DHARWAD: A humble autorickshaw driver in Dharwad with a heart that beats for Kannada – the soul of this land – is on a mission! At the helm of his steed, one caparisoned with Kannada vowels and consonants, Ranganath Heremani takes passengers to their destinations, while encouraging them along to use the state language, a pilgrimage he’s been on for the last couple of years.
With reverence for the language not restricted to mere letters printed on his vehicle, Ranganath also keeps Kannada newspapers for passengers to read, while also providing them with free Wi-Fi, fan and drinking water as a service. Beyond passengers, his noble task also includes motivating fellow auto drivers to think of unique ways to popularise Kannada, besides encouraging youngsters of his locality to read Kannada novels during leisure. Ranganath says that most people who can even read and write the language often tend to fail at reciting vowels and consonants at a stretch.
But by looking at his vehicle, they quickly relate to what they know and refresh their memory. Meanwhile, for some, just a glance at the rickshaw arouses a sense of curiosity, and they end up reading a few letters. The ultimate dream that is driving this auto driver is indeed big, and he’s treading this chosen path to realise it. Ranganath says there are several government Kannada schools in the State, which fear shutting down, largely due to people preferring English- medium schools.
However, if people, especially of the elite class, begin sending their children to Kannada schools, the latter stand a high chance of breathing easy. “To motivate and encourage such people is a small effort,” he says. Another interesting thing about Ranganath is that his mother tongue isn’t Kannada. “Though Telugu is my mother tongue, all of us in my entire family speak in Kannada even at home. During my younger days, I changed school. At the interview, I was asked about vowels and consonants. I was prepared with the entire syllabus, but it was not of any use,” he reminisces.
“I failed to give any proper answer and from that day, I thought there would be more people like me around, and there was a need to bring the change. For the last seven years, I have been trying my best to spread the message by word-of-mouth, and now with this idea, the reach has increased,” he adds. Ranganath attends most Kannada literary meets. “I have attended the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held in Dharwad. I very rarely miss such programmes.
Though I have not learnt much, I do know how to read and write Kannada. I am not against any language, but it is important to know the language of the land, and it is the duty of every individual to spread it on par with other languages from different lands,” he says. A passenger also expressed gratitude towards this auto driver, and said that his work might seem of little consequence, but it has a huge impact. It is common to find people shouting in front of the mic and offering suggestions to promote and use Kannada, but compared to such people, Ranganath is best at what he does, he says.
“Ranganath’s efforts have forced us to think, and have inspired us to contribute to society. If everybody comes up with such a positive attitude to herald change, that change isn’t far away. Though I cannot do much, I will at least change my vehicle number plate from English to Kannada,” the passenger says. Autorickshaw associations and people from around have felicitated Ranganath, who says humbly that he never sought any recognition or appreciation. “It’s for my selfsatisfaction. People will get motivated by my effort, and this is the only reward that makes me happy,” he says.