M’lore: Jagotik Konknni Songhotton organizes All-India Konkani Writers’ Conference in City

Media Release

Mangalore, 1 Oct 2013: Jagotik Konknni Songhotton (JKS) organized an All-India Konkani Writers’ Conference at Kalaangann, Makale Shaktinagar, here on Sunday September 29.

 
Seventy-eight Konkani writers from Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra and various regions of Karnataka, attended the Conference.

 
The Conference was organized with the intention of bringing together writers of all the 5 scripts of Konkani and also to probe the possibilities of forming an All-India Konkani Writers’ Forum.

 
JKS general secretary Eric Ozario, explained the purpose of the Conference and the need of forming an All-India Konkani Writers’ Forum.

 
Goa assembly former speaker and JKS president Tomazinho Cardozo spoke about the injustices done to writers in the Roman script.

 

Konkani activist Jesuit priest Dr Pratap Naik spoke of the developments in the writ-petition filed in the Goa bench of the Mumbai High Court, seeking rectification of the Official Language Act of Goa, to include the Roman script.

 

 

 
Valerian D’Souza, Marcel D’Souza and Eric Ozario, explained the developments in the writ-petition filed in the High Court of Karnataka, against the Sahitya Akademi, seeking equal treatment to all scripts of Konkani.

 
The Centre for Internet and Society programme manager Nitika Tandon spoke about Konkani Wikipedia and the need for the participation of the Roman and the Kannada script writers.

 
The Conference resolved to form an All-India Konkani Writers’ Forum, which would protect the interest of Konkani literature and Konkani writers of all scripts. An ad-hoc Committee was formed to discuss and decide upon the immediate steps to be taken towards the formation of the Forum.

 
A book of short stories authored by Kevin D’Mello, Karkal, titled ‘Chondda ani Gorbh’, was released on the occasion.

 
JKS treasurer Roy Castelino welcomed the gathering. Vitori Karkal conducted the proceedings of the Conference.