Belagavi: With its history dating back to the invasion of Alexandar the Great, Kannada language will be one of the many languages in the world to survive for many years to come, while more than 4000 other popular languages are expected to lose their identity by the end of the millennium, said veteran journalist and renowned litterateur Patil Puttappa.
Speaking at a workshop for youth organised here, Patil Puttappa said historic findings have proved that Kannada scripts were available at the time of Alexander's campaign in the country way back in 327 BC which points to the historic importance of Karnataka's language and culture.
Urging the government to upgrade Banavasi, once a celebrated capital city of the Kadambas, into a taluk headquarters, he said, Banavasi could be turned into a taluk only by those who know the actual importance of the place. He exhorted youth to learn history to know the country's rich past.
The country's citizens were being deprived of equal education and healthcare facilities even six decades after Independence, regretted Kudchi MLA P Rajeev who added that citizens would get real independence only when education and healthcare were available to everyone. He urged the government to turn police stations into centres of hope and not places that created fear in people.
