BENGALURU
At the 70th Kannada Rajyotsava celebration held at Seshadripuram Academy of Business Studies in Kengeri, educationist Dr. Geetha Ramanujam stressed the need to uphold the greatness of Kannada by teaching the language to non-native speakers. She said Kannada continues to thrive in villages, but many people in cities hesitate to speak it. According to her, some fear that using Kannada may lower their dignity, while others feel uncomfortable speaking the language. She urged students to understand the value of Kannada and share its importance with everyone around them.
Dr. Geetha explained that Karnataka welcomes people from many states who come for work, and it is the shared responsibility of the local community to teach Kannada and help them learn the language with pride. She said that in Bengaluru, many people try to forget Kannada and use only their own languages. Instead of accepting this change, she encouraged everyone to speak Kannada first and to share the beauty of “Kasturi Kannada” with confidence.
Seshadripuram Educational Endowment Honorary Treasurer B. M. Parthasarathy also spoke at the event. He said that Dr. Rajkumar, the legendary star of Kannada cinema, showed deep love and respect for the language throughout his life. His commitment, Parthasarathy said, should inspire the younger generation to follow the same path and preserve the culture.
During the programme, senior journalists Narasimha Shastri and Basavanna, along with writers M. P. Kumar and Jayapadma Kumar, were honored for their contributions to literature and journalism. The event was attended by Principal Dr. Jayaram, Pre-Degree College Principal Manjunath R., Kannada Department Head Dr. Shobha, Dr. Poornima S., and several staff members and students.