Dear Editor,

Regarding below article i.e.

Article: Is it a Sin to be born as Kannadiga in Karnataka?

By: Venkatesh M S

First of all, thank you very much for posting this article and secondly, thanks to Venkatesh for raising this important issue which was in my mind for the past 8 years. I am a Kannadiga and working in IT for the past 8 years. Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India and we Kannadigas are very proud of it. We have provided the land, water, hardship, resources and infrastructure for the success of Bangalore. Our tax money is put in to get Bangalore to where it is now. And everything is fine ...BUT how is Bangalore as a Silicon Valley benefiting Kannadigas? And how is our rich culture benefited by this? Venaktesh is very right. Kannadigas have been provided with less number of job opportunities in the Bangalore IT industry. I want to ask S M Krishna, Narayana Murthy, Premji and Vijay Mallya these questions.

We made you popular, we made you successful, we made you rich, we made you make money and establish your empire. How are you giving back to Kannadigas? What have you done so far for Kannadigas? What are you going to do for Kannadigas? How are you planning the sharing of your wealth and popularity with Kannadigas? How are you planning to uphold our rich culture? Once I read in the newspaper that Wipro's Premji was upset at the electricity outages and wrote a letter to S M Krishna. What the hell he was thinking? Was he thinking Bangalore is NewYork, or London? We are in India! Still developing and still under the corrupt politicians. I think instead of him pointing fingers he should think what he could do to fix the problem. Later I see him running away to other cities where there is more electricity. I can tell you one thing, he is a pure businessman and he means business. I think he will keep on running instead of trying to fix or help to fix the problem.

I am not sure whether Bangalore being a Silicon Valley is a blessing or a curse. Before the IT boom, Bangalore was a beautiful city called as Garden City, Green City and other such titles. But now due to increased migration of people from different states it has become a horrible city of messy traffic, electricity, water, renting. Our good old Bangalore has been stripped and made use of by some mean politicians and businessmen.

I want to propose following things to S M Krishna, Narayana Murthy, Premji, Vijay Mallya, Sanjay Khan and other people who are in a very good place now, thanks to Bangalore.

1) Provide more training, exposure and knowledge to local people/Kannadigas and hire them instead of getting people from different states. I think state government should make certain rules regarding this.

2) Take the ownership of villages in Karnataka in development and progress.

3) Provide funds and more job opportunities to Kannadigas.

4) Lobby to complete Bangalore airport as soon as possible.

5) Help, involve and provide assistance in Karnataka communication and transportation infrastructure.

6) Make Karnataka Tourism No 1 in the world.

7) Invest and expand IT to Mysore, Tumkur, Mangalore, Davanagere, Belgaum and other cities. Make them as most important IT hubs in the world.

8) .... And the list goes on. But in essence, I want them to do more for Kannadigas and Karnataka. If they keep continuing to make use of Kannadigas and Bangalore, one day there will be a revolution and they will pay for that.

Ravi *

Hi , .

This mail is in response to Mr Venkatesh M S's article on the situation of Kannadigas. .

Dear M. Venkatesh, .

To start with, let me tell you that I am also a Kannadiga and Kannadabhimaani. I completely agree with what are you trying to say. People from Karnataka are getting their nerves tested at present times. This is ought not to happen. And I particularly liked your point in stating that when United States can make arrangements to cope with immigration then why can't we Kannadigas do the same. Five states in US have put restrictions on outsourcing - New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri and Washington State. Karnataka government can always do something in this regard. The only thing lacking is the right approach and leadership. But you should also try to understand that people who have money are more powerful and can influence the politicians. So, the solution lies in the hands of Kannadigas themselves. People will always try to go where opportunity calls them. When Mumbai became the financial capital of India, many people from all parts of the country came there to work. And now you see that Mumbai has more non-Marathi population than local people. When opportunity beckons, many people flock towards the place and we cannot help it. This has happened to most cities in India as well as abroad. Take for instance New York and Los Angeles. It has the largest immigrant population. Having known these facts the biggest question in front of we Kannadigas is, "WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION OF KANNADIGAS?" and I think the answer is "KANNADIGAS SHOULD TRY TO BECOME LEADERS IN EVERY ASPECT". .

