Media Release
Bengaluru, Dec 3: To bring unity in diversity, Provident Welworth City Residents Welfare Association, Marasandra took the initiative to conduct free Kannada classes to all non-Kannadigas living in Provident Welworth City.
Over 3,000 units in the apartment complex represent diverse people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Gujarat to Assam. The free Kannada classes are conducted under the aegis of Kannada Development Authority, government of Karnataka. The programme was inaugurated on December 1 by Prof G Siddaramiah, the chairman of KDA who addressed the gathering and explained to the audience the advantages of learning Kannada that helps people to integrate with the local environment and culture. He applauded this initiative and promised to extend all possible support for this cause. Special invite on the occasion was K Mathai, KAS, AO Sakala, government of Karnataka and a resident in the PWC Apartment Complex.
The inaugural class was conducted on December 2 between 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. R K Sharma, originally from North of India, was very excited in learning a new language and was profusely thankful to the organisers of the Kannada classes and called upon the teachers to customise the teaching methodology for it to be more conducive to both the young and the old.
Bannerjee, a 60-year-old home maker was so excited to learn Kannada and she was thankful to PWCRWA for facilitating this in an environment of love and comfort.
The office bearers of PWCRWA K A Alexander, president; Pavithran, vice-president, advocate Rita E M, legal advisor; Yuvraj Ahuja, secretary; Shreesha Shetty, joint secretary, and Rajkumar, joint treasurer, are the names behind this wonderful initiative. For more information they can be contacted on pwcrwa@gmail.com.
Sandesha Trust and Super Brain Pre-primary School, recognized by the government of Karnataka, PWC Campus, are providing the infrastructure and support to conduct the classes in their premises for the benefit of all. To begin with the classes are conducted on Sunday evenings and 40 people have enrolled in the inaugural batch.
Debashratha, an IT professional, said, “There is a misconception created by some vested interests about locals vs outsiders. All of us are equal and we live peacefully. Our career and profession takes us to different parts of the country and the world. We need to adapt and integrate with the different environment. No one is against Kannada and we are all proud of the rich culture. It is only that some fundamentalists like to use it as a weapon to polarize people and threaten them into submission. Do these people know who compiled the first Kannada Dictionary? It is not the roll call extortionists of today under the garb of some symbols and associations, but a great German scholar Rev Kittel. Now what do you like to call Rev Kittel, a local or an outsider? Throughout history many people have contributed to the growth of Kannada, it was immaterial whether they were locals or outsiders. It is their passion that made the difference. We love the culture and the language, but sadly again some people have reduced this great language to a street tamasha and a brutal show of strength. We love Kannada and the culture but will not abdicate our identity because of the threats of some goons. We are all one, and let us be proud of it. We have great respect for this land that is a part of our great country, and we are proud of it. Jain Hind, Jai Karnataka.”