Kannada must continue to remain vibrant and inclusive, says writer

Senior writer Jayashri Viranna Dande emphasizes the need for Kannada to remain vibrant and inclusive in modern society.

Senior writer Jayashri Viranna Dande has said that Kannada has historically evolved as a language of the people. It must continue to remain vibrant and inclusive in these changing times, she said.

She was speaking after inaugurating the 11th Hubballi Urban Taluk Kannada Sahitya Sammelan in Hubballi on Sunday.

In her address, Ms. Dande said that people in Karnataka traditionally lived and breathed Kannada in their everyday lives. But, the situation has changed in cities such as Bengaluru, where the language is struggling to retain its presence, she observed.

She remarked that in many places it is often the working-class women who continue to sustain everyday Kannada usage.

Tracing the evolution of Kannada literature, she said that the language was initially associated with royal courts but gradually became the language of the common people.

Referring to the 12th-century social reformers Basavanna and Allama Prabhu, she said that they believed that critical thinking and knowledge should reach everyone.