Kannada in Bengaluru

I was in for a pleasant surprise on my trip to India. In the space of one year, it seems like corporate India in general has discovered Kannada and Kannadigas.

Let me explain. Until 2003 when I left India, I heard no Kannada on the FM stations. I saw no Kannada on advertising hoardings that sold mobile phone plans, and no Kannadigas in the English newspapers. A call to a mobile phone number that was switched off would result in the nice lady telling me the same in English and Hindi. No one spoke Kannada in ICICI, Citibank or Pizza Corner. People who frequented MG Road were all non-Kannadigas. Obviously I saw no sign of Kannada anywhere on shop signs in the Cantonment/East Bangalore. Bengaluru was still Bangalore. Global companies selling anything from cars to computers ignored local markets outside of Bangalore and made no effort to tap them.

Last year there were noises of Bangalore becoming Bengaluru. But I still saw no other signs of Kannada anywhere else in the city.

This year was a huge surprise. Most people I overheard talking on MG Road spoke Kannada. Every shop sign had Kannada on it. FM Radio stations seemed like they were always playing Kannada music with Kannadiga RJs. Small town Karnataka was being marketed to in Kannada by the Toyotas, Reliances and Airtels of the world. I even saw a Kingfisher Airlines hoarding in Kannada! A visit to my old employer where I could name all Kannadigas out of about a 1000 back in 2003 revealed that at least 60% were Kannadigas now. My uncle who still works there now and my old colleagues confirmed that, and also the fact that many senior managers were also Kannadigas. I heard nothing but Kannada songs playing in Planet M! On Brigade Road! The store employees all knew Kannada and were knowledgeable about old Kannada film music and bhavageetes. My family rented a car from Avis which I picked up at the Oberoi on MG Road. I expected the employees there to speak Tamil as all service sector jobs seemed to be locked up by Tamilians. Besides, the place is next to Halasooru. They were all Kannadigas. And the Tamilian who checked the car out knew Kannada! I about had a fit.

What is going on? Where is the Bengaluru that I love to hate? My single biggest complaint with the city was that I couldn't make do with Kannada everywhere. I have no option but to hate it less now.

How did this happen? Is this a result of some of the anger among Kannadigas, most expressed by the likes of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike? Or is it that an aberration has righted itself naturally?

Khasnis

Raghavendra Khasnis, one of the better known Kannada short story writers passed away yesterday. I read about this in The Hindu and was shocked to learn of the treatment he got from the Directorate of Kannada and Culture. He was suffering from Parkinson's, and according to this directorate's official who delivered the payment, this disease wasn't in the list of diseases covered in the health scheme.

The tragedy of it. Do these people even know what culture is? Forget about this official's knowledge of Khasnis or his work, was he lacking in even basic manners?

The fact that Sri Khasnis refused help from fans and admirers only strengthened my respect for him. This is I think part of the greater tragedy that has become Kannada literature, and specifically publication.

Writers are frequently taken for a ride by publishers (speaking from experience in my family). In their old age, idealists like Khasnis refuse help from others. And we have the philistines in the government as the last resort.

Is it a wonder then that no one these days wants to pursue the arts as a career? Who is losing out?