Nov. 1 was Karnataka Rajyotsava and, like clockwork, our leaders delivered speeches about the need to protect and promote Kannada.
This year, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said the Government was keen to give the State flag official recognition and added that this will be discussed during the Winter Session of the legislature in Belagavi, scheduled to commence on Dec. 2.
We suggest that, along with the flag, the Government give equal attention to something far more fundamental, which is promoting spoken Kannada, backed by a proper budget and a practical policy. Because a language cannot survive on flags and slogans alone. It needs speakers.
Every year, pro-Kannada activists demand that outsiders learn Kannada. Sometimes, these demands are accompanied by threats, vandalism and the destruction of public or private property.
But Kannada cannot be promoted by breaking shop windows, intimidating business owners or bullying migrants. It can only be promoted by making people want to speak it and that responsibility begins with us, Kannadigas.
Even our political leaders, who speak of protecting Kannada, often abandon it the moment a national television channel thrusts a microphone before them. They suddenly switch to bad English.
Why not speak in Kannada, the language in which they are often far more articulate?
Politicians in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and other States have no such hesitation.
Karnataka has always been a wonderfully diverse State linguistically. The Bunts of coastal Karnataka speak Tulu, Kodavas speak Kodava Thakk, and many Muslims speak Dakhani. Yet Kannada is the common language that allows these communities to communicate and coexist.
Generations of Telugus, Tamils, Rajasthanis, Gujaratis and Malayalis who settled here have also learnt to converse comfortably in Kannada.
They may not write it, but they speak it and that is precisely how they became part of Karnataka’s social fabric.
Spoken Kannada has been the invisible thread holding this diverse State together since its formation in 1956. Today, that thread is beginning to fray.
The massive and rapid influx of migrants, particularly into Bengaluru, has made Kannada less visible in many public spaces.
If the local language gradually disappears from our streets, workplaces and marketplaces, we risk losing not just a cultural identity but also a common means of social integration, which is spoken Kannada.
This is where the Government must step in. Not with enforcement, intimidation or moral lectures, but with encouragement, inclusion and incentives.
It could partner with IT companies, construction firms, hotels, hospitals and service industries to introduce short, practical spoken-Kannada courses for employees.
Companies that train their non-Kannada-speaking workforce could be offered incentives or tax benefits. Universities and public institutions could make conversational Kannada courses readily available.
Our schools, too, need a rethink. We often place too much emphasis on written Kannada and literary proficiency before teaching children how to use the language in everyday conversation. We need to teach people to speak Kannada first. The grammar can follow.
The political consequences of ignoring this issue should also concern our leaders.
Remember the anti-migrant politics in Maharashtra that helped the Shiv Sena grow? Remember the anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu that gave the DMK its political momentum?
Karnataka does not need another language-based political confrontation.
The State already spends enormous sums on Kannada-medium education, infrastructure and related initiatives. A fraction of this investment could fund a Statewide spoken Kannada programme across schools, universities, corporates and public services.
Perhaps the Chief Minister could place this on the agenda of the Belagavi Winter Session, alongside the discussion on official recognition of the Karnataka flag.
If Karnataka wants harmony, if Bengaluru wants peace, the Government must promote spoken Kannada first and not written Kannada… Because in the end, for Kannada to thrive, we need more Kannada speakers, not just Kannada litterateurs.
P.S. — And a word to those who have made Karnataka their home but have not yet learnt Kannada.
Learning the local language does not mean surrendering your identity. It means adding another one. It makes everyday life easier and is a gesture of respect towards the land that hosts you.
Refusing to learn even a few words after living here for years can understandably be seen as indifference, if not arrogance.
Nelson Mandela once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. But if you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
e-mail: vikram@starofmysore.com
This post was published on November 7, 2026 7:30 pm