Monday, June 21, 2004

Konkani Convention - (26th to 29th December 2004)

Salu Soz posted a message on the Konkani Convention in December 2004. I have posted the entire message here -

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First International Catholic Konkani Convention - (26th to 29th December 2004)



Background of the Konkani Catholics

The Konkani Christians of Canara had grown into prosperous
communities under the patronage of the Bednore Kings and Hyder Ali.
Soon after the treaty of Mangalore in 1784 however, Tipu Sultan
issued orders to all stations in Kerala to seize the Christians,
confiscate their estates and deport them to Seringapatnam. Barely
15,000 of these survived their exile, which lasted for 15 years until
1799, when Seringapatnam fell. At the behest of General Wellesley,
about 1000 of them were sent to Malabar, a few hundreds settled in
Coorg, while over 10,000 returned to Canara. It is the descendents of
these survivors that constitute the present lot of Konkani Catholics
in Canara, Malabar and Coorg.

The Catholic Sabha intends to remember the difficulties undergone by
our ancestors, and honour the sacrifices they have made. The
convention is one of the ways through which we can get together in
their honor, and understand how important it is to keep our Konkani
language alive.

Following in the footsteps of their resilient ancestors, Canara
Catholics have made special contributions in all walks of life. They
have also contributed greatly towards education. Today, the Catholics
from Mangalore scattered all over the globe, continue to make
significant contributions. We as a community are proud of their
achievements.

The first International Convention of the Canara Konkani Catholic
Community will be held from the 26th of December 2004 to the 29th of
December 2004, in Mangalore.

The Catholic Sabha, Mangalore diocese will be organizing this
convention under the patronage of the Bishop of Mangalore, Rt. Rev
Aloysius Paul D’souza with Maritto Sequeira as Convener, and Eric
Ozario as Co-Convener.

The convention has the following objectives:
- to celebrate unity
- to celebrate identity
- and to work towards a secure future for Catholics

Recognition for the Konkani language has finally come , with the
Government having included Konkani in the 8th schedule of the
Constitution of India and having awarded it the status of a National
language. This recognition and the resurgence of ethnic pride among
the Konkani speaking people to popularize the Konkani language,
heritage, literature, culture, has today led to this first ever
international convention of the Canara Konkani Catholic Community.
While through the years, our tradition and culture have only orally
been handed down to our children; this convention will be another way
to pass it on to the future generations.

It is estimated that there are more than seven lakh Konkani speaking
Catholics in the country and abroad. This is an effort to bring them
together and make them know the importance of preserving the Konkani
language, heritage, culture, faith & liturgical formulas of our
ancestors.

During the convention, core issues related to the Konkani language
and to Catholic communities would be highlighted and discussed. There
is the looming threat of the Konkani language gradually diminishing
due to the preference for speaking English in our homes and families.
To highlight this factor, the convention will also include
discussions on how to stop the 'destruction of Konkani language
because of the love for English'.

Further, a series of conferences will be held to discuss and analyze
the strengths and weaknesses of the community and to test its
adaptability to the changing global scenario. Feedback, which is
received from such discussions and conferences, will be used to frame
solutions and plans for improvement.

The event will also focus on awareness of the hardships experienced
by our Konkani ancestors and on the need to keep alive our traditions
of resilience by exploring diverse career options.

People of Konkani origin from across the Globe, especially from all
over Karnataka, are expected to actively involve themselves in this
first ever CKCS MANAGLORE Konkani Convention

Prominent personalities, as well as delegates and representatives
from around the Globe are expected to participate in this event. The
Convention will also serve as an opportunity to meet prominent
Catholics who we have this far, only heard about, and not been
fortunate enough to meet.

At the Convention, several well-known Mangalorean Catholic
personalities who live in various parts of the world will be honoured
for their achievements. They will be instrumental in leading other
Catholics in their regions, and will be responsible for forming
regional committees and increasing awareness about this convention.

This is a call to all Konkani Catholics to participate actively in
this great event. Come, let us show our unity, and celebrate our
unique identity. Let us use this convention as a platform to look
objectively at our community, and improve it so that we can be poised
for a secure future.

The Catholic Sabha, Mangalore, is a service organization of the
Catholic community of Mangalore Diocese, set up on April 29, 1979 and
inspired by Jesus Christ as the association’s role model. The
organization, which started with 80 churches and 120 representatives
from all over diocese, has steadily grown over the years, as is
apparent from the need to hold an event of such a large scale, as
this Catholic Convention. The main aim of the Catholic Sabha is to
inculcate the ideals of service, love, sacrifice and forgiveness. It
was also aimed at developing leadership qualities among the people,
besides inspiring people to take up service in the cause of the
nation by bringing political awareness among people to obtain all our
rights and not to have any discrimination.

The Catholic Sabha has helped set up more than 100 self-help groups
in the diocese. It has set up the Manasa Rehabilitation and Training
Centre for the welfare of the handicapped and mentally challenged
children. It has also set up co-operative societies at Kundapur,
Udupi, Belthangady and Bantwal. The Self-Help Society, Rachana
organization, Navachethana, Dante Memorial Trust and ‘Amcho Sandesh’
Konkani monthly, are all being run by the Catholic Sabha.

It is apparent that the Catholic Sabha is marching towards success.
Its members have initiated several programs to keep the Konkani
language, tradition, heritage, literature and culture alive. This
would have been impossible without the dedication and commitment of
its members.



Convention Organisers:

Chief Patron: The Most Rev Aloysius Paul D'Souza
Chief Convener: Maritto Sequeira
Co-Convener: Eric Ozario
General Secretary: Godwin Pinto
Spiritual Director: Rev Fr Walter D'€™Mello

Reception Committee: President : Blesius D'Souza
Finance Committee: President : Rev Fr Prashanth Madtha
Publicity Committee: President : L. J. Fernandes
Cultural Committee: President : Rev Fr Dennis D'€™sa
Conference Committee: President : Rev Fr John Fernandes
Exhibition Committee: President : Roy Fernandes
Souvenir Committee: President : Titus Noronha
Hospitality Committee: President : J.R Lobo
Procession & Volunteers Committee: President : Santhosh D'Costa
Accommodation Committee: President : Richard Monthero
Travel Committee: President : Marcel Monthero
Food Committee: President : Ivan Sequeira
Arrangements Committee: President : Luvi Pinto
Documentation Committee: President : Irene D'Mello
Liturgical Committee: President : Sister Gres D'€™sa
Public relations & Security Committee: President : Ivan D'€™Souza


Courtesy: DaijiWorld.com




Dev Borem Korum

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