“Oh Konkani, My Sweet Mother Tongue”
What is it about Konkani that you like?
(This piece was first published on 16 August 2017 and is being republished in light of recent calls for ‘One Nation, One Language’.)
The first word I heard was in Konkani. It was music to my ears and I have been speaking the Konkani language since. It’s but obvious that when I get hurt, the first word that is rushes out of my mouth is 'Ye Maayn’ (Oh mother) in Konkani.
There is a slight difference in Goan and Mangalorean Konkani languages. I am from Mangalore. We say 'Dev Borem Korum' (Thank You). Probably, this phrase is very much unique to Konkani spoken by Mangalorean Roman Catholic Christians.
Konkani is the only language where I can articulate very well. The best part is to read the beautiful literature that our language has to offer.
(This article was sent to The Quint by Jerry Rasquinha for BOL – Love your Bhasha campaign. Jerry is a Konkani artiste, poet, writer and a comedian. Jerry also works for LIC as an agent.)
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