Konkani in the Roman script , commonly known as Roman Konkani or Romi Konknni ( Goan Konkani : रोमी कोंक्णी , Rōmī Kōṅkṇī ) refers to the writing of the Konkani language in the Roman script . While Konkani is written in five different scripts altogether, Roman Konkani is widely used. Roman Konkani is known to be the oldest preserved and protected literary tradition beginning from the 16th century AD.
31-855: Chandor is a village in Salcete sub-district of South Goa , in the Indian state of Goa. It lies on the southern bank of the Zuari River and western bank of the Kushavati River. The ancient city of Chandrapura, where Chandor now stands, served as a capital from the Bhoja period to that of the Kadambas . The name comes from Chandreshwar, meaning Lord of the Moon, after the Hindu god Shiva who wears
62-629: A crescent in his hair. Chandor has a fort and a temple within its citadel. Located 10 km (6.2 mi) from the inland of Margao, it has both ancient and modern aspects to its history. Chandor also boasts ancient inscriptions of Bhoja kings dating back to the 3rd or 4th Century CE. It is thought that by the 3rd century, the Bhojas had ruled over Goa as well as Shashti, Antruz, Bardez, North Kanara district, part of Belgaum district and some other areas around Goa with their main power base being Chandrapur (current Chandor). The earliest piece of evidence being
93-472: Is a Great Salon, a large ballroom with the floor made of Italian marble, antique chandeliers from Europe adorning the ceiling, and heavily carved, ornate rosewood furniture. What stands out among the furniture is a pair of high-backed chairs, bearing the family crest, which was given to the Pereira Bragança family by King Dom Luís of Portugal. Most of the furniture dates back to the 18th century and
124-682: Is also carried out in the Roman script. However, many writers outside the Christian Community also write in Roman Konkani. Konkani in the Roman script is also used in tiatr . There are a huge number of people who solely or primarily use the Roman script. As a result of the recognition of only the Devanagari script, the rich body of Konkani literature written in the Roman script goes unrecognized, unpromoted and unrewarded. When
155-441: Is argued that giving official recognition to Roman Konkani will help strengthen the language by creating an inclusive environment for users of the Roman script and also to the native Christian majority of Goans . It will avoid people who have difficulty in using the Devanagari script or do not know the Devanagari script from feeling alienated and giving up on the language. Goans who do not know Devanagari are unable to communicate with
186-579: Is believed to be the first private library in Goa. It has almost 5,000 leather bound books in Portuguese, English and French collected by Luís de Menezes Bragança (1878–1938), a reputed journalist, renowned for the part he played in Goa’s independence movement. Salcete Salcete or Salcette ( Konkani : Saxtti / Xaxtti ) is a subdivision of the district of South Goa , in the state of Goa , situated by
217-494: Is made from local seeso (martel wood), lacquered or inlaid with mother of pearl by craftsmen from Curtorim village. For antique aficionados, the house holds many delightful finds. The west wing of the house belongs to the Menezes Bragança family. Apart from its exquisite furniture and Chinese porcelain from Macau, it also houses a collection of family portraits, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The library
248-507: Is the Portuguese corruption of Sāsaṣṭi , the sixty-six settlements which can also be traced in modern times. Romi Konkani An estimated 500,000 people use Roman Konkani. The use of Devanagari script for Konkani, which is now its official script, first occurred in AD 1187. Roman Konkani was not mandated as official script by law, for decades even after the Konkani language agitation of
279-559: Is the modern anglicised spelling of the historical lusitanised version Salcette . This word "Salcette" has been derived from Goan Konkani : सासष्टी , romanized: Sāsaṣṭī —a corruption of the Sanskrit : षट्षष्टि , romanized : Ṣaṭṣaṣṭi , lit. 'Sixty-six' . According to the Hindu mythology of the Konkan, the original sixty-six settlements of
310-570: Is unintelligible to most Goans, let alone other Konkanis, and that Devanagari is used very little as compared to Roman script in Goa or Kannada script in coastal Karnataka Prominent among the critics are Konkani Catholics in Goa, who have been at the forefront of the Konkani language agitation in 1986–1987 and have for long used the Roman script including producing literature in Roman script. They are demanding that Roman script be given equal status to Devanagari. Tiatr artists and tiatr aficionados are another group which supports Romi Konkani. It
