Varde Vaman Valavalikar, popularly known as
Shenai Goembab sowed the seeds for resurgence of Konkani with
intense and uncompromising dedication and Madhav Manjunath
Shanbhag from Karawar gave to that effort the needed emotional
moisture and missionary warmth. Konkani language rose like a sphinx
from the ashes, in spite of numerous quislings within the Sarasvat fold.
Konkani Bhasha Mandals were formed in every place, Annual Literary
Conferences were held, and Performing arts both in dramatic and
musical forms came to be encouraged. Folk songs and dances, long
forgotten, were revived even as the wisdom of common idioms and
proverbs were collected, Christians who had preserved some literature
and Hindus who were becoming alive for using Konkani for their
creative outlet fashioned a kaleidoscopic picture of resurgent Konkanis
in India as well in many foreign countries where they had spread over.
If there was still something lacking for bringing together different
regional and religious segments of the Konkani speaking with one
script, which alone will bring the Konkanis together making their
language understand in spite of the regional variations, so that a time
would sooner come than later when the language will have a
standardized form.
Yet what is lacking among Konkanis is the lack of interest in
traditional values, whether they are Sarasvats, or any other communities.
Nagesh V Sonde