KONKANI AND GOWDA SARASWATH BRAHMANS
V. L. PRABHU
The life of Gowda Saraswath Brahmans, are equated by some scholars with that of the Jews. The Jews were driven out of Israel and the Gowda Saraswath Brahmanas from Goa. The Jews and Gowda Saraswath Brahmanas have been good businessmen, entrepreneurs and pioneers in many prominent fields. Jews had their own script and so also the Gowda Saraswaths. Jews continued to nourish their script whereas the Gowda Saraswaths did not care to nourish the script of their Mother Tongue, Konkani.
To say that Konkani had no written language of its own is deceptive. Let us look back and see why the script once popularised by our fore-fathers was thrown to winds. Mr. N. P. Mallya in one of his articles, writes, “The earliest inscriptions of 12th Century were in Nagari. Even the Dutch conceived Nagari as the ‘lipi’ for Konkani. The introduction containing a testimony in Konkani to Van Rheede’s “Hortus Indicus Malabaricus” of 1968 A. D. was written in Konkani in the Nagari script. The names of plants and herbs are also to be found in Konkani. Another important Konkani work Was the translation of the Bible in Nagari script by William Carey in 1808. Even the earliest Devanagari block printing is in Konkani”.
Our ancestors who originally lived on the banks of the Saraswathi River (Rajasthan) moved to other parts of the Bharatha Varsha mainly to Bangal and bihar,due to drought and drying up of Sarawthi river. Lord Parashurama a staunch Saraswath invited our ancestors to Goa which was then called as Gomanthaka. These Sraswaths who came to Gowda Desa and settled down at Goa came to be known as Gowda Saraswaths with Konkani as spoken language. Here our ancestors took to trade and commerce and prospered in life. There was all round development economically and socially. The ruthless and forcible conversion of the Portugese rulers compelled our ancestors to flee from Goa on a permanent basis and settle down on the Western coastal belt of India. Even here our ancestors lived well. They were pioneers in social, economic. educational and political fields. We, the present generation should feel proud of our hoary past.
It behoves one to know that during the last two centuries, Konkani script has been totally neglected although progress was shown by the Gowda Saraswaths in all fields of life,
The mainreason appears to be the fact that our ancestors were spread over a vast area preventing them from putting up a concreted effort to nourish the script. The poliical set-up of those days was also very much unfavourable for nourishing the script.
The time has now come for the present generation to make an all round team effort to revive the good old language and the script. Researches made by scholars have proved beyond doubt that Konkani had Devanagari script and that Konkani was much, older to Marathi language. Konkani has to be recognised as a separate language with Devanagari script. There are about 19 books on grammer and 24 dictionaries in Konkani language which is apart from 2000 odd other books by various authors.
The Government of Kerala has sanctioned introduction of Konkani in schools of Cochin area. The Government of Goa has declared Konkani as a language or official correspondence. The Government of India is being made aware of the import ance of including the Konkani language in the VIIIth schedule of the Constitution.
It is only our combined effort and a firm determination to introduce Devanagari as the written script of our mother tongue. will show to the Administrators the necessity of recognising our Mother tongue as an Official Language.
In this connection I am reminded of Konkani chorus broadcast by A R. Trivandrum in March 1981 under te auspices of Saraswath Association, Trivandrum. The singers sang
Kshama pavvka amcheri
Cherdu balacheri
Thukka ammi visarli”
(Forgive us 0, Konkani Mother We forgot thee)
The lyricist is totally correct. Let the brave children of Konkani mother an all round effort to revive the script.
OM NAMO SUDHEENDRA THEERTHAYA
Ganga
We believe that the lotus feet of Shri Vishnu is the source from where the holy Ganga originated. Am ong all the rivers, Ganga is the most holy and every Hindu, since his birth, believes that a single touch of her water will be enough to wash away all the sins.
Pati Bhakti
According to the Hindu Dharma, to the Hindu wife there is no God who is equal to her husband. Husband is her God and he is every thing to her. If she considers her husband as her God and if she serves him wholeheartedly thinking that her service to her Pati is the worship of God, then she has always His blessings and grace in abundance.
H. H. Sudheendra Thirtha Swamiji