341-545: The Velhas Conquistas (Old Conquests) was co-terminous with the undivided Salcette territory ( Mormugao and Salcete talukas ). In 1917, the concelho was bifurcated into the present-day talukas of Mormugao and Salcete. The contemporary Salcete taluka has been classified as a rurban area . Margao serves as the administrative headquarters of both Salcete taluka and the South Goa district. "Salcete"
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#1732798055952372-413: The 2011 Census of India . At the time of the 2011 Census of India , Salcete had a population of 294,464 with sex ratio of 1025 females to 1000 males. Salcete Taluka has an average literacy rate of 89.34%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 92.63% and female literacy is 86.15%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 1.17% and 11.06% of the population respectively. 72.15% of
403-651: The Bardesi ( Bardes ) and Saxtti ( Salcette ) variants as opposed to the Antruzi ( Ponda ) dialect written in Devanagari. In the 16th century, Christian missionaries studied the Konkani language in depth. They even prepared Konkani grammar, dictionaries and studied various facets of literature. The Jesuits established the first printing press in Asia in Goa in 1556. Since then, a rich tradition of Konkani literature in
434-743: The Goa Su-Raj Party announced in its manifesto for the 2017 assembly elections that it supports official status for Roman Konkani. In September 2008, the advisory board of the Official Language Cell of the Government of Goa recommended the use of Konkani in Roman script in government offices. As per the recommendation, Konkani in the Roman script would be permitted for communication purposes, and government employees may submit applications, appeals or representations and receive orders or notices in Roman script. At present, this
465-683: The Kadamba dynasty issued a copper-plate inscription in 1049 CE concerning a grant of a piece of land called Tudukapura in Kudtarika agrahara of Chhat sathi desha . This inscription suggests that Chhat sathi refers to modern Salcete, known as " Sāṣṭī " in the local language. The original sixty-six settlements of Salcette are as follows: Salcete taluka comprises nine comunidades : Benaulim, Betalbatim, Colva, Curtorim, Loutolim, Margao, Nuvem, Raia, and Verna. The sub-district consists of two cities, eleven towns, and thirty-five villages as per
496-548: The Sahitya Akademi awards and assistance. Recently, there has been a renewed surge in the support for Roman Konkani and in the demand for official recognition for the Roman script alongside the Devanagari script. Some examples of this are the growing online readership for Vauraddeancho Ixtt and several groups and pages on social networking website Facebook in support of Romi Konkani. The critics of sole recognition of Devanagari script contend that Antruz dialect
527-537: The Sahitya Akademi recognized Konkani in 1975 as an independent and literary language, one of the important factors was the well-preserved literary heritage of Roman Konkani. After Konkani in the Devanagari script was made the official language of Goa in 1987, the Sahitya Akademi supported only writers in the Devanagari script and writers in the Roman script (as also in the Kannada script) are not eligible for
558-458: The 13th century CE. This is part of a complex housing the relics of an ancient temple dedicated to Shiva , known alternatively as Isvorachem. The first Jain sculpture belonging to the early southern Shilahara in Salcete, Chandor was discovered by Fr Henry Heras during one of his expeditions. The citizens of Chandor have long harboured a fear of marrying women, due to a "Queen's curse" dating to
589-465: The 1960s. However in 2013, an ordinance passed by the Government of Goa allows the use of the Roman script alongside Devanagari Konkani and Marathi for official communication. The terms 'Konkani in the Roman script' and 'Roman Konkani' do not merely refer to the fact that the language is written in the Roman script, but they also refer to the dialects traditionally written in this script, namely,
620-474: The Kadamba dynasty. Many men thus prefer to leave the village before marrying a woman. Chandor is home to many ruined forts. Chandor is located at 15°15′52″N 74°02′52″E / 15.26444°N 74.04778°E / 15.26444; 74.04778 . It has an average elevation of 2 m (6.6 ft). Chandor is connected by road from Margao . It has its own railway station. The Bragança House
