'Make Kannada compulsory till SSLC'

He was speaking after inaugurating the three-day Dakshina Kannada 16th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, hosted by the district unit of Kannada Sahitya Parishat at Town Hall here on Monday.

“Teaching Kannada in schools is the only way to safeguard it. Kannada should be given prominence in all fields especially in education.

Only when the seeds of the mother tongue are sown in the field of education, they grow into large trees giving eternal fruits,” he observed.  “Kannada will survive only if it lives on the tongues of children. It cannot be saved though processions, slogans and speeches. It needs a transformation in the hearts of the people,” he added.

Dichotomy

Prof HSV, as he is known among the literary circles, also regretted the literature-reality dichotomy. “We are in a strange situation where there is no connection between literature and reality,” he said. “We read a lot about green, nature, forest in literature. We read a lot about love for Kannada in literature. We read a lot about harmony in society and families. Unfortunately, they are not there in the real society,” he regretted.

“A litterateur should reflect reality. In fact, great writers like Kuvempu, Bendre, Masthi and Karantha did it. When they wrote about beautiful nature and love for Kannada, that was also the situation around them in  the society. But when one reads them in the contemporary situation, he may find it strange,” Prof HSV explained.

“Litterateurs, who have given the place of mother to language, are left amidst polluted society and language. They are bewildered,” he noted. Sahitya Sammelanas are no more festivals. This is the time to think about the threats the language has been facing and about the possible solutions for them. The pity is that Kannada may remain only in the spoken language in the days to come, if the present trend continues, he said.

‘Respect all languages’

Supporting the writer’s view, Pejawar Mutt seer Vishweshateertha Swamiji said he does not oppose English, but he is firm on the view that Kannada should be given priority. “One should respect all languages equally, but it will not be arrogance to say that Kannada is more important,” he added.

In his presidential address, Sammelana President scholar Padekallu Naraasimha Bhat focussed on the harmony Kannada has been maintaining with other languages. He also said though the Classical tag to Kannada is a recent development, it had the classical status from the times of Kavirajamarga itself.

Sammelana former president Subraya Chokkadi, Mayor Rajani Dugganna, District-in-Charge Minister J Krishna Palemar, DK Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Pradeep Kumar Kalkura among others were present on the occasion.