Thursday, February 3, 2011

Language Problem

Disclaimer: I am a peace loving, law abiding citizen of Democratic India. And I do love all languages.

  All through my life until I got married I lived in Old Bangalore, where all of us spoke Kannada, since that was our Mother tongue and so was it of others who lived around our place. Bangalore expanded, I got married, moved out of core Bangalore and settled in new Bangalore for work and day care reasons. Now though I am a SAHM, the ease of commute to work from home, makes me put in these new areas.
Now the problem is I stay in an apartment complex, which has people from all states, obviously each of us speak a different language @ home.So when I meet ladies outside, in the play area or while dropping my daughter to school, they start talking in Hindi.  I answer them in English. Then they ask me how come u dont talk Hindi, you should learn.This is when my blood boils .I tell them look, you haven't learn t Kannada which is one of the easiest language in spite of staying all these years in Bangalore. And do note Hindi is not Rastrabhasha as you think. And if u do not know English fine with me, but do not ask me to learn a language, when I am not forcing you to learn mine.

 S feels I sound like an activist when I tell these to people, but I feel, come on, how is it alright for some one to point fingers at me, when I don't at them.

Most of the  Kannadigas  are very accommodating, we learn all languages,we converse in the language you want , have made you feel @ home. But our government which is all scam ridden runs on Kannada language, so don't complain, ask for help people will oblige and translate and even do things for you.So you go to any office, you feel handicapped that you do-not know Kannada and everybody speaks in Kannada , do some thing about it than cribbing.If you feel the maids who work for you, and the housekeeping staff speak only Kannada and have difficulty in learning your language, all I want to say is you being educated cannot learn a language, or finding it difficult to follow, then why complain about  illiterate people.

 I guess I have ranted enough for the day.And my dear readers I am not Bal thackreys cousin, or even remotely related to him, I am just a Proud Kannadiga, who cannot be taken for granted all the time.




4 comments:

  1. True language problem occurs everywhere, I have faced these a lot too :)

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  2. Very true... Esp for a native Bangalorean, who's a witness to its today's 'development'..... nangu ee thara sumaaru sala anubhava agide....

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  3. I so understand this. I have grown up in a place which was different from my 'native' place, and I learnt the local language. My parents always emphasized on it. In the same way, when we were in Bangalore, I did make an effort to pick up Kannada. It annoys me that people think that they just don't 'need' to!

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  4. @ Smitha,
    I am really glad that you tried to pick up the local language. Unfortunately or fortunately I am born and brought up and continue to stay in Bangalore, so I miss picking up another language, since only when you here it on a day to day basis its easier to learn a language.

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