During the recent Kannada Rajyotsava celebration, CM Siddaramaiah announced that learning the local language, Kannada is a must for anyone who is staying in the state. With the number of jobs that keep cropping up in city, it is no surprise that people from all over the country move here. Talking to non-Kannadigas that have made Bengaluru their home, we ask what they think of this statement and what effort they have made to learn the local language.
When a non-Kannadiga speaks in the local language the people are surprised and tend to open up more. Kisenaro Odyuo who works as a teacher says, “There was an incident where I was travelling in the local bus and the conductor passed rude comments on me and I couldn’t do anything as I didn’t know the language. I think this incident really made me want to learn the language and so I started to pick up a few basic words from my Kannadiga friends so that I could converse with them. Now when I revert back to them in Kannada they are really surprised.”
Once a person moves to a different place it becomes their responsibility to learn the language. She adds, “I felt that it was my responsibility to learn a little Kannada as I would expect the same from people who come to my state. The government should not impose on becoming a pro at the language but one should learn enough to be able live in the city.” While staying far away from home one tends to get lonely. Knowing how to speak the local language will enable the person to make friends with the localites.
Anungla T Pongen, a teacher in the city says, “I feel that the statement made by the chief minister is correct as I think it’s necessary to know the language of the state one is living in. I was out with friends buying vegetables. While paying for the vegetables the shopkeeper spoke in Kannada and it all sounded bizarre to me as I were new in the city. Finally we ended up using sign language to converse with each other. I can’t say that I am fluent in the language but I think it’s better for us non-Kannadigas to attempt to learn the language as we will definitely need to converse with shopkeepers as well as with local colleagues. What little Kannada I learnt was from the kids I taught.”
Learning the language can prove to be beneficial for them and also help them get out of tricky situations. Nepal based Devi Thapa Magar a finance professional says, “There was one instance where I got caught by the cops for not wearing a helmet. He spoke in the local language saying ‘don’t know from where all these people come from’, which really irritated me and made me retort in Kannada ,which really surprised him. In order to handle such situations, I think it’s necessary for non-Kannadigas to learn how to converse in the language. I took up classes to learn the language .”
Life becomes more conducive and beneficial for non-Kannadigas as host and crowd engagement specialist, Shikha Arora says, “I think auto drivers really take you for a ride when they know you are from out of town. Once, an auto driver demanded for more money after taking me to the wrong destination. No one in the crowd that gathered there due to his shouting came forward to help me understand what he saying. This incident made me want to learn the language and this has made it a lot easier for me to communicate with auto drivers and shopkeepers and prevent being duped by them. Having a few Kannadiga friends and with all the e-books that are available online I can confidently claim that ‘Swalpa Kannada Baruthe’.”
