BENGALURU : All the cartoons are freehand sketches done on paper. “We haven’t tried any coloured versions so far. We use sharp lines, which can easily grab eyeballs and help people register what we are trying to communicate,” Prasad adds. The cartoons are posted on Facebook, where people can ask questions in the comments section. Three cartoons will be posted everyday and an explanation will be available with it. They have nearly 300 cartoon strips in hand for the next three months.
Niveditha, one of the mentors in team, is responsible for uploading these cartoons on the social media page. She says, “While creating each cartoon, we first decide on the phrase, the situation and then the location. Most of our cartoons are about the day-to-day interaction that involves speaking to a vendor, maid or a cab driver or even to a colleague. With cartoons, people will be able to relate to it on a very personal level, thus showing more interest. It helps them realise that learning Kannada is as simple as looking at a cartoon.”
Some of the catchy phrases used in the cartoons include: Enu samachara (What’s up?); Oota aita (Had lunch/dinner?); Yaake late? Tumba traffic ittu (Why late? There was heavy traffic). Nivedita says one of the cartoons - which has a woman sitting inside an auto with pooja items asking to be dropped near a Mall – got some funny responses.
“They found it to be silly, they were able to point out the irony of pooja items and the mall, which made us understand that people are looking at every minute aspect of the cartoon.”The online community, started in 2014, has taught Kannada to more than 10,000 people so far. The team, headed by Anup-Maiya, has 11 teachers who are working professionals and are passionate about teaching Kannada.
‘Experiments will go on’
Founder Anup Maiya, a techie, says he is always up for experiments, as long as it helps the team spread the essence of language. They initially started WhatsApp classes to teach Kannada. Anup says, "Three years ago, we started off with Kannada lessons on WhatsApp for free, then we went on to offer one-on-one classes on Skype for a nominal fee. We had also organised special sessions to teach Kannada through music, and later through performance act. Now, we are here, helping them learn through some poorly drawn lines."
Comic book out soon
The team is planning to bring out a comic book of these cartoons. "The book will serve as the favourite choice of adults and children alike, who want to learn Kannada," Anup Maiya, founder, adds.