Use of Kannada as an administrative language accorded importance, says Minister 

69th Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrated

Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa said here on Friday that the government was according greater importance to the use of Kannada in all spheres of administration.

Speaking after inaugurating the 69th Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations, Mr. Mahadevappa said it was the duty of all to ensure the use of Kannada as an administrative language in the State.

Noting that Kannada had carved its own identity and enriched the culture and heritage of the State through literature, Mr. Mahadevappa said that the government was also patronising culture and arts in a bid to promote the language. The government has taken measures to ensure that Kananda kept pace with digital technology. This includes measures like the use of Kannada on mobile and digital platforms, development of Kananda software based on Unicode, development of Kananda Braille software, etc., he added.

Kannada on social media

The Minister said the use of Kannada on social media has increased in recent years and this was good and imperative to ensure the growth of Kananda to keep pace with the development of science and technology.

Stating that Kananda belonged to all and was not restricted to a specific community or clan, Mr. Mahadevappa said that the culture of Karnataka was enshrined in Kannada to enrich which multitudes of personalities have strived hard. It was the onerous responsibility of the present generation to pass on the rich legacy of Kannada to posterity, he added.

Geographical unity

Mr. Mahadevappa said that geographical unity of the land where Kananda is spoken is not enough and what matters is the unification of minds of Kannadigas.

Referring to the history of the language, Mr. Mahadevappa said that there are inscriptions in Kannada dating back to ancient periods in history and people speaking Kannada are spread all over from the land of the Cauvery to that of Godavari.

The Halmidi inscription dated 450 CE is the oldest known inscription of the language while the Kavirajamarga dated to 850 CE is the earliest literary work in Kannada, said Mr. Mahadevappa.

Paying tribute

Underlining the importance of Karnataka Rajyotsava, the Minister said it was on November 1, 1956, that the unification of the State took place and was the result of sacrifice and struggle of millions of people. Celebrating Rajyotsava is also a way of paying tribute to their efforts and contribution, he added.

In this context, Mr. Mahadevappa recalled the contributions of Aluru Venkata Rao, Koujalagi Srinivas Rao, H. Mariyappa, Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar, H.C. Dasappa, K.R. Karanth, R.H. Deshpande, Siddappa Kambli, Guddleppa Hallikeri, S. Nijalingappa, etc. Kannada writers and litterateurs including Kuvempu played an important role in unification of the State and the latter’s poem Jai Bharata Jananiya Tanujate is the anthem of Karnataka, said Mr. Mahadevappa.

The Minister said that the demand for unification and a separate State was aired even during pre-Independence days but the intellectuals and litterateurs prioritised India’s freedom ahead of unification which came about subsequently.

As a language with nearly 2,000 years of history, Kannada is also rich in literature and is evident in the number of Jnanapeetha awardees from the State, he added.

MLA Tanveer Sait, MLC C.N. Manje Gowda, senior officials of the district administration and others were present.

Published - November 01, 2024 10:09 pm IST