In the lush coastal landscapes of Goa, the rolling hills of Karnataka, and the vibrant communities of Maharashtra, the Konkani language flows like a river, carrying the stories, songs, and spirit of its people. Yet, this river has often been channeled into rigid scripts—both literal and metaphorical—that seek to define and confine its course. From colonial legacies to post-independence standardization, Konkani has been shaped by external frameworks that sometimes obscure its fluidity and diversity. Drawing on the philosophy of walking articulated by French philosopher Frédéric Gros in A Philosophy of Walking, we can reimagine “de-scripting Konkani” as a philosophical walk—a transformative journey that liberates the language from imposed narratives, reconnects it with its embodied roots, and celebrates its multiplicity as a living, breathing cultural practice.
Walking as Philosophy: Gros’s Vision
In A Philosophy of Walking, Frédéric Gros elevates walking from a mundane act to a profound philosophical practice. He argues that walking frees the individual from the burdens of identity, societal expectations, and modern technology’s alienating grip. “By walking, you escape from the very idea of identity, the temptation to be someone, to have a name and a history,” Gros writes, describing the walker as “an eddy in the stream of immemorial life.” Walking is a rebellion against fixed roles, a reconnection with the body’s rhythms, and a space for creative freedom. For Gros, the solitary walks of Nietzsche in the mountains or Rousseau through the countryside were not just physical journeys but acts of shedding imposed scripts to encounter the world anew.
This philosophy of walking offers a powerful metaphor for de-scripting Konkani. Just as walking liberates the self from societal constraints, de-scripting Konkani frees the language from rigid frameworks—whether fixed impositions, standardized scripts, or institutional norms—that have sought to define its boundaries. It is a cultural walk that reclaims Konkani’s fluidity, orality, and diversity, allowing it to flow as freely as a walker’s steps through an open landscape.
De-Scripting Konkani: Unbinding a Language
Konkani, spoken by millions across India’s western coast, is a language of remarkable multiplicity. It exists in multiple scripts—Devanagari, Roman, Kannada, Malayalam, and historically Perso-Arabic—reflecting the diverse communities that have shaped it. Yet, this diversity has often been curtailed by efforts to standardize or prioritize one form over others. During colonial rule, Portuguese influence promoted the Roman script among Goan Catholics, while post-independence India saw Devanagari elevated as the “official” script in Goa, often marginalizing other scripts and dialects. These “scripts” are not just writing systems but also metaphors for the cultural, political,caste, religious and institutional frameworks that have constrained Konkani’s organic evolution.
De-scripting Konkani, then, is an act of unbinding the language from these imposed narratives. It involves rejecting the notion that Konkani must conform to a single script, dialect, or standardized form to be legitimate. Instead, it embraces the language’s pluralism—its regional variations, oral traditions, sonic biology and lived practices—as central to its identity. Like Gros’s walker, who sheds the weight of societal roles to move freely, de-scripting Konkani allows the language to move through its cultural landscape without being tethered to external definitions.
The Philosophical Walk of De-Scripting
To de-script Konkani is to embark on a philosophical walk, a journey that mirrors Gros’s vision in several key ways:
1. Shedding Imposed Identities
Gros describes walking as an escape from the “temptation to be someone,” a liberation from fixed identities. Similarly, de-scripting Konkani rejects the idea that the language must be defined by a single script or cultural narrative. For instance, the prioritization of Devanagari in official contexts has sometimes sidelined Roman-script Konkani, used by Goan Catholics, (or the Kannada-script Konkani of Karnataka). De-scripting refuses to let one script or dialect dominate, embracing all as valid expressions of Konkani’s identity. This is akin to a walker stepping out of the confines of a labeled role—poet, worker, citizen—to simply be in the world.
