BENGALURU: Most Bengaluru residents who hail from other parts of the country do not know Kannada and find it difficult to communicate with people here in the same language. However, they can now heave a sigh of relief as residents of Begur have come together and are conducting Kannada classes called Kannada Kaliyona in their locality free of cost.
The residents had their first batch of Kannada class on Sunday, which drew about 30 members – both children and adults. It was inaugurated by Ramesh Aradhya, ex corporator of Begur Ward. The classes will be held only on Sundays between 11 am-12.30 pm for four months and then the next batch will start. On Sunday, people from different states like Maharasthra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Bihar joined in.
“Migrants here find it difficult to communicate with the locals. Through these classes, we can help them ease the language barrier. They will also get the chance to learn an additional language,” said Nilesh Kumar, secretary of SWAR- Voice for Change, citizens group of Begur.
Apart from this, the residents’ group even has an app called the SWAR app, which has various features like Swachha Begur, Suiraksha Begur, Swaasthya Begur, etc. Another feature has been added, which will have basic Kannada words and sentences for people who can’t make it to the classes.
Ramya Jyothi, an engineer who is heading the Kannada class, said a special syllabus has been designed. The classes will teach a brief history of Kannada followed by advantages and benefits of learning the new language. Kannada Varnamaale, Kannada Varnamala phonetics- vowels, consonants, Gunitakshara-merging vowels and consonants, sentence-making and more will also be in the syllabus.
“We will be sending voice notes with sentences in Kannada and English every day so that they learn the basic sentences. Also, they will be given assignments to complete at home. With 16 classes, the students will be able to get a fair idea of the language,” added Jyothi.Kumar pointed out that by November 1, Kannada Rajyotsava Day, they want the first batch to finish learning Kannada.