Regional languages enrich Kannada, says CM Siddaramaiah at Arebhashe Academy awards
Bengaluru: Kannada is the foundation of Karnataka’s identity, and regional languages like Arebhashe have only enriched it, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday. He was speaking after inaugurating the 2024 Arebhashe Academy Honour Awards organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture and the Karnataka Arebhashe Culture and Literature Academy at Ravindra Kalakshetra.
The Chief Minister noted that Arebhashe-speaking Gowdas largely reside in Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts, with a population of over three lakh. He recalled historical references from the 1882 Gazette, which mention the community’s movement from Sakleshpur to Sullia during a drought when the Hemavathi River had dried up. Over time, a mix of Tulu, Konkani and Kannada gave rise to Arebhashe, he said. Words like vone for ‘I am going’ and bane for ‘I am coming’ reflect how some sounds were dropped, shaping the dialect. He emphasised that the community, originally from the Gowda fold, carries a distinct cultural identity.
Siddaramaiah remembered his acquaintance with Kurunji Venkataramanagowda, an Arebhashe speaker, and pointed out that Karnataka has around 230 minor languages and dialects, all linked in some way to Kannada. He urged the academy to continue its efforts to preserve and promote Arebhashe.
Referring to earlier support extended to the Nadagowda community in parts of the coastal belt, he said one crore rupees had been released in the past, and the current request for 50 lakh rupees would be met. Other demands would be reviewed and resolved, he assured. He also said that a proposal to allocate land for Arebhashe Gowdas in Madikeri would be placed before the next cabinet meeting.
The Chief Minister congratulated K.R. Gandadhara, U.P. Shivananda and D.S. Anand, who received this year’s Arebhashe Academy Honour Awards.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Minister Byrathi Suresh, legislators, CM’s legal adviser Ponnanna, MLA Acharna Gowda, Kannada Development Authority chairman Purushottama Bilimale, Arebhashe Academy chairman Sadananda Maviji and Kannada and Culture Department director Gayatri were present.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
