Monday, June 11, 2007

Dr.Rajkumar & Kannada Language

One of the first things that comes in my mind when I think of this legendary actor is his movie "Kaviratna Kalidasa". I used to wonder right from my school days - is there a way I can see Kannada in all its beauty. This was in my 8th Std. That was a tough time as I had shifted from ICSE to SSLC syllabus. I was given a choice to choose between Kannada and Hindi(like many others) as 1st Langugae. I deliberately chose Kannada because I felt I had many sources to help me if I faced a difficulty. This was my criteria. Then I happened to see Kaviratna Kalidasa. i was stunned at 2 things - One, Rajkumar's performace(no actor anywhere in the world can perform like him) and second, the beauty and purity of Kannada language.Just listen to the song Rajkumar sings for Goddess Kali. It is just thrilling and creates vibrations around you. That was the starting point for me to understand and appreciate the beauty of Kannada language. I began to study Kannada in SSLC syllabus(like any other perosn) and observed that Kannada literature is truly an ocean be it Pampa, Ranna, Purandaradas, Kanakadasa r Nisar Ahmed, Kuvempu .I was so happy that time that I took Kannada, because I had decided that I would understand this language right from its origin(Although I haven't been very successful so far). I began to look at Kannada not merely as a first Language, but as an adventure to explore the beauty of expression. I don't know how far have I succeeded.

The richness hidden in all kannada liertature works must be brought out so that the new generation born and brought up in Karnataka can appreciate a language that is far deeper in grammar and syntax than Hindi, Tamil or others. Perhaps Sanskrit's complete set of accent and pronunciation is very well visible in Kannada.

What worries me is the slang and vulgar Kannada being used in most of the Kannada films produced for over a decade now. If this shade is portrayed on Kan films, nobody will love it. The only tribute the film industry can pay is to live up to pure kannada and bring it on screen like it used to be in his films.

I admire Rajkumar for this special feature that all of his films had a social message that reached across all sections of kannnada society and that too with pure Kannada accent ,with no mistakes or mispronunications. It's time now that we also find other ways to explore the beauty of Kannada language.

Sirigannadam Gelge

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yaak maga... sumne tension tegotya. bittakk! :P

pravms said...

Excellent writing Anjan.... Will go through each and every article..

Praveen M