Protecting Kannada schools key to promoting the language: KDA Chairman

'We have decided to renovate Kannada medium schools that are 100 or more years old, with the help of residents, alumni associations, and philanthropists. If Kannada has to flourish, Kannada schools have to be protected,' said Bilimale.

Bengaluru: The Kannada Development Authority (KDA), under its new chairman Prof Purushottama Bilimale, is preparing a host of programmes aimed at showcasing Kannada in its historical and political contexts. Prof Bilimale, former Kannada Language Chair, JNU, spoke with DH on the roadmap. Excerpts from the interview:

With your academic and research background, how do you propose to chart the course for KDA?

The historical aphorism on the Kannada language and its politics – recorded in Kavirajamarga as “from Kaveri to Godavari” – has taken a different turn in the past decade with a rise in religious polarisation. Karnataka has always accommodated diverse cultures and religions. I believe that the younger generation needs to realise that we are all one. In this connection, we are planning to bring out 100 booklets of 72 pages each, explaining the lesser-known aspects of history. These will be distributed in schools at minimal rates.

We are targeting high school and undergraduate students. Tentatively, I’m calling it Karnataka Samskrutiya Aghoshita Mukhagalu (Faces on the margins of Karnataka’s culture). The narrative will not refer to any -ism. The booklets will take the readers through the history of the language. Karnataka has 27 universities offering PhDs in Kannada. The project can be assigned to one of them.

Several Kannada medium schools have shut down because they couldn't survive the English medium surge. How can KDA counter this?

KDA doesn't have the funds, manpower, or infrastructure to address the alarming conditions in which Kannada medium schools function. But with the available resources, we have decided to renovate Kannada medium schools that are 100 or more years old, with the help of residents, alumni associations, and philanthropists. If Kannada has to flourish, Kannada schools have to be protected. English medium schools can teach English as a subject at the primary level while keeping Kannada as the primary mode of instruction.

It is accepted worldwide that primary education needs to be imparted in the mother tongue. We've decided to do the face-lift of at least 200 schools identified by KDA, over the next two years. Makeovers like this can help remove negative perceptions about government schools.

How do you intend to address the disappearance of original Kannada names of places, especially in rural areas?

There are about 65,000 place names in Kannada that are not influenced by other languages, particularly Sanskrit. For instance, there is a place called Kumaramakki near Subramanya. Makki means damp land. Recently, one of the newspapers called the place Kumaramukhi.

The original names of these places matter. Google Maps might have some of them but they are not inscribed in physical form, in the actual locations. KDA is planning to collaborate with NSS students on a project in which the original names of these places will be written on plaques outside shops, bus stands, and other public places.

Your research has found 236 minor languages in Karnataka. What can be done to preserve them?

The government needs to draft a policy to protect these languages. We have several languages including Koraga, Kodava, Badaga, Siddi, Chenchu, Irula, Gouli, Yereva, Soliga, and Beary. We don't have people from communities that speak some of these languages who can influence policy. Political representation of communities is imperative for the protection of their languages and cultures. The 1881 census recorded that about 55,000 people spoke Koraga language in Karnataka; in 2011, it was down to 5,000. Can we let these languages die? If there is a KDA, why can’t there be a Karnataka Languages Development Authority?

Does KDA have plans to connect with the youth through social media or other online platforms?

In JNU, we had a platform where we taught Kannada to more than 400 students. Each lesson had the original text, transliteration, and the English translation. We can introduce a similar online curriculum here.