from Daijiworld Mangalore team from Azad Maidan, Panaji - Friday 7-30 pm

Report and pics Praveen Tauro JA Kulshekar

Panaji, Feb 10:  The symbolic rally convened by the Dalgado Konknni Akademi, Goa with the support of Vishwa Konkani Parishad and several organizations from Mumbai, Karnataka, besides Goa, drew a sizeable crowd on Azad Maidan here at 4 pm on Friday.

Supporters from Mangalore

Eric Ozario being interviewed by media

Dignitaries on the dais

The reasons that motivated the rally are as follows:

1 For equal status to Konkani written in Roman script on par with Konkani written in Devnagari script in the Official Language Act 1987.
2 Due to the discrimination in the Official Language  Act, wrters, readers, publishers, artistes, lovers and promoters of Konkani in Roman and Kannada are treated as second class citizens.
3 DKA recognizes and respects diversity of scripts, dialects of  Konkani and cultural ex-pressions of  Konkani people.

A section of the gathering

Sharon entertaining the people

The demands put forward at the rally were:

To demand

1  Equal status to Konkani written in Roman, Kannada and Devnagari scripts
2  To end the injustice meted out to all the scripts of Konkani except Devnagari

Another section of dignitaries on the dais

Supporters from Mangalore...

...and Goa

As the rally started at 4 pm, entertainment was provided by Tiatrists like Comedian Dominic Louis Bacchan, Francis de Tuem, Ben Evangelisto, Bab Andrew, Albert Cabrel, Mario Menezes, Lawry Travasso, Osvy Veigas, C. D’Silva, Sharon, Wilmix , Mazerello and Ullas Buyanv .

Sections of the gathering

Wilson Mazerello addresses the gathering

Eminent speakers addressed the gathering. The dignitaries on the dais included former speaker of Goa assembly Thomazinho  Cardozo, Dalgado Konknni Akademi president Wilson Mazerello,  Fr Manuel Gomes, Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr director Dr Pratap Naik, music-writer Ullas Buyanv, former MLA Radhakrishna Gracias, former Goa CM and sitting south Goa MP Churchill Alemao, Vishwa Konkani Parishad and Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy president and Mandd Sobhann Mangalore Gurkar's Eric Ozario, Panjim parish priest Fr Antonio Gomes, Fr. Conceicao D’Silva and Victor Gonsalves.