Recognising the role played by the Kannadiga community in enriching the cultural diversity, the mayor of Cleveland (United States), Frank G Jackson, has declared the month of November as 'Kannada Language and Heritage month' in the city.
"Kannada is one of the longest surviving languages with a rich literature and etymological formations unique to its language and inscriptions dating back to 450 BCE. The Kannada community of Cleveland plays an important role in keeping the Asian Indian heritage and culture intact as well as enriching Cleveland cultural diversity," says the proclamation by the mayor.
Previously, in 1975, Mayor Perk had established Bengaluru as one of the sister cities of Cleveland. The sister city partnerships include cooperation in areas of arts and culture, business and trade, community development and youth and education.
The Kannada Kasturi Sangha, a non-profit organisation in Cleveland, who had applied for the declaration, is thrilled by the announcement. "We applied for this for the first time and we have gotten it. We are happy that Kannada has been given this status here," said Deepa Rao, a member.
The organisation, which was established in 1984, along with cultural coordination of the Kannada speaking people, also takes up a lot of social work and had been very active during the Covid-19 period too.
Published 28 November 2021, 16:45 IST