Vikky Varun, actor
I’ve been celebrating Kannada Rajyotsava since I was in school, like every other person growing up in the state. Nowadays, the celebrations are a little different, but the emotions remain the same. The only language I’m completely proficient in is Kannada. It has allowed me to be who I am today. Through my work, I always strive to pay back the language it’s due. While I work in the Kannada film industry, there’s obvious influence of other languages that has crept in, but I try to promote the use of Kannada as much as possible and carry it forward to the next generation.
Suraj Gowda, actor
Kannada Rajyotsava is not about celebrating Kannada for a day and just moving on. Instead, it is a yearly reminder of how proud we are of being born in this incredible state, and we carry that feeling for the rest of the year. It’s a land of opportunities, a land of culture and heritage. It’s also a reminder of how beautiful and ancient our language is. And that we need to carry forward that iconic culture of ours.
Ranjani Raghavan, actor
This day has always been very special to me, as during my school days, I used to participate in a lot of literary competitions - writing proverbs, handwriting and singing competitions and so on. So Kannada Rajyotsava has been about celebrating the language, but also winning prizes! After I started publishing my writings and especially after the Kannadathi serial, people expect me to do more for Kannada language. So it’s a special day for me.
Ritwik Simha, thespian
Rajyotsava is a day when we reaffirm our ‘Kannada-thana’ (our identity). This year it is sweeter as it marks 50 years since the state was renamed to Karnataka from Mysore State. Theatre is a medium through which we can take Kannada literature to people’s hearts. We strive to be a link between people and Kannada culture. This year, we hope to take Kannada culture, literature and ‘Kannada thana’, not only across the state, but also across the country.
Sonu Gowda, actor
When I was younger, we used to celebrate Rajyotsava Day in school, and it was like any other festival. I used to get very excited about it, and we used to have these various programmes in school and we would dress up for the occasion. But as I grew up, I realised the importance of this day and the sheer historic significance it carries. Travelling abroad has made me realise how incredible our language, with its own script and documented history. These days, the celebrations are obviously different, but I always strive to promote the language, and its cultural beauty.