BANGALORE: “Of all the states in our country, Karnataka is the best and we do not find this kind of culture anywhere. Kannadigas handle their language very well. People who visit Karnataka are not able to learn the language as they feel great talking poor English. It is shame that I do not know Kannada,” Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni, former member of Rajya Sabha and grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi, observed.
She was speaking at a programme organised to launch three volumes of ‘Gandhi Kruthi Sanchaya’ here on Saturday. Gandhi Kruthi Sanchaya is a hundred volume translation project of writings of Mahatma Gandhi from the English version titled “Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi” supported by the Government of Karnataka.
Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni who is eldest living grand child of Gandhi further stated, “The Jnanpith Institute is rendering a good service by translating many Kannada works to Hindi and that’s how I learnt about many Kannada novels. Children of today’s generation are lacking reading habit due to the impact of media.”
Manu Baligar, Commissioner, Department of Kannada and Culture, said “It is our responsibility to save our younger generation and the Indian culture through these translated volumes. We are bringing Gandhi to Kannada literature and it is our duty to make the younger generation aware of the principles of Gandhi. We should learn how to convey big things in simple and brief notes from Gandhi.” The translators of the Kannada volumes were felicitated and late Gandhian Dr Mathoor Krishnamurthy was remembered on the occasion.