NT Reporter
Margao
Historian and researcher Sushila Sawant Mendes on Friday said that Romi script Konkani writers fighting for recognition cannot be labelled communal.
“Romi-script Konkani writers, who are fighting for justice, cannot be labelled communal. During the Konkani agitation, we fought together without script differences. Major contributions to the Konkani language have come from Romi-script writers in Goa and abroad. Branding the script as belonging only to Catholics is unjust and divisive,” said Mendes, former head of the History Department at Government College Quepem.
She was speaking as the chief guest at the ‘Global Konknni Forum Awards 2026’ held at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.
The forum marked its first foundation day with the ‘Global Konknni Forum Awards 2026’.
The awards were conferred on Manuel Fernandes (Literary), RJ Roque Vaz and RJ Bihula Vaz (Cultural – International Level), Marius Fernandes (Cultural – National Level), Natividade De Sa (‘Konknni Seva’) and Joshua Rocha Pereira (Youth).
Mendes also criticised the state government’s rule mandating compulsory knowledge of Konkani in the Devanagari script for securing government jobs. “Candidates appearing for lecturer interviews at Goa University are rejected because they cannot write their name or home address in Devanagari,” she said, adding that this criterion marginalises a significant section of Goan society.
“Those with expertise in their subject deserve an equal chance. Denying them opportunities simply because they cannot write in Devanagari is injustice,” she said.
Calling India a land of diversity and multilingualism, she said governments must listen to minority voices and added that Catholics constitute a linguistic minority in Goa whose concerns require attention.
She said that Konkani identity had been preserved through tiatr by tiatrists, priests and the Church through religious services and by others across various fields. However, she said sustainable preservation of a language or script requires government support.
Fr Pio Furtado, headmaster of Fr Agnel High School, Pilar, was the guest of
honour.
The function was presided over by president Antonio Alvares along with secretary Jose Salvador Fernandes and executive members of the forum.
