Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasised on the need to create an environment in Karnataka where using Kannada in day-to-day transactions is natural and indispensable.
He was speaking after unveiling the emblem of ‘Karnataka Sambhrama-50’ to mark the golden jubilee of renaming the Mysore State as Karnataka on November 1, 1973.
Also learn Kannada
“Everyone living in Karnataka should also learn to speak Kannada. In the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana or Uttar Pradesh, it is impossible to live by speaking just Kannada, without learning the local language. But you can live in Karnataka even if you don’t speak Kannada. That is the difference between our State and other states,” he said, adding that this should change.
Coming down on Kannada not being used as administrative language, though it is officially so, he said, “Many of my Ministers and especially officers write notes in English only in the files. English can be used while writing to the Centre and other states, but otherwise it should be done in Kannada.”
The Karnataka government has decided to hold the Karnataka Rajyotsava on November 1 on a grand scale to mark the 50th year of renaming the State. He said celebrations should have begun in the run up to the 50th anniversary last year itself. The Chief Minister congratulated Raviraj G. Hulaguru who designed the logo.
Historical context
It was during the tenure of former Chief Minister the late D. Devaraj Urs that Mysore State was named Karnataka. With the inclusion of the districts from erstwhile Nizam’s Hyderabad State and Bombay Presidency, many people, including politicians and activists, then felt the need to change the State’s name since districts from Mysore region were a part of the State among many others. In a ceremony conducted under the leadership of Devaraj Urs, the new name was announced.
