Taking his pro-Kannada agenda a step forward, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave a Kannada lesson in his alma matter, the Kuppegala Government School located in Mysuru district.
“I studied in a school where Kannada was the medium of instruction. Look where I have reached now. Not everyone who studies in an English medium school is intelligent. That stereotype must go,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister gave a 30-minute Kannada grammar lesson to the students between Classes 5 and 8. Siddaramaiah took a class on adjectives, conjunction, verbs and tenses in the Kannada language.
Speaking to the students, after the lesson, about the importance of Kannada language Siddaramaiah urged them to study in Kannada medium schools.
“I was an ace student when I studied in a Kannada medium school and I lagged behind when I joined an English medium institute. Children are the future of this country. They must study in whatever language they are comfortable in. If it is in their mother tongue, Kannada, it is even better. There is nothing wrong in studying in Kannada. Look at where it has got me. I am proud that I studied in Kannada,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister recalled memories of his schooldays and said that he did not even know his birthday until he joined the government school in Kuppegala village. He thanked his teachers and advised the students to listen to their teachers.
“I studied in this school and this is a small gesture in giving back what I learnt here. When I joined the school in Class 5, I did not know my date of birth. My class teacher Rajappa taught me everything from the basics and I excelled in studies. I am indebted to him. Many people who speak Kannada do not know the basic grammar and this is saddening. There is no shame in learning and excelling in Kannada,” Siddaramaiah said.
In July, the Chief Minister has taken to task legislators for not knowing Kannada grammar.
During the Assembly session in July, the Chief Minister had pulled up officials from the Education Department and reprimanded them for the lack of adequate Kannada grammar lessons in state syllabus text books.
“Do you know what word sandhi is? It is the mutation of the final or initial letters of a word for purposes of euphony. You are with the education department and you don’t know what it is? What are we teaching children these days?” Siddaramaiah had questioned the MLAs during the July Assembly session.
The Chief Minister, on July 31, had released a video on YouTube, and upped his pro-Kannada stance.
The video projected Siddaramaiah as the leader and protector of Kannada people, who sent a strict message to those from the neighbouring states coming to Kannada Nadu.
“Our neighbours are our brothers and sisters. But if anyone attacks our language, our land or our water, it cannot be tolerated. Protecting that (Kannada land and Kannada people) is our responsibility,” the Chief Minister said in the video released by the state government.
In the past few months, the CM has been extremely vocal about his pro-Kannada stance. From his strongly-worded letter to the Union government on the three-language policy to ordering Bangalore Metro Rail officials to take down Hindi signs in Metro Stations, and appointing a committee to submit a report on the legalities of having a separate flag for the state, the chief minister has made his stand clear.