651-459: The Roman script has developed. Fr. Thomas Stephens made vital contributions to the development of Roman Konkani orthography in the early 1600s. Fr. Eduardo Bruno de Souza launched the first Roman Konkani monthly titled Udentechem Salok (Lotus of The East) in 1889, in Pune . He also wrote the first Konkani novel, Kristanv Ghorabo (Christian Home). Shenoi Goembab wrote seven Konkani books in
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#1732798055952682-581: The Roman script. Konkani literature was dominated by the Roman script before 1961. Reginaldo Fernandes (1914–1994) wrote over 200 Konkani novels in the Roman script called Romanses . Today, Konkani in the Roman script is mainly used by the Christian community because the liturgy of the Catholic Church in Goa is entirely in the Roman script and the work of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman
713-496: The Salcette territory were established by sixty-six Saraswat Brahmin clans who had emigrated here from North India . In Goan Konkani, the natives are referred to as Saxtticar or Xaxtticar ; साष्टीकार / षाष्टीकार ; Sāṣṭīkār/Ṣāṣṭīkār . The Salcete Konkani dialect of southern Goa known as "Saxtti" is notably different from the "Antruzi" ( Ponda ) and "Bardescari" ( Bardez ) dialects of northern Goa. King Viramarmadeva of
744-643: The Siroda plate found in Shiroda on the banks of a river. It also has a Shiva temple with old remnants of the fortress walls and form one of the oldest structural remains in Goa. Chandor’s origins are not exact, which has been justified by the fact that there has been found pottery of the Satyavahanas which leads one to think that their dynasty was much older than the Bhoja kings, ruling far back as 200 BCE. Chandor
775-724: The criticism against official recognition of Konkani in the Roman script is that having more than one official script for Konkani will lead to fragmentation of the language. In January 2013, the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court issued a notice to the state government on a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Romi Lipi Action Front seeking to amend the Official Language Act to grant official language status to Roman Konkani. In 2016,
806-468: The most spoken languages in Salcete Taluka. Languages of Salcete Taluka (2011) At the time of 2011 Census of India, 71.73% of the population of Salcete Taluka spoke Konkani , 10.52% Hindi , 4.65% Marathi , 3.82% Kannada and 3.20% Urdu as their first language. Founded as they seem to be by immigrant Brahmins somewhere between the 4th and the 12th centuries of the present era ... Salcete
837-504: The population lives in urban areas. Christianity is followed by the majority of population of Salcete Taluka, and forms over 75% of the population in rural areas. Hindus form a significant minority. At the time of the 2011 Census of India 53.57% of the population of the Taluka followed Christianity, 34.61% Hinduism, 11.38% Islam and 0.19% of the population followed other religions or did not state religion. Konkani and Hindi are among
868-469: The state government in their own language and are forced to use English instead, contributing to the decline of Konkani. The Roman script is widely used for Konkani on the internet. It is also the most convenient script for use with computers. There have been three state-level literary and cultural conventions of Konkani in the Roman script ( Romi Lipi Konkani Sahitya ani Sonvskrutik Sommelan ) held in 2008, February 2010 and February 2011 in Goa. However,
899-403: The west coast of India . The Sal River and its backwaters dominate the landscape of Salcete. Historically, the sixty-six settlements south of the Zuari River formed the original Salcette territory. Salcete forms a part of the bigger Konkan region that stretches along the western shoreline of peninsular India. In erstwhile Portuguese Goa , the Salcette concelho (county) located in
930-462: Was also the capital of the Kadambas until 1054, when they moved the capital to Govepuri/Gopakapattan ( Goa Velha ). Govepuri was destroyed by Muslims in 1312, prompting them to move the capital back to Chandor, until it too was sacked in 1327. Father Heras on his discovery of Chandor in 1929 CE, found a very old and shattered image of Nandi, Shiva’s Bull, believed to be affected adversely by raids in
961-415: Was built in the 17th century. This huge house is situated on one side of the village square. It has now been divided into two separate houses, with a common entrance. The east wing, occupied by the Pereira Bragança family, has a small chapel with a relic of St. Francis Xavier , which is a fingernail. The artefacts, collected by the family over a number of years, have added to the beauty of the house. There