BANGALORE: The Kannada zealots are at it again. They don’t miss a single opportunity to whip up chauvinistic passions.
The latest is the planned unveiling of Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar’s statue in Bangalore on August 9.
Earlier when the protests broke out in 1991, negotiations between the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the recent meeting of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, with his Tamil Nadu counterpart Karunanidhi, ensured that both states agreed to unveil the statues of each other’s saint poets. Their condition met, the Kannada activists are still not happy. They have now set fresh conditions. They have even planned a statewide bandh, if the government goes ahead with the unveiling ceremony. Vatal Nagaraj, who holds protests at the drop of a hat, has said that since we have a long-standing dispute with TN on the sharing of Cauvery waters and the Hogenakkal row, there shall be no show of bonhomie, like unveiling statues. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Narayana Gowda, cites a PIL, by one Gandhi, against the granting of classical status to Kannada. He wants the TN government to persuade Gandhi to withdraw the PIL, and also stop all work on the Hogenakkal project, till the Centre completes the survey.
Mr Vatal and Mr Gowda, I, being a Kannadiga, share your concern for the state’s language, land and waters 100 per cent. Having a stake in the interests of the state, I am naturally sympathetic to the issues raised by you. Tamil Nadu raises two or three crops a year with Cauvery waters, while Karnataka is forced to be satisfied with just one, thanks to the high-handedness of the lower riparian state. TN, through its clout at the Centre, has ensured that Karnataka doesn’t increase its area under irrigation in the Cauvery basin. The final award of the Cauvery Tribunal has also been biased against Karnataka. As for the PIL on the classical language status, it is clearly a mischief to deny Kannada its just honour. The objective is either establishing only Tamil as the pre-eminent language in the South, or the unfounded fear that more classical languages would mean a cut into the funds meant for Tamil. Certainly, Gandhi’s PIL is in bad taste.
But I want to ask both Gowda and Nagaraj and others of their ilk one question. Just because there are these issues with a neighbouring state, should we stop all efforts of harmonious living with that state? Should friendly ties be held hostage to outstanding issues? What these activists must understand is that Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, share much in common culturally. Kannadigas and Tamilians share a common mother - river Cauvery.
Saint Tyagaraja, who lived on the banks of river Cauvery, composed songs in Telugu. But it is believed that he picked up the basics of music from his mother who sang Purandaradasa’s Kannada songs at home. After all, Purandaradasa is considered the ‘pitamaha’ of Carnatic music. Bharatanatyam is the prime dance forms in both states.
Do Kannada activists want us to disown all common heritage? Given the fact that there hasn’t been opposition to Sarvajna’s statue, at least not in recent days, there should be none for Thiruvalluvar’s statue. If there is an issue about Sarvajna’s statue being unveiled at a “not-so-prominent place” in Chennai, it can be resolved through dialogue.
Differences between states are bound to arise in a federal setup. Efforts to resolve them and build friendship must go hand in hand. Cacophonic protests for cheap publicity won’t save the day.