This is just a matter of taking initiatives. We have to work harder because the immigrant from other state will definitely be more learned and aggressive than us. You try to go to a foreign country or state and you will have to become more aggressive in your approach. If we became leaders in our lives and try to promote Kannada by this means, then I think our problem will be solved. I am not telling that we should become company heads, politicians or big industrialists. Leadership starts with self. As Kannadigas these are some of the things we can do. .

1) IN THOUGHT: Change your thinking. Don’t follow others. Don't think that we cannot do anything, and that others better than Kannadigas. Be self-confident..

2) IN DEEDS: Try to propagate Kannada in your surroundings. This can come in small parcels. Like, write an email to a Kannadiga colleague or friend in Kannada. There are many tools available to help you can accomplish this. One good Kannada software tool is Baraha. Try to use it. www.baraha.com .

3) SPEAKING: If anybody speaks to you in a language other than Kannada then try to interrupt him and ask him to speak in Kannada. (This is the place where most Kannadigas lose. They succumb and start speaking in the other language and think that it is obligatory on them). No it is not obligatory to speak in others' language in your own land. .

4) SEEING AND HEARING: Go to Kannada movies and try to promote them. (Even if you don't like them). We take the medicine knowing that it is not tasty, but it is for our good health. And believe me, Kannada movies are not that bad. We have to go out of our way to repair our situation here. Try to listen to Kannada songs. Believe me, they are more melodious than any other songs. I have been hearing Kannada songs in majority since I came to US. If you will watch Kannada movies then you will start appreciating them slowly. Then, when this happens in more quantity, good movies will automatically be released. All an artist wants is encouragement. Remember the golden era of Dr Rajkumar - people flocked to the theaters. At that time there was no penetration of other languages in Karnataka. It is the other state people who brought their language with them and propagated it. So, as Kannadigas it is our moral duty to encourage the Kannada society, and movies play a very important role in this. For example I am in the US now and the "Mathadana" DVD is being released here. Many kannadigas have purchased the DVD and I am volunteering for a Website, which sells Kannada DVDs. .

5) READING: If you have interest then try to read Kannada sahitya. Make a habit of reading Kannada newspapers daily. .

6) FOOD: Food plays a very important role in our society. Nowadays people are forgetting traditional Karnataka dishes. They want to eat Punjabi food or Chinese food. Of course, we cannot force people to eat what they don't like. But we can cultivate a taste for Karnataka style food. It's very tasty. Try to know all the various dishes from all parts of Karnataka. There are many special savories in North Karnataka, coastal Karnataka, Madikeri, Mysore and many more places in Karnataka. .

7) TRAVEL: Have you seen the whole Karnataka state? Have you experienced the beautiful sunset at Aagumbe and Malpe beach? Have you seen the world famous Jog waterfalls? Have you experienced how beautiful the forests at Baandipur, Naagarahole, and Daandeli are? Have you visited the exotic coffee estates in Chikmaglur, Coorg, Madikeri? Have you visited the temples at Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Udupi, Banashankari, Horanadu, Beluru, Halebeedu, Badami and elsewhere? These are some of the questions we should ask ourselves and try to answer them. You could ask me, how can these things improve the present Kannadigas' situation? The answer is, doing the aforementioned things will improve your Kannada Consciousness. Once our Kannada Consciousness is revived then things will automatically change. This are the most important things we should do as Kannadigas. I feel strongly about Kannadigas and Karnataka. And I am sure that we will be leaders soon. .

Siri gannadam gelge.

- .Pawan Deshpande * Sir,

I totally agree with this article. Many times my blood boils when I see people around me in Bangalore speaking a different language. They are least concerned about learning the local language and they are proud to say, "I don't know Kannada." So what to do to uplift our language at least in Karnataka? Make Kannada language at least a second language till the 10th Grade. Stop screening other language movies in Bangalore (This definitely may help as our people are generally movie fanatics). Impose a rule to recruit a minimum of 60% employees who can read and write Kannada in any organization. Above all we have to impose a rule within ourselves to be proud of being Kannadigas and should not give up talking in our language to strangers, particularly in Bangalore.

