Mysore/Mysuru: Dr. Dharanidevi Malagatti, Principal of Police Training School, Mysuru, has said that many who are identified as scholars in literary circle err in pronouncing   Kannada words which gives wrong meaning.

She was speaking after inaugurating a day-long workshop on Halekannada Sahitya odu Mattu Yuvajanathe, organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture at Chamarajendra Govt. College of Visual Arts   earlier known as Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) here on Monday.

Bemoaning over the current use of Kannada language, Dr. Dharanidevi said those who know the language well do commit mistakes in pronouncing a few Kannada letters. However, people of coastal region use these letters better than others. Those letters were used extensively in Tulu, Byari and Malayalam and people pronounce them more clearly than others, she noted.

She said mistakes galore in flash news, breaking news in visual media. If this was the state of affair of the common used Kannada, it was hard to imagine the plight of Halekannada. “We have seen lecturers erring in pronunciation of Kannada words in classrooms. Messages received in the mobile phones are full of mistakes. Not knowing Kannada means knowing nothing. First, this attitude must change. One who has achieved excellence over a language can also speak well,” she said

Dr. Dharanidevi underscored the need for extensive research in stone scriptures which were in old Kannada to enable people develop interest in Halekannada. Her generation did not find difficult in understanding Halekannada thanks to good teaching by teachers, she said and added that however, the current generation has no interest in it. “When they cannot understand new Kannada, how they will know Halekannada. In fact, Halekannada was not a tough nut to crack but the words in it are not found elsewhere. So, one needs to have interest to teach or to learn it,” she said.

Nirmala Mathpathi, Deputy Director,  Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage and In-charge Administrator of Command Area Development Authority (CADA), Dr. S.D. Shashikala, Associate Professor,  Kannada Study Centre, Dr. K. Thimmaiah, Kannada Professor, Maharaja College, Dr.N. Vasaiah, Head, Department of Kannada and Vijayrao, Senior Lecturer were present.