2. Reconnecting with the Body and Roots
Gros sees walking as a reconnection with the body and the earth, countering modernity’s alienation. De-scripting Konkani reconnects the language with its embodied, oral traditions—its folk songs, proverbs, lullabies, and performance forms like tiatr (Goan theater), fugd, dalo i and zagor (folk performances) etc. These practices, often unscripted in the literal sense, embody Konkani’s living essence, rooted in the rhythms of community life. By prioritizing orality and performance over standardized texts, de-scripting restores Konkani to its cultural “earth,” much like a walker feels the ground beneath their feet.
3. Resisting Modernity’s Homogenization
Gros critiques modern technology’s tendency to disconnect us from our bodies and the world, advocating walking as a countercultural act. De-scripting Konkani resists the modern impulse to homogenize languages through institutional standardization. The push for a single “official” script or dialect often erases regional variations, such as the Konkani spoken in Mangalore . By celebrating these differences, de-scripting becomes a rebellious walk against linguistic uniformity, affirming Konkani’s diversity as a source of strength.
4. Fostering Creative Freedom
For Gros, walking opens a space for creativity, where the mind, unburdened by routine, generates new ideas. De-scripting Konkani fosters a similar creative freedom, allowing the language to evolve through community practices, literature, and digital platforms. For example, Konkani tiatr blends humor, music, and social critique in Roman-script performances, defying formal literary norms. Similarly, Konkani’s presence on platforms like X, where users mix dialects and scripts, reflects a dynamic, unscripted creativity. De-scripting encourages new expressions—whether in poetry, film, or social media—free from rigid frameworks.
5. Balancing Solitude and Community
Gros distinguishes between solitary walking, which fosters introspection, and communal walking, like pilgrimages, which build collective bonds. De-scripting Konkani operates on both levels. It is a solitary act of individuals reclaiming their regional dialects or script preferences, such as a Goan Catholic writing in Roman Konkani. It is also a communal act, uniting diverse Konkani-speaking communities in a shared cultural revival. Like a pilgrimage, de-scripting fosters a collective journey toward linguistic and cultural pride.
De-Scripting in Practice: Konkani’s Cultural Walk
In practice, de-scripting Konkani is already underway in the vibrant practices of its speakers. The tiatr, a cornerstone of Goan culture, is a prime example. Performed largely in Roman Konkani, these plays weave together music, comedy, and social commentary, engaging audiences in a direct, unscripted dialogue with their culture. Similarly, Konkani folk traditions like dhaloand fugdi—sung and performed in local dialects—embody the language’s oral vitality, unbound by standardized texts. On digital platforms like X, Konkani speakers share poetry, memes, and conversations, often blending scripts and dialects in a fluid, creative flow. These practices are philosophical walks, moving through Konkani’s cultural landscape without being confined by external scripts.
De-scripting also involves challenging institutional norms. For instance, advocating for the inclusion of Roman and Kannada scripts alongside Devanagari in education and literature ensures that Konkani’s diversity is recognized. Literary movements, such as the growing body of Konkani poetry and novels in multiple scripts, further this walk by expanding the language’s creative horizons. By embracing all forms of Konkani—written, spoken, sung, or performed—de-scripting allows the language to remain a living, evolving entity.
A Walk Towards Liberation
De-scripting Konkani, as a philosophical walk, is a journey of liberation, much like the walks Frédéric Gros describes. It is a movement away from the constraints of imposed scripts—colonial, institutional, or cultural—toward a freer, more authentic expression of Konkani’s identity. Like Gros’s walker, who finds freedom in the rhythm of each step, Konkani speakers can find freedom in the rhythms of their language’s songs, stories, and dialects. This walk reconnects Konkani with its roots, resists the homogenizing forces of modernity, and opens new paths for creativity and community.
As Konkani speakers step forward—throughtiatr, folk traditions, literature, or digital platforms—they are not just preserving a language but walking a path toward cultural liberation. De-scripting Konkani is a refusal to let the language be fixed or confined, a commitment to letting it flow like a river, or like a walker’s steps, through the ever-changing landscape of human experience. In this philosophical