Regards,

- Shivashankar Nagaraj *

Maanyare,

This is with regard to the article "Is it a Sin to be born as Kannadiga in Karnataka?"

I too work in an IT company and the situation is bad here also. There are only 3-4% Kannadigas in our company. What is shameful is, even the security guards and other administration staff are completely Tamilians. People from states like TN, Andhra and Kerala are flooding into Bangalore everyday, stealing our jobs and food. Kannadigas are relocating to outskirts of Bangalore while these outsiders are occupying the central locations by their money power. I don't understand why our Karnataka people, our politicians and other Kannada "oratagararu" are not able to fight against this problem.

Just imagine, even if 50% of the jobs generated in Bangalore were given to Kannadigas, we would not have felt the drought this much. Farmers are dying everyday due to poor economic conditions and thousands of educated unemployed youths are uncertain about their future.

Can we, and our politicians, do something to uplift the Kannadigas in Bangalore? Mr Hi-tech CM, are you listening? Can you make Bangalore a city of opportunities for Kannadigas?

Jai karnataka maate,

- Seenu *

Sir,

This is with regard to the following article

What is happening in the IT companies, as undesirable as it is for Kannadigaru, however, is a symptom of a larger malady afflicting the mukkoti Kannadigaru. The majority of Kannadigaru are, I am sure, aware of it. But the complacency of Kannadigaru is not a today's phenomenon. The average Kannadigaru are all wrapped up in themselves. I count myself one among the majority. The elite and powerful among Kannadigaru seem lost in small-minded affairs or unable to take up or respond to larger causes.

I think Kannadigaru in general have genuine love for Kannada naadu and nudi. But I do not think a Kannadiga trusts and loves another Kannadiga as intensively as, say, a Tamilan does another compatriot. In my humble opinion, it is next to impossible for Kannadigaru across the length and breadth of the world to respond as "obba Kannadiga" on any issue. Unfortunately naadu and nudi flourish as massive collaborative efforts. So much so, in the highly competitive nature of today's life, Kannadigaru are mere spectators at best, as their land, cities, water, houses, schools, jobs are all going up for grabs. Of the thousands of IT/EE/CS engineers passing out of the Karnataka's Engineering colleges, what per cent are Kannadigaru? If they are a minority in that too, can we blame the IT companies? If the IT companies are found recruiting Kannadetararu illegally, I fully support any legal action. If they are doing it unethically, I fully support any strong protest movement. But if this is mostly due to Kannadigaru being lazy and not smart, of course, we deserve such a situation.

Has much changed since the time the poet wrote:

sattantiharanu baDideccharisu kacchaaDuvaranu kooDisi olisu

Yours Sincerely

-Prabhu *

Dear Editor,

Great write-up. Good thinking. Good questions. What is the solution? Who should be held accountable? Can thatskannada.com help throw more light into this? For all the non-tech jobs, why can't they consider locals (i.e., from Karnataka)? If they hire some non-Kannadigas, the organisation gets the responsibility to prove that there are not enough qualified workers available for the positions. In fact, that's how it works in US and is successful. Moreover, it appears like the correct thing to do.

- Janardhana Swamy, CA *

Dear Editor

Kannadigas are proud of themselves boasting their vernacular knowledge, accommodating others and thus letting themselves to be slaves. They die out of false prestige. They lack the courage to ask for their own rights.

What I hear from my fellow non-Kannadiga is that they (Kannadigas) are very lazy people. In this competitive world, we have to be defensive and competitive as well and need not be offensive at all. If Kannadiga lags behind to make way for others (thinking he is very liberal), nobody says that he is accommodative. Rather, others decide him to be incapable.

- Ursri *

Dear Editor

It is really very very sad to know the situation in the IT industry. I feel very sorry for all Kannadigas. I think there should be a strong law to protect the interest of Kannadigas in the capital and in Karnataka state. It is very much necessary to make our language to live for ever, and also make awareness among the people that unless we take some tough decisions, it is very difficult later on to protect the interest of Kannada people. We All Should Thank The Author Of This Article For His Honest Concerns

- Dr Krishna Murthy *

Dear Editor

Jai Karnataka Mathe, Jai Kannada Nadhe

- A Kannadiga *

Dear thatskannada,

This is my reply to the article, "Is it a Sin to be born as Kannadiga in Karnataka" by M S Venkatesh. Thanks ThatsKannada for taking this important matter.

