‘Kannada Gottilla’ are two words promptly learnt by many who come to the city for work but find it difficult to learn Kannada—mastering which is as easy as eating a peeled banana, according to a poet of 1675.
A techie’s initiative is helping to turn the poet’s words into reality helping people who find the language a tough nut to crack. He offers Kannada classes through Skype to learners who can take the lessons from the comfort of their homes.
Raghavendra Prasad, who quit his job to teach conversational Kannada full time, will begin his classes through the popular video app from next week. The eight classes spread across Saturdays and Sundays of four weeks will start from July 7.
“We had people from Odisha, Chennai, Hyderabad and even Singapore expressing interest to learn Kannada online. Our classes are designed in such a way that at the end of it, the participant should be able to speak basic Kannada and develop his vocabulary in coming days,” Prasad said.
While working for an IT conglomerate, Prasad spent hours helping his colleagues to converse in Kannada. After eight years and some research into teaching the language, he quit the corporate life to form IndLangs, a startup that seeks to fill the gaps.
“IndLangs is aimed at bringing all the mother tongues like Tulu, Kodava and Konkani to the fore. We have started with Kannada and have received a good response. The online classes erase the barrier of space and make it convenient to learn the language,” Prasad said.
Learning is fun
Prasad has taken Kannada to several IT companies besides BMRCL and BIAL where the lack of knowledge about local language directly affected the services.
The startup focuses on making Kannada learning a fun experience instead of resorting to rote learning. “By teaching it simply as a language, we avoid complicating the learning process. A non-Kannadiga who manages to learn about 250 common words can communicate with ease,” he said.
Vasanth Shetty of Munnota, who has been working to publicise the Skype classes, said the classes can come in handy in making life convenient.
“It’s about connecting with people whether it is about creating better business or providing better services,” he said.
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