BENGALURU: Aiming at non-Kannadigas in Bengaluru who are residing mostly in apartments, the State Government is coming up with a unique initiative to teach them Kannada language at their place of residence. The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) will be the facilitator and weekend classes will be conducted for those interested.
There are thousands of apartment complexes, especially at IT hubs like Sarjapur and Whitefield, and also in Mahadevapura, Bannerghatta Road, Rajarajeshwarinagar, East Bengaluru and other places, where a large number of non-Kannadigas reside. KDA chairman T S Nagabharana said, “Other than basic online Kannada teaching , KDA is planning to conduct Kannada classes at these apartments.”
The KDA has created teams of volunteers which will visit local apartments to check if people show any interest in spoken Kannada classes. “They will also be listing out volunteers in their areas to teach the language. We are expecting the results of the survey by November-end,’’ he added.
Apartment complexes where at least five to 10 residents show interest in learning Kannada will be identified. “Classes will be free and KDA will even pay a nominal remuneration to volunteers who teach,” he said. On Thursday, Nagabharana launched the logo for the “Kannada Kaayaka Varshacharane”, a year-long event to popularise Kannada.
THe KDA has developed a e-learning portal where one can learn Kannada online anywhere. Interested apartment associations or volunteers can visit the KDA website https://kannadapraadhikaara.karnataka.gov.in.