'Obama' can save Kannada, says Hiremagaluru Kannan

Need for language-based programmes in schools, colleges stressed

Just say Obama, one may pat assume you are referring to Barack Obama, the US president. But, here is an ‘Obama’ in Kannada, who can ensure the survival of Kannada language for posterity.

Scholar Hiremagalur Kannan on Saturday advised the students to practice Obama- ‘O’ stands for ‘Odhuvudu’ (reading), ‘Ba’ for ‘baravanige’ (writing) and ‘Ma’ for ‘Mathanaduvudu’ (speaking) to protect the language.

Kannan was speaking at a competition on writing and speaking in chaste Kannada organised for school students by Zilla Kannada Sahitya Parishat.

Riddles in language
He said Kannada is rich in riddles. But they are not getting its due priority in literary meets.

Hence, the only hope is to focus at school level by holding special programmes in the interest of the language at colleges too.

Kannan said language is the key to express one’s feelings. Today, it has been given a touch of literature. But the desired results are yet to be achieved. He advised Kannadigas to take a cue from people in Kerala and Tamil Nadu whose unbridled love for their language is an example for others.

DDPI G R Basavaraj said teachers earlier were teaching Halegannada with emotion, evoking equal interest in their pupils. Nowadays, there is no such environment. As a result, today’s students are not wellversed neither in Kannada nor in English, he said.

Zilla Kannada sahitya Parishat president Lokesh Sagar blamed successive governments and their policies for mushrooming of private English schools.