NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Language row set to re-erupt in Goa

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panjim

The age-old language controversy, fuelled by the demand to make Marathi the official language, appears set to erupt again in Goa. The Bombay high court, almost 13 years after the Official Language Act was passed, has ruled that Konkani is the state's only official language.

This is the first time the court has interpreted the controversial Act passed by the assembly of the former Union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu after violent agitations by protagonists of the two languages. The agitation, which took a communal turn, had paralysed Goa for a fortnight during the tourist season in 1986.

To restore calm and resolve the issue amicably, the assembly had passed a law making Konkani Goa's official language while stating that Marathi would also be used for all or any official purposes.

"Undisputedly Konkani is the official language. The mere use of Marathi for official purposes to reply to communication received in Marathi by itself cannot afford the status of official language to Marathi or equal status with Konkani. The fact that 90 per cent of the people of Goa speak Konkani is not in dispute," the court has said in its latest verdict.

The Marathi Rajyabhasha Prasthapan Samiti [Organisation for Establishing Marathi as the Official Language], whose petition was dismissed by the Goa bench of the high court, had challenged government notifications making the knowledge of Konkani essential and that of Marathi only 'desirable' for employment in the state.

As the same court had once observed that Marathi enjoys the same status as Konkani, the supporters of Marathi filed a petition against the 'discrimination'.

"The order is really shocking and needs to be reviewed by the Supreme Court," said former Union law minister Ramakant Khalap, who had led the state-level agitation for making Marathi the official language.

But Khalap himself is now the target of the Marathi protagonists, who accuse him of having misguided them into believing that Marathi enjoyed equal official status.

Gopal Mayekar, former member of Parliament and president of the Gomantak Marathi Academy, has convened a meeting to resume the pro-Marathi agitation. "Our politicians have done what even the Portuguese could not do," he remarked.

Though Konkani is the only widely spoken language in Goa, Marathi grew to become the prime written language after the advent of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Suppressing Konkani, the new rulers tried to spread Portuguese through education and other means. That was when Marathi became the primary language for education, religious purposes and even cultural expression. The growth of Konkani on the other hand was stunted. Even after Liberation on December 19, 1961, the first government of the state, formed by the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, replaced Portuguese-language schools with Marathi schools.

Pointing to the many similarities between the two languages, the MGP dubbed Konkani a dialect of Marathi and demanded Goa's merger with neighbouring Maharashtra. But this was vehemently opposed by the Konkani-speaking population, leading to the country's sole referendum in 1967. A majority opted to retain Goa's separate identity.

In 1975, Konkani was recognised by the Sahitya Akademi as an independent language. Twelve years later, the violent statewide agitation forced the Congress government ruling the state to make Konkani the official language. This was followed by statehood for Goa the same year. Now Konkani has even found a place in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

"As the high court has put an end to all the controversies, the government has to be pressurised to fully implement the Official Language Act and make Konkani compulsory for jobs here," said Uday Bhembre, a journalist and president of the Goa Konkani Academy.

While the language controversy kept Goans busy fighting among themselves, the state's population doubled from 700,000 in 1961 to 1.5 million now in spite of having the best birth-control rate in India, thanks to the influx of outsiders in almost all sectors.

"Accepting the court verdict, we should now end the controversy and fight unitedly to make our socio-economic structure self-reliant with the imposition of Konkani in jobs. No Goan is opposing the status Marathi enjoys in Goan society," said veteran journalist Chandrakant Keni.

But the Marathi protagonists, who feel hurt and cheated, are in no mood to listen to any such arguments. They are bent upon restarting their agitation to make it Goa's official language.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report