The Navhind Times I Sunday August 2, 2015 [email protected] @navhindtimes facebook.com/navhindtimes ± navhindtimes.in/app Goa is Happening P3 P4 Movie Together again: Review These actor-jodis shared a common project after a gap of several years Don’t Miss It! Pic by Hemant Parab | NT BUZZ Sunaparant: End of a cause On July 31, Goan readers read for the last time the newspaper in the official language of Goa (Devnagri Konkani), Sunaparant. The daily shut down due to financial reasons, but locals do not perceive the closure as just another newspaper shutting down; the move is looked upon as a blow to Konkani language and the cause the paper stood for. NT BUZZ speaks to various stakeholders of Sunaparant, Konkani language activists and experts The news shocked many Goans, NT BUZZ including the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who was made region and its language aware of the development after a always go hand in hand and delegation of journalist approached a newspaper in the official him on July 29. At that time he After 17 years, in 2004, I even bore further losses by mak- language of the region in many had assured the delegation that he ing it more modern and with more colour pages. I was hope- would look into the matter, but the Dev borem korum! ways becomes the voice of that decision of shutting the newspaper ful that the response would increase and we will make it a Aland. In Goa, the sole Devnagri Konkani full-fledged daily like the chain newspapers of Maharashtra as of July 30 had already been daily, ‘Sunaparant’, saw its last editions taken by the management of and other states dominating Goa’s media scenario. But, unfor- on newspaper counters on July 31. Sunaparant. …says Dattaraj Salgaocar tunately, Sunaparant did not get the expected response from Konkani readership or advertisers though the Konkani move- attaraj Salgaocar, owner of the Sunaparant newspaper, ment has become much stronger in last 28 years. Sunaparant who had started this newspaper in memory of his father also did not get the official patronage and as support from the Goa Union of Journalists late Vasudevbab Salgaoncar, says that Sunaparant didn’t Goa Government it deserved after Konkani becoming Goa’s of- garner expected response from the Konkani readership ficial language. We also had to suffer a huge burden financially he management said they had to close the newspaper since the Gov- even though the Konkani movement has become strong- following the salary structure defined by Wage Boards from ernment of Goa paid mere lip service to support the lone Konkani Der in these 28 years. His official statement says: “It is with a very time to time, in terms of protecting the welfare of our employ- newspaper in Goa’s official language, thus resulting into huge amount of heavy heart that I have to take the decision to close down Suna- ees. All in all the ever increasing production costs, stagnant “Tunbearable losses. It has become economically unviable to run a news- parant, my own baby, which I had started as the need of the hour circulation and lack of ads have made it impossible to sustain paper. The management also conveyed to the GUJ officials that it has taken all the when Konkani was made the official language of Goa in 1987. I the newspaper. It is with great sadness that I have to close measures of settlement laid down under concerned laws, including the retrench- never looked at the huge losses I had to bear for last 28 years this initiative which I started in the memory of our beloved ment benefits as well as gratuity, provident fund, etc, to all the 27 employees of since it was for a cause. I must say Sunaparant did very well in father Vasudevbab Salgaoncar, who loved Konkani and Goa. Sunaparant. The GUJ also discussed the issue of loans taken by some of the Suna- touching the hearts of Goans, and in terms of developing Konkani Sunaparant has done its part to support the Konkani move- parant employees, which the management agreed to deal on case-to-case basis, in in the field of journalism as well as literature and taking ahead the ment and cause and I must say it has achieved a great success. the interest of concerned employees. GUJ will meet the management once again thoughts of unity, free thoughts, secularism and scientific temper I am sure there will be more such champions and supporters in case any dispute arises and injustice is meted out to any of their member while enshrined in our Constitution. I allowed full editorial freedom to and I promise to back them as Konkani is very dear to my closing down the 28-year-old Konkani daily”, states the GUJ press note. my editors. heart. Dev borem korum!” Uday Bhembre and Raju Nayak, START OF A NEW WEEKLY has 40 members most of whom are journalists, students, college About Sunaparant after which the black and white lecturers and Sunaparant’s contributors. he news of the closure of the Devnagri Konkani daily Su- After the official announcement of Sunaparant’s closure on July >Sunaparant was started on May newspaper was shifted to the naparant led to a new group being started on a mobile app 30, the group organised a meeting to decide the future for Kon- 13, 1987, soon after Konkani was capital city of Panaji. It had 10 Tcalled ‘Sunaparant Revival.’ The group plans to start a weekly kani newspaper. “It is quite shameful that there is no newspaper made the official language earlier pages was made colour in 2004. newspaper in Konkani in order to fill the void created by Suna- in the Official Language of the state. We are planning to start a on February 4. Chandrakant Keni, Sandesh Prabhudesai, Anant Salkar parant’s closure. weekly in Konkani under a new name. It will be funded by ‘Antruz who was also editing Rashtramat, and Babali Naik served as its later The group has been started by Hrishikesh Kadam, an advocate Ghudyo’ and small publications. It will have four pages and will was the founder editor of editor. Mahesh Divekar was made by profession and member of the cultural organisation ‘Antruz have main news on page one, as also news related to region na- Sunaparant which started from an acting executive editor before Ghudyo.’ “We started this group when we got the news that it tion, sports, etc. We are planning to launch it before August 15”, Margao. He was succeeded by the daily was shut. [Sunapranta] is closing down. We even approached Salgaocar in says Kadam, who was expecting around 20 people to join in but order to revive it. But, it didn’t work out”, says Kadam. This group was pleasantly surprised when 60 people attended the meeting. Sunaparant had inspired distribution, everyone has to be blamed. I am hopeful that a new I am very sad at this news. It has been very unexpected. two generations of writ- newspaper will come up to support the movement, though we In fact, with the Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) involve- ers. We at Goa Konkani have got a lot of support from other newspapers and electronic ment, there was a little hope, but now that it is closed, Academy have around media. Konkani is spoken and promoted all across the state in it is very saddening. Right from the time I was a young 150 books been published, the political, cultural spheres, in drama and tiatr, and a considerable child I would read the daily and it has been a very emotional main contribution of which was number of books being published. This will not let the move- connection as I used to send articles and poems to the daily, by Sunaparant. It has paved the ment die.” which had a separate section for children. Later, as I went to way for many writers to write. I college I would write for the ‘Campus’ page of the newspaper. used to earlier write only poetry —Pundalik Naik, Konkani writer Sunaparant gave me a lot of confidence and I made a lot of but due to Sunaparant I started friends too being a part of it. As a part of the Konkani move- writing prose too. It is very sad ment, the newspaper did its bit in supporting the movement. In to see that the daily has closed Sunaparant was the only fact, the paper itself was a movement in itself. It was the voice down, but are all to blame for paper which would report all of Konkani.” this closure. The loss of Suna- events related to the Konkani parant may affect the Konkani language. Very few news- —Poorva Gude, economics teacher movement, but we have to find papers give publicity to Konkani alternate means to propagate the events. Journalism shouldn’t be The problem that Sunaparant faced was because nobody language. I feel this is the plight biased when it comes to covering bought it. Why? Is Devanagari script the reason? Maybe of all the small newspapers, events like these. When we look at for Catholics who are averse to it. But the Bahujan Samaj as the Konkani adage goes ‘aiz Sunaparant from a business per- who buys the Devanagari script Marathi papers also didn’t mhaka, falia tuka’. All newspa- spective, it is a corporate decision buy it. The real reason for Sunaparant not having a mass base pers are facing similar threats because of the electronic media to close the daily and we cannot was because it used the Antruzi dialect promoted as standard and internet, where you can get the news even on the phones.