has to sell. The issues
highlighted by the newspaper have to be discussed, and
a conducive atmosphere in favor of the newspaper needs
to be created. Is this too much to expect?

Chapter 18:
Romi Konkani, hanging on a cliff

Peter RaposoPeter Rapose considers himself "just a five-year-old
priest" given the responsibility of editing a
seventy-year-old Konkani weekly. Says he modestly: "The
only thing I have besides my priestly studues is a
Diploma in Journalism from Xavier's Mumbai and a lot of
enthusiasm to do the best I can." The enthusiasm shows;
recently the publication he edits put up its website
(something other larger publications in Goa don't take
seriously) at http://www.v-ixtt.com. He has earlier
worked for three years in Bombay Archdiocese.

To say that Roman-script Konknni journalism did not
make a mark would be a fallacy. However, that it did
not maintain and live up to the challenges of modern
day journalism is a fact that caused its very decline.

The total number of Konknni-speaking people spread in
India (Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala) and
scattered across smaller pockets across the world is
five million (or, 50 lakh). This population of
Konknni-speaking people is further divided between
people who write the language and read it in four
different scripts: Devnagri, Roman, Kannada, and the
Malayalam script. While the Konknni people of Kerala
use the Malayalam script and Konknni people of
Karnataka use the Kannada script, the Devanagiri and
Roman divides the Konknni people of Goa and coastal Maharashtra.

Among the four scripts, the population that understands
or follows Roman script (RS) Konknni would be around
300,000 to 400,000 approximately. (This is a rough
calculation based on the 1991 census.) However, going
by facts and figures of Konknni journalism on the
whole, we could definitely put Roman script Konknni journalism
as the fore runner.

A Brief History of Roman Konknni Journalism

The first Konknni weekly Udentichem Sallok was
published in Pune by Edward Bruno D'Souza in 1899. It
started as a monthly periodical which later became
fortnightly. In 1894 it was closed down. It came out in
Konknni-Portuguese. In 1891, O Luzo-Concanim was
published. It was a bilingual weekly in
Konknni-Portuguese. Aleixo Caitano Jose Francisco was
its editor.

From 1892 to 1897, A Luz, O Bombaim Esse, A Luo, O
Intra Jijent, O Opiniao Nacional Konknni-Portuguese
weeklies were published.