Canadian MP Chandra Arya speaks Kannada in Parliament, wins praise

India-born Canadian MP Chandrakanth ‘Chandra’ Arya won laurels after he posted a video of him addressing the Parliament in his mother tongue of Kannada.

Arya represents the Nepean constituency, a federal electoral district in Canada's Ontario.

“Manya Sabhapati,” is how Arya began his statement in the Canadian Parliament, addressing the speaker. “I am happy to be given the opportunity to speak in the Canada Parliament in my mother tongue Kannada. For a person from the Dwaralu village in Sira taluk of the Tumakuru district in Karnataka, India, to be elected to the Canadian Parliament and speak in Kannada is a moment of pride for 5 crore Kannadigas,” Arya said.

The MP said Canadian Kannadigas had celebrated the Kannada Rajyotsava in the Parliament in 2018.

He ended the statement quoting Rashtrakavi Kuvempu’s words immortalised in a song sung by thespian Dr Rajkumar: “Elladaru iru, entadaru iru, endendigu nee Kannadavagiru.” This translates to ‘wherever you are, however you are, be a Kannadiga forever’.

According to Arya, this was the first time Kannada was spoken in any parliament outside of India. “I spoke in my mother tongue (first language) Kannada in the Canadian parliament. This beautiful language has a long history and is spoken by about 50 million people,” he said in a tweet.

Arya studied at Bangalore University and Karnatak University, Dharwad, before moving to Canada.

Arya’s video was widely shared on social media.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also shared Arya’s video. “He has taken Kannada’s quintessence to a global level,” Bommai said, congratulating the Canada MP. “Arya has literally shown that no matter how much a person achieves in life, one’s roots should always be remembered,” he said.