I am a Kannadiga working in the IT industry for quite sometime, and sadly, has to agree with this concern. (But I think there is an exaggeration in this writing that says there are less than 10% Kannadigas in the IT industry; as I have seen, Kannadigas are actually much more than that...above 20%; It is also not clear what the writer means by "other South Indian languages being official languages" in the Technology Park. But the writer's message is well taken).

It is true that one Narayana Murthy here and one Suresh there won't be sufficient to stand as evidence for Kannadigas going up in business. I would like to look at this pathetic situation of Kannadigas with an open mind. Although outsiders coming to Karnataka and settling here has slowly been spreading to other small towns also, my observation has been mainly derived from the IT industry in Bangalore, so it bears more resemblance and matching there.

First of all, whom can we blame for this plight of Kannadigas? Can we blame outsiders that come to Bangalore and settle down? I don't think so. Outsiders come here all right, but why? Because they are invited. Who invites them? Companies. Who own companies? Outsiders. Who invited such companies to Bangalore? Our government! That means we invited them to come to Bangalore to start business. In an effort to woo such companies, we provided them with all the electric power the state generates or borrows, cutting power supplies in rural areas as much as 10 hours a day. But is our government's decision to invite them justified? To a reasonable extent yes. Why? Because of lack of home-grown entrepreneurs. Yes, Kannadigas are not entrepreneurs. There are exceptions, though, as in everywhere, but I am talking about average Kannadigas. They are easily satisfied with an average salary, two meals a day, and a rented house. They hesitate to accept even small challenges. A Kannadiga government employee when transferred even to a nearby place, won't be comfortable and will lose sleep until he somehow gets the transfer order cancelled. Where as 'others' are ready to go to any nook and corner of India and make a good living. We lack that quality. Basically Kannadigas are too lazy. We sleep for more than the required duration in a day. And we are aware of it at a subconscious level. That is why we have a kind of inferiority complex. That is why we hesitate to openly speak Kannada. We think others might laugh at us...they may think we are too local.

Also, down through the ages, Kannadigas are known to be more interested in arts, sculpture, dance, music, poetry and other forms of art, than in science and technology. This is very much evident in our Beluru-Halebeedu and such temples, Carnatic music and our award-winning poets. Some Kannadigas here and there have ventured out to do business. But just observe hotels and shops owned by such people - they tend to entertain 'others' more than fellow Kannadigas. I haven't been able to figure out a reasonable answer to this behaviour. But we must understand that our this very own attitude of not liking fellow Kannadigas is what is really pushing us down. We must forget castes, creed and religion. Whether he is from Mangalore or Udupi, Gulbarga or Gadag, Bangalore or Mandya, we should unite. In our workplace and at outside we must speak Kannada. Kannada is really a beautiful language...we all know it. We must politely pursue others also to speak Kannada. Kannadigas are actually no less than others in any respect. It is the aggression of 'others' and our own submissiveness that has put us down.

We must rise up. Kannadiga entrepreneurs must be encouraged and supported. More and more entrepreneurs must come up. We must also develop manners, patience and politeness. We lack these qualities, but we are not aware of it! The perceived situation of Kannadigas becoming extinct in Bangalore is not a joke; it is really serious. It can actually happen. Luckily we have a solution...we have to mend ourselves and diplomatically overcome the oppression. Violence has no place here. Some have suggested having the likes of Bal Thackerey for Karnataka, but I don't think they are good in the long run. Laws cannot be made because we are in free and fair India and here one can go from anywhere to anywhere without any hindrance. We have to solve the problem ourselves.

