BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s love for Kannada impressed thousands at Palace Ground attending the Power Awards presented by the Energy Department, here on Saturday evening.
In his address, Energy Minister
D K Shivakumar said that the energy department had been thinking of replacing the word ‘lineman’ with ‘powerman’, a symbol of energy. In Kannada, ‘lineman’ is called ‘Maargadaalu’, someone who installs and maintains electrical power.
When his turn to speak came, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “Hey Shivkumar, think of a Kannada word for ‘Powerman’. It is not convincing. Translate ‘Powerman’ to Kannada,” he suggested.
A few seconds later, as he continued to talk in colloquial Kannada, Siddaramaiah himself coined the word ‘Shaktimitra’ as a direct translation of ‘Powerman’. “Lineman is an old word. Is Shaktimitra’ okay?” he asked, while looking for the approval of the gathering. The crowd gave a huge applause as a mark of approval.
Mahadev, a lineman in Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), said, as a Kannadiga, he felt proud of the Kannada word suggested by the Chief Minister. Shivanand Patil, who works as a lineman in Bidadi, also approved of the word. The Energy Department had organised the programme for the first time to present Power Awards to employees who contributed innovative ideas.