from Kuwait lakhs of rupees for Konkani movement in Goa including for KPA we feel defeated and cheated when Romi Konkani was denied due recognition. I feel at least I on behalf of Kuwait Goans who have done so much for the cause of Konkani should get an open answer from the concerned Nagrivadis. There are many truths still remained hidden and our Romivadis are not fully prepared to give proper answer bcause they were I feel footballed by the Nagrivadis. May be they were treated like one eyed among the blinds fit for swim not in the ocean but only in the Pond.
It is time now for concerned Konkanivadis to throw some light on this issue.
A.Veronica Fernandes.