-Krishnamurthy *

Dear Editor,

In response to Sri Venkatesh's article

I don't know what is the mentality of us Kannadigas. This situation is very peculiar to Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu, irrespective of castes, all the persons speak Tamil. Similarly in other states. But in Karnataka we have to propagate the use of Kannada and insist the public (unfortunately, to Kannadigas) to use Kannada in their routine and official discussions. It is not possible to impose Kannada on outsiders through statutory / legal imposition. It is our duty that to make others feel proud about Kannada. But most of the successful Kannadigas are not working towards this. Even Mr Narayana Murthy opposed the compulsory elementary education in Kannada. It is necessary that now we must raise our voice towards this issue. I feel the sole reason behind this is our entertainment and media industry. Except few good films and songs, our Kannada film industry is still in an infant stage. It is dream that our films will release outside Karnataka and in reality it is very difficult to release Kannada films in Karnataka. In Bellary, only one theatre screens Kannada movie out of the 11 theatres (after strikes from Kannada public). And when one movie is showing all are very happy!

I feel that we must allow dubbing of other language films in Kannada. Here our concern is not Kannadigas ... it is Kannada. And really no Kannada producer/director/actor is working towards upliftment of Kannada and so we are least bothered about their views and decision. We must arrange some groups which speak for this issue with concern and allows the flow of dubbed films in Kannada. This may not help in making others to speak Kannada but it helps in retaining Kannadigas to use Kannada. And in case of print media, god only knows how they are surviving! Prajavani, Udayavani, Samyktha Karnataka or Kannada Prabha...all still in the old get-up. Thanks to Vijaya Karnataka team making certain efforts to reach all the people with some new ideas. And rarely persons read good weeklies like Sudha, Karmaveera and Taranga.

Certainly there may be some other reasons, but major among these are entertainment and media!!!

Regards

- Rakesh Ainapur *

Sir,

This is regarding the article by Mr. M.S. Venkatesh

Firstly, let me tell you I am not a Kannadiga, at the same time the only language which I know to read and write is Kannada. The reason for the present situation in Bangalore is Kannadigas themselves. Let me explain. Whenever I meet my friends and speak Kannada with them, Kannadigas themselves will talk in languages other than Kannada. Definitely this is not because my Kannada is bad or something like that. They feel inferior to speak in Kannada I guess, if that is true, then the best thing these people should do is to have pride in Kannada, and above all, until desperately required, should answer the queries asked by the visitor in Kannada, which I do. Even more pathetic is the lyrics of the Kannada films coming now. I think with Chi. Udaishankar's death, good lyrics in Kannada films are also dead. So, to have Kannada implemented, I want to reemphasise that this cannot be done by force or strikes. This can be done if all Kannadigas have pride in their language, and speak Kannada in front of others irrespective of whether they understand or not. This may be irritating but we should follow such strategies.

Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity.

- Vasu *

Dear Editor,

Even I have several questions to ask. And I am kind of clueless as to whom I should ask the following questions.

I am a Bengali and extremely proud of it. I am also a vivid cricket fan. For ages the Indian cricket team was filled with South Indians and it still is (Anil Kumble, Venkatapathy Raju, Venkatesh Prasad, Sadagopan Ramesh, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Sunil Joshi, Robin Singh, Vijay Bharadwaj, VVS Laxman, Mohammad Azharuddin, to name a few). At one time as much as six cricketers in the national cricket team were from South India. Which has always bothered me. Bengalis can play terrific cricket as shown by the meteoric rise of Saurav Ganguly but despite this fact, the Bengal government as well as the Central government is not allowing more Bengalis to fill the Indian cricket team (To hell with talent, I want to see more Bengalis in every walk of life). Secondly, more and more software firms are coming to South India, which is dangerous for the overall development of India. The Central govt should in turn force them to set up offices all over India and if that is not possible, then South Indian software professionals should be made to pay more taxes as this will help poverty-stricken states like Bihar and Orissa.

Thirdly, the highest percentage of student visa granted to the US from India is from Chennai, which clearly shows that more South Indians are going abroad to study and settle there, which is again a dangerous trend and the govt should impose some sort of taxes on these students so as to provide for more colleges in other parts of the country (again to hell with talent). It is highly unfair that Karnataka has the highest number of Engineering colleges in India while there are lots of states were students have to study under tents.

In short, I want to see the overall development of India and not just that of Kanadigas (with Bengalis given a slight preference everywhere).

- Sudip Roy *