MARGAO: Be it the Konkani movement or the more recent Regional Plan 2021, one magazine has weathered the storms of forced change to stay a crusader for the cause of preserving the identity of Goa. A coloured monthly magazine in Romani Konkani script, Gulab (Rose) has taken up the responsibility of steering Goans in the right direction for the past 40 years, despite many struggles.
The first editorial published January 1, 1983, by founder editor and publisher late Fr Freddy J Da Costa titled ‘Hem Xanneponnkai Pixeponn?’ (Is it a wise or foolish decision?), has proven to be a wise decision. Besides fighting numerous battles of Goans and of Konkani, Gulab has helped protect and preserve the identity of the multicultural State.
To learn more about the contribution of Gulab magazine, Team Herald met Fausto V Da Costa, the brother of late Fr Freddy, and the present editor. Da Costa expressed serious concerns about the sustainability of the magazine, as he is finding it an uphill task to remain in business.
“Fr Freddy was inspired by one of the most popular family magazines of those times, ‘Home Life’ by St Paul’s Publications. His intention was to foster rich moral values in every Goan home through this magazine and at the same time to promote Goa’s mother tongue, Konkani,” said Fausto.
After two decades of running Gulab, Fr Freddy, along with another Konkani Stalwart Felicio Cardoso, passed away on the spot at Haveri (Karnataka) in a car accident on May 17, 2004. Thereafter, his brothers, Fausto V Da Costa and Fabian G Da Costa took over the formidable task of publishing Gulab as the editor and manager respectively.
Gulab has fought a number of battles for Goa and Konkani, be it during the Konkani language agitation, Goa’s Official Language Bill, Metastrips, the Nylon 6,6 agitation, Goa Regional Plan 2021 and FrBismarque’s mysterious death, to name a few. Gulab also recognised the contribution of different personalities of Goa in the field of tiatr, literature, art and culture and society, he added.
It is a known fact that Gulab promoted Konkani tiatr in a very big way by not just promoting the performance art through the magazine but by instituting the Annual Gulab Awards for tiatr artists. These awards were and are still likened to the Bollywood’s Cine Awards.
The contribution of Gulab in the field of Konkani literature is immense as it was this periodical that introduced and nurtured a significant number of Konkani writers from the time of its inception, by providing a platform for budding writers and poets. Fr Freddy would encourage his fellow priests and young writers to pen their thoughts, and then edit and fine-tune them for publication.
“Most established writers in Romi Konkani that we know of today are the product of Gulab,” claimed Fausto.
Thus, Gulab has played the dual role of producing quality writers and at the same time providing quality Konkani literature during its 40 yearlong journey.
Fausto said that bringing out any publication is always a tough proposition – be it a daily, a weekly or even a monthly.
“I would further add that it is still a more difficult task when the publication is in Konkani and where the editor has to play multiple roles, from being a clerk-typist to a distributor, and even doing the odd jobs of a peon,” he quipped.
He said publishing Gulab is altogether a different experience and he finds it hard to believe that they have successfully sailed through all the storms and kept the publication going strong for four decades. “Publishing a Konkani magazine is commercially a non-viable proposition. Even during the tenure of Fr Freddy, getting the magazine out every month was indeed tough. No one can imagine the magnitude of problems we have faced – and are still facing – to keep this legacy alive,” said Fausto.
He added that with the continuous assistance and support from his brother Fabian, and a handful of staunch supporters and mentors, his work has become a bit easier. “I'm proud to tell you that Gulab has not missed out on publishing a single issue, not even during Covid-19,” said Fausto.
Gulab has now stepped into the 41st year of uninterrupted publication and the task has been shared almost equally among the brothers. It was run for a little over 20 years by Fr Freddy. “The following years, 20, and counting – have been the most enriching years of my life, having earlier cut my teeth editing the now defunct weekly ‘The Goa Times’ of Bombay and the bi-monthly ‘The Goan Review’, which is now published in digital format twice a year,” he explained.
So what happens to their beloved magazine after their time? Will the next generation of staff continue their legacy? Fausto said that they have put in all their efforts to see that Gulab survives and continues its mission, one month at a time, with the hope that it sustains in the service of Goa, Konkani and its writers and readers.
The editor remarked that the new generation, whose literary tastes are varied, extensive and for the most part, digital, should realise the importance of a magazine like Gulab. “In today’s troubled times of losing one’s identity, a time when Konkani is going through a bad phase with the onslaught of other languages, mainly English, the youth today should take up the cause of keeping Konkani alive and thriving,” he opined.
“There cannot be an identity without one’s language. However, we cannot blame the youth entirely as they get the wrong signals from their seniors or the so-called leaders,” said Fausto.
He is hesitant to say that Konkani has lacked the services of sincere and committed leaders in the past few years. “The outcome is for all to see, whether we admit it or not,” he said.
With the formation of more than one government academy for the promotion of the language, art and culture, and a lot of taxpayers’ money spent on these academies, we have not been successful in achieving even one-fourth of what our ancestors achieved in the promotion of Konkani in the past, without any academy or monetary help from the government, he added.
According to him, if publications must survive, and literature and the different forms of art must flourish, Konkani leaders themselves should introspect into what they are doing wrong. “They need to stop being yes-men, and work sincerely towards achieving the aims and objectives of the various Konkani academies and associations in Goa and beyond,” he said. Else, the extinction of publications like Gulab and the death of different forms of art, especially tiatr, may not be too far away, he warned.