Kannada-English should go hand in hand
Many thinkers, writers and literatures have taken to streets protesting against the government decision to open English medium schools. It is rather significant to note that this protest is supported and endorsed by former 'bandaya’ (rebel) writers and noted writer SL Bhyrappa. Their apprehension is that if government starts English medium schools. Kannada would be lost forever. But it is rather appropriate to ask this question about the schools where their kids and grandkids are getting their education.
The answer to this question would be rather very disappointing. No one is doubting their love for Kannada. And their protests may not save any Kannada schools, is a hard fact.
Kannada medium in today's Karnataka is like a worn off dress used and discarded by upper caste and affluent people. For a simple reason that they are studying in Government schools people are forced to wear the same tattered dress. We also need to note that Kannada schools are closing down one by one in the recent times. Sub quality of education is not the only contributing factor to this.
The middle class and the lower middle class people, having realised the value of English based education, are refusing to send their children to Kannada medium schools.
Only those families that can ill afford to send their children to private schools are sending their wards to government schools. These children are ideal Guinea pigs for lab experiments for our writers.
None of them even spared a thought to see why over 3000 Kannada schools closed down in the past in the state, what could be the reasons for this, why the number of students is dwindling in these schools, why parents are not admitting their children here and how that can be rectified through dialogue with the government.
What happens with government schools close down? People from lower economic background and backward castes lose the lone opportunity to access education forever. Government English medium schools present these kids with two opportunities. They not only get education free of cost, along with that they also get the knowledge of English that will help them access better opportunities in life. They can then stand on par with kids who study in private schools.
This is what worries people like Bhyrappa who come from privileged brahminical background when they oppose thoughts such as this. How would it make any difference whether government schools teach in English or Kannada medium when the existence of these very schools is in a quandary?
We need to support these English medium schools at least on experimental basis. We need not take words of these lofty idealistic people who are not concerned about the future of lakhs of children. We need to work on saving government schools. If government schools can survive and work by teaching English, we must support that shift. Along with this, we also need to find a way to save Kannada for future. Today's situation is that we need to incorporate the enticement towards English to save Kannada.
In the past, writer Anantha Murthy had said in his speech of a Kannada conference chair that today we need to find ways to ensure Kannada and English co exist for better future. Today, in other English schools, Kannada is being ignored totally, hence the new generation stands very far from Kannada.
If this continues, a generation of Kannada speaking people may come to an end in the next two decades. Private schools thrive on the fear of parents who feel English is inevitable for a better future of their children. We need to use the same strategy to push English into government schools and save them.
Along with Kannada, we also need to teach English from primary classes to kids. This way, Kannada inevitably has to ride the shoulder of English. We cannot operate anywhere in banks or Courts, government offices or new businesses such as IT and BT without English. Having made English this inevitable, to say that the poor needn't learn English would be the selfishness of a particular privileged category.
If these writers and thinkers feel English should not enter the education scenario in government schools, let them take up the fight for nationalisation of education itself. If not, the gap between the quality of education for the rich and poor will widen with every passing day. It will push the lower caste into darkness and lift the rich to better life. Hence if English is indeed inevitable, it is better to implement it thoughtfully than to live in denial about it.
Let Kannada March ahead using English as its vehicle. A student, who is educated in a govt school to communicate in both languages, can compete very confidently with convent educated students. He or she would be a lot more creative and rational in his approach. The government should never hesitate from its decision to implement English. At the same time, the government should ensure Kannada is also given equal emphasis in the meantime.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
