Bengaluru owes its linguistic diversity to chequered history

Kannada activists weigh in on why it is India’s most linguistically diverse city

According to a recent analysis of the 2011 census data, Bengaluru is said to be the most ‘linguistically diverse city’ in the country.

Bengaluru became diverse in nature in the post-colonial era, and that character has remained, says Shivasundar, writer and activist who worked for 12 years with the slain journalist Gauri Lankesh.

“With Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh being so close to the city, it became a trading hub that attracted a lot of traders and migrants who spoke various languages,” he says.

A few areas show characteristics of the castes that have lived there for centuries. “For instance, the Cantonment area was occupied by OBC and Dalits, and Malleswaram by Tamil Brahmins,” he says.

Now, Bengaluru is represented by its peripheral centres that are dominated by IT clusters like Whitefield, says Shivasundar. Influences of globalisation, colonisation and historical immigration make Bengaluru more diverse than other cities, he says.

“Prior to the Vijayanagar period (14th century), 70-80% of Bengaluru spoke Kannada, but now it is just 35-37%,” he tells Metrolife.

Karnataka’s education policies do not favour Kannada, and that is the reason it is neglected. Only when Kannada becomes the language of business, commerce and knowledge, will it thrive and survive, he says.

Jobs aplenty

Bengaluru was always ahead in industrial development, in the pre- and post-British era. Arun Javgal, secretary of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, says, “With no restrictions on migration, people are flocking here as we have ample job opportunities. People have no option but to be adaptive.”

He says the Centre’s agenda is to change the demography of south India. “The three-language policy was followed by south Indians, whereas north Indians didn’t care about it,” he says.

Is Kannada given the importance it deserves at the Passport office, banks and railway stations?, he asks. “Our language stands third at Bengaluru’s international airport. In the name of diversity, our own language is being erased,” he says.

Ganesh Chetan, Kannada language activist, says ‘there is diversity everywhere and not just in Bengaluru’. “A majority of people who have been staying here for more than 10 years can speak Kannada. It is only the ones who have come here for a short period that are unaware,” he says. Kannada is the prime language in most parts of Bengaluru except in certain areas. “It doesn’t mean the flavour of the city is lost,” he adds.

Kannada lessons

M Sampath, secretary of Bangalore Tamil Sangam, says the organisation has taught Kannada to over 80,000 people. “We have a Kannada teacher who holds classes every day for those who are keen to learn,” he adds. “Students should be able to learn the language in three months. They even get a certificate at the end after passing exams,” he adds. From the labour class to IT professionals, many approach the organisation with the zeal to learn Kannada. “People want to belong to the city, hence, they try their best,” he says.