Mr.Javare Gowda‘s demand to tax English Medium schools and use the proceeds to promote Kannada is misplaced.
People join English Medium schools on their volition and not by force.
If people want their children study in Kannada, parents must have the children enrolled in Kannada Medium schools.
How many of us at home encourage children speak in our mother tongue?
We are happy if they call ‘Thai/Amma’ and ‘ThantheAppaji’ as ‘Mummy and ‘Daddy’ and get vicarious pleasure in making children recite inane rhymes like’Jack and Jil’ and’ Rain, Rain go away’.
These rhymes are fine for UK where it rains throughout the year and it makes sense to ask rain to away.
But in India?
How many of us deign to speak in our mother tongue when English is not warranted?
I recall an incident when Dr.RajKumar spear-headed an agitation for the supremacy of Kannada in Karnataka, I think in late 80’s.
I was staying in Chamarajpet,Bangalore,which in those days was considered to be a bastion of Kannada language.
Kannada speaking people came to me and asked me if it would correct in joining the agitation of Dr.Rajkumar.
I recall my words to them.
‘Do you have any sense?Some one is fighting for your language and you are asking me whether to join the agitation, me from Tamil Nadu.It is your duty ‘
And I joined the agitation.( Of course My Kannada is not that good even to-day)
When you have people with this mind-set how do you expect Kannada to prosper,whatever the Government does?
Let people respect and their Mother tongue and it is not beneath your dignity to speak in your language.
In fact I have written on the fact that to-day in Bangalore, you hardly find any security men /Restaurant workers speaking Kannada.
What hurts one more is the fact even Kannadigas speak only Hindi, thinking that it enhances their social status.
Such being the case,what can the Government do?
Yes, It is essential that people learn English but at the same time Kanndigas must speak Kannada and non Kannadigas must learn Kannada.
The Chief Minister is Right in stating that most( Kannada activists/Politicians (in fact all of them) send their children/grand children to English Medium schools.
I am curious to know where the children/grand children of Mr Javare Gowda studied are studying
To sum up, be true to your mother tongue: other wise your culture will be swamped.
Government effort is needed but real progress can be achieved only by the involvement of the people.
” Chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Sunday reaffirmed the Karnataka government‘s stand on the medium-of-instruction controversy by stating that English is a tool that helps today’s children to tackle the challenges of tomorrow in an increasingly globalized world. He trashed suggestions that Kannada is being relegated to the fringes.
The chief minister was reacting to writer D Javare Gowda‘s observations that the government was keen on promoting the English language and that it wasn’t eliciting the opinions of Kannada writers on developing the native language.
The CM said writers like Javare Gowda must introspect on their stand. He said, “I’m getting a list of some of these Kannada activists whose children have studied in English-medium schools. I’ll make the list public soon.”
CM: Opposition to English is baseless
Chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Sunday reiterated that the government hasn’t changed the template of the language policy ever since it was introduced in 1990s. The opposition by Kannada activists and writers to the teaching of English in Kannada schools is baseless and will, in fact, hamper youths from competing in a globalized world, he said.
The government, on its part, has done its best to promote Kannada , the CM said, citing the example of Vishwa Kannada Sammelan in Belgaum.
At a function on Saturday , writer Javare Gowda had suggested that English-medium schools be taxed and the proceeds must be used to better the facilities in Kannada-medium schools.
Observing that the medium-of-instruction issue is pending before the Supreme Court, the chief minister said the Karnataka government will never make a decision that undermines the cause of Kannada.
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