Events

A Walk Through The Cultural Heritage Of Konkani With Ramesh Pai

Published

7 years ago

June 12, 2018

Contributor

Images from: Sahapedia.org

In a talk organised by Sahapedia, Ramesh Pai, a well-known Konkani writer threw light on the diverse culture and rich history of the Konkani community

Text credits: Lakshmi Priya

Tracing back to the precarious escape from the Portuguese at Goa, the hardships suffered by the Konkani community, who originated from the Konkan coast of south-western India is agonising. But amidst these disastrous stories, this ethno-linguistic community is known for its rich cultural heritage.

With a sonorous mix of traditions and folk arts, the cultural wealth of the community is tremendous and unique in every aspect. Payyanur Ramesh Pai, a Konkani litterateur, an expert on Konkani culture as well as the former chairman of Kerala Konkani Sahitya Akademy took a walk through the history and culture of the Konkani community last week at an Abhimukham, a talk conducted by Sahapedia, an online encyclopedia of Indian arts and culture.

The catastrophic journey of the Konkanis began during the disappearance of River Saraswati, after which the community scattered across the country. They went on to settle in regions like Kashmir, Kutch, and Goa. When the Portuguese began their tyranny in Goa, the Konkanis had to face various consequences. The Konkani language was banned, making it the first language to be outlawed in history, conversion to Christianity was forced and in case of their declining numbers, cruel punishments were enforced. “Konkani is the first Indian language in which the Bible got translated into. Then, the Portuguese brought missionaries and built seminaries. But things did not end there and the Portuguese dictated that the Konkani people would have to become Christians if they had to live there,” said Ramesh. “When some converted to Christianity, others refused and they were meted with severe punishment. This was when they escaped their land and migrated to the coastal areas of Kerala like Purakkad, Kollam, Kodungallur.”

Throwing light on to the settlement of Konkanis in Kerala, Ramesh said that when the people of the community requested the Zamorin of Calicut to allow them to settle there, he refused as he was in good terms with the Portuguese. Later, they migrated to Kochi after the ruler of Kochi allowed them to stay at the four borders of the canal. In Kochi, they majorly settled at the outskirts of the city – Mattancherry and Cherlai. “Both Mattachery and Cherlai got their names through Konkanis as earlier Mattancherry was known as ‘Mattavan Cherry’, which means the street or slum lived by refugees,” said Ramesh.

He also spoke about the need of preserving the Konkani language which is on the edge of decline. Due to the influence of the local areas where the communities settled, the language has lost its authenticity and has taken words from the languages spoken by the locals. The dialect differs according to the region they settled, making it a bilingual language. “Unfortunately, little efforts are being made to save the language from extinction. UNESCO has even declared Konkani language as an endangered one. Only this language can retain our culture, values, and ethos, ” he pointed out. The speaker made the talk even more illuminating by screening some of the traditional and age-old folk arts of the community like Fugdi, Kunbi, and many more.

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