Konkani is Dying ?

As UNESCO has mentioned 196 Indian languages are endangered in India that means these languages are dying because people are not aware about their own mother tongue and even Indian government is not doing anything about it. For ex Chattisgarhi, Maithili, Haryanvi, Santali, Bhojpuri, Marwadi, Garhwali, Kumauni, Dogri, Awadhi and Pahadi etc. these speakers have started speaking in Hindi and even they feel shy to speak their mother tongue in public. 

In same way in south India Tulu and Kodava people have started adopting Kannada, Badaga, Toda and Kota people are adopting Tamil this is because these languages are not recognized and these languages are treated as tribal languages …

So if we take Konkani, its also in same condition because Konkan region is geographically distributed in 3 different states , Konkanis in maharastra have adopted Marathi and they feel shy and low in the society if they speak their Konkani dialects Sangameshwari and Malwani and they think by speaking Marathi keep up their standard high in society.

For ex the younger generation chitpavans even doesn’t know that there is a language called chitpavani which is a dialect of Konkani and they proudly say that they are marathis not only chitpavans even GSB, RSB, Daivadnya and many Konkani speakers call themselves as Marathis. that’s the reason year by year marathi language census is increasing and Konkani is decreasing. In Ratnagiri and sindhudurg there are 8 lakh konkanis but census board has mentioned that there are only 45 thousand  Malwani speakers, this is because Konkanis don’t know that malwani is a dialect of Konkani.

As everyone knows goa is called as Konkani state but in Goa there are more number of Marathi schools than Konkani medium schools, there are is no Konkani national doordarshan channel in TV, no Konkani F.Ms, even in temples Hindu Konkanis do prayers in Marathi and with Marathi population of Goa, Konkani’s converse with Marathi and not in Konkani. 

If we take this issue in Karnataka, Konkani is in good state but south canara konkanis like to speak local languages in public places that are the reason Konkani is written in kannada script and they don’t have that attachment like all konkanis are one they like to call themselves as mangloreans. But in every household we here only Konkani but todays younger generation don’t converse in Konkani with other Konkani caste, they like to speak in tulu , kannada and Malayalam in public with other Konkani pals.

Actually in undivided south canra( mangalore , udupi and kasargod ) Konkanis are working hard for the growth of Konkani language even they are staying in Tulunadu region.but north canra is homeland of Konkanis where Konkani is common language spoken in public but then also people are not much concentrating on Konkani..

Konkani is dying because Konkani’s are changing their mother tongue like Catholics have started speaking English, nawayath Muslims are adopting Urdu, chitrapura saraswats are using kannada.

This should be stopped as early as possible otherwise in few years Konkani will extinguish from this world… I request all Konkani’s to speak in Konkani and even teach Konkani to their children and use Konkani wherever necessary, it may be any dialect try to understand, read konkani magazines, books, ask your children to take Konkani as one of their subjects in school, avoid marrying out of Konkani caste, Konkani is beautiful language lets conserve it, develop it and proudly call it as our mother tongue.

Konkani is basically a language of Konkan region of Maharastra.

Konkani originated from Konkan Prakrit which is sister language of Maharastri Prakrit and Suraseni Prakrit(Earlier language of Sourastra and Gujarath). Konkani is primary language of Goa. Konkani speakers migrated to Tulunad region Karnataka and Kerala and Kochi/Ernakulam district of Kerala. when Goa was occupied by Bahumani Sultans and later by Portuguese. Now 65 % of Uttara kannadas Karwar, joida, Haliyal and Coadtal dist and 15% of Udupi,  Dakshina Kannada and Kasargod district in karnataka speak Konkani language, 3.2 percent people in Kerala Kochi and other neighbouring districts speak Konkani.

Konkani language is surviving in Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.However this language is vanishing in Konkan region of Maharastra. Western Ghats are separating Konkani and Marathi speaking population. Konkan region came under Marathi influence when this region came under Maratha empire. Konkani was the local language of Mumbai, During Britishh rule when this city was prospering as financial capital of India, large number of Marathi and other language speakers came and settled in Mumbai. Now Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and English are the primary languages of Mumbai. Konkani is spoken as different dialect in Konkan region like Malvani konkani,Chitpavani Konkani, Kharadi konkani, Sangameshwari, Koli, Agri etc.

Maharastra Govt always considered Konkani as a dialect of Marathi. Many Konkani speakers in Konkan region have adopted Marathi as their mother tongue. Konkani is going to vanish from its home land soon