Safeguarding Kannada language must get the highest priority, says Hamsalekha

With about a month left for the start of the famous Dasara festivities in Mysuru, renowned music composer Hamsalekha, inaugurating this year’s celebrations atop Chamundi hills next month, on Tuesday said safeguarding the Kannada language has to be the highest priority of the people of Karnataka. He added that his appeal ahead of the festivities is Kannada has to be secured amidst the increasing influence of other languages.

Expressing concern over the “attempts to impose Hindi” in the South, including in Karnataka, he said the apparent efforts to impose Hindi in non-Hindi speaking States have been there since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru. “North India wants to impose Hindi in States where it is not spoken to make it a national language. There has been a lot of awareness on the issue among the people here amidst the increased efforts for imposing Hindi on us,” he told reporters participating in the meet-the-press programme organised by the Mysore District Journalists’ Association (MDJA).

Recalling the days when he first saw Jamboo Savari with his father, Mr. Hamsalekha said, “I remember even today my father took me to show the grand festivity when the Maharaja of Mysore used to sit in the Ambari (in the procession). I believe Mysuru Dasara is a festival of happiness as it spreads joy. It has over 400 years of glorious history. I think the festival continues to unite people and spread happiness.”