Kannada and Tamil have sisterhood: Not right to say one came from other, say linguists

At the audio launch of Thug Life, his upcoming film with director Mani Rathnam, Kamal Haasan looked at Kannada actor Shivarajkumar and said that you would be included in my love for Tamil because your language came out of mine. It did not seem like a concerted attempt to insult Kannada or put it below Tamil, as pro-Kannada groups made it out to be, say Kannada and Tamil linguists.

Kamal, recognised as one of the greatest artistes in India, has always spoken of his love for the mother tongue, Tamil. He did so at the audio launch of Thug Life. He brought on Kannada when he addressed Shivarajkumar, who had come to Chennai for the event. The choice of words – “Kannada coming out of Tamil” – irked groups in Karnataka, who went to the extent of burning Kamal’s effigy and asking for a ban on Thug Life in the state. Kamal refused to apologise, blaming the row as coming from those with an agenda, that his love for the neighbouring states of Andhra, Kerala and Karnataka was true, and nobody would doubt that. 

That the statement and the controversy rose soon after the DMK allotted a Rajya Sabha seat to Kamal, also sparked interest. “I don’t think he intended to insult anybody, and it should be seen as a casual remark. He is not a linguist but a celebrity. But language issues in south India have become very delicate for multiple reasons, and that is why it has created a row,” says Purushothama Bilimale, chairperson of the Kannada Development Authority, apparently referring to the controversy over Hindi imposition in south Indian states.

“Having said that, what Kamal Haasan said is factually wrong. It has been established by scholars, including the founder of the Dravidian Linguistics Association VI Subramaniam, that all the languages in the Dravidian group are sister languages. It means that one was not born out of the other,” says Purushothama.