NAMASKARA, learning swalpa Kannada

NAMASKARA, learning swalpa Kannada
Many non-Kannadigas in cosmopolitan namma Bengaluru are going that extra mile to learn the local lingo. Be it resident groups or office-goers. Voluntarily and through formal classes
Pushpa Narayan and S Nandagopal | TNN


From Kannada gotthilla to swalpa gotthu — non-Kannadigas are making efforts to learn Kannada. And they find it sakkath exciting. But they are wary of making mistakes. They plead — swalpa adjust maadi. There are ways and ways of learning a language. But there are no short cuts. Though learning a aa e ee (the Kannada alphabet) and grammar is happening, the accent is more on the spoken word, conversational Kannada. In other words, classroom learning has its place. But it is axiomatic that the fastest progress comes when you use a language in every-day situations. Like telling the auto driver left hogi (go left) or asking the vegetable vendor alu eshtu (what’s the price of potato?) or comprehending when your maid says nale baralla (won’t come tomorrow).
There are programmes that combine the structured study of Kannada. Kannada gotthilla. The words seemed to embarrass Monica Sane, a software engineer so much that she joined a spoken Kannada class in Bangalore. In three months she could speak the language, in the next three months write the script. In a year, she scored 96% at the state-level examination held by Kannada Prasaara Parishat, an NGO teaching Kannada to non-Kannadigas.
“I remember her name so perfectly. That’s because I am not sure how many locals today can speak or read as fluently as she does,’’ says Parishat convener B V Raghavan, who holds regular classes on all Sundays at HOSMAT Hospital.
In the last few years, several people from different parts of the country and world have landed in Bangalore for various profiles and companies. Though the regional language might not be required for many jobs like the IT, it’s desired when people want harmonious relationship with the working class, particularly maids, vendors and autodrivers.
That’s why orthopaedic surgeon Dr Thomas Chandy, who was once a student of these classes, has offered to give space at the hospital for the class. “I wanted to learn Kannada and the best way was to attend some of the spoken Kannada classes,’’ says Hema Ramesh, who attended classes at Indiranagar. But why not those books that promise to teach you the language in just a month? “Don’t’’, advises Sharavathi S, a Bengali, who tried them before she attended these classes. “I became a laughing stock on the road when I tried to speak the textbook language. I told the auto driver thumba dhanyavaadagalu. He looked at me suspiciously and drove away. I wondered why till my friend said he would not have, had I said Thanks ree. And that’s when I realised only a spoken class will bridge this gap,’’ she says. Many agree. Says, Geetha Rajesh, a Kannadiga, that Kannada here is spoken with a sprinkle of English words like: ‘Night alli walk hodre, hand alli stick idre, dogs du fear iralla.’ (When you go for a walk in the night, if you have a stick in the hand, you don’t have to fear dogs).
“Many who try speaking from the book only sound like a regional radio or television channel. The ‘gurus and kanos’ really add flavour to the local language and it’s bi-lingual. That’s probably why the language is easy to pick up,’’ she says.
Nagabhushan, a Kannada teacher, sums it up: “I have been conducting classes at the Vijaya Bharathi College in Indiranagar for the last 12 months. There was never a need to advertise my classes as they are always packed. That’s because today many people want to learn the local language.’’
Learning is happening at homes too. Like these residents in Indiranagar. They gather in the afternoons and a neighbour proficient in Kannada teaches them the nuances of the language.