Winds of change: Do you feel proud or inferior when speaking in Kannada?
Not many days has gone since I read a post on Facebook regarding
plight of Kannada language inside the capital of a state whose name
jingle out of it. It roughly regarded the dread brink-point Kannada
was in, plus how minimal number of people were preferring to converse
in a language old as divine. Even the locals have switched to pizza
leaving idli-vada a thumbs down. Alright, English is cool but Kannada
isn't any funny too. Moreover it's one language that gets you
connected sooner with other people. Why can't Kannada flourish as
silicon city blooms?
Changes must occur time and again, to make way for newer, more easier
things. Some might argue taking example of Sanskrit but Kannada is no
stern nor stubborn language; it has with time got itself moulded - be
it words, style, sentencing, there is lot that went under hammer.
Amidst all it had survived and it will for centuries to go but people
are no more taking pride in speaking the age old dravidian cult. Pride
is an important ingredient in keeping anything alive, be it
relationships or language, they more or less score the same.
One might wonder, why a piece on 'Kannada pride' now when everything
is sailing so smooth! Is anything happened in Kannada heartland? Well
no or may be too much has occurred in few years over the course of
time but in slow pace that we have almost ignored it on face. Had just
been to Marathi heartlands and I could see an whole lot of life
surviving on language. They speak, converse, read, write, all in
Marathi. Yes, we too do but more out of compulsion rather than our own
instincts! They too learn English but not at the cost of their own
language. We prefer too speak in English over Kannada as some of us,
the 'cool' brigade associate a sense of inferiority with a language
that has framed this land on which they breathe in & out. In
Maharashtra where most of unreported laborers from karnataka do
business surprisingly prefer Marathi over Kannada in their land! When
I asked why to an octoagenarian who continued in Marathi although I
tried my Kannada told me that they feel it as an act of privilege to
converse in a language of land that provides them their daily bread.
Moreover Marathi people associate much needed pride to their tongue.
They feel the gravitas of it. The flex boards, advertisements, sign
boards all and more talk volumes of the same. Even the international
brands prefer to advertise in Marathi. May be they know what people
therein are obsessed with!
Intention of mine is nowhere to compare the two old legends but to
have your attention where each languages are moving. One is
flourishing day by day the other seeing downfall not in numbers
particularly but the way we see and treat the same. Though mine is a
language which differs from both I feel in debt of one where I truly
took life in form as now. So this is just an effort in beginning to
water and arise the pride you had long thought dead somewhere deep
within.
Changes are necessary and pivotal for anyone's existence but at what
cost is all that we have got to decide....
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