The Karnataka government has tabled the ‘Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill’ in the legislature in the week gone by. The bill seeks to establish the primacy of Kannada in Karnataka—in education, communication and its use through establishments such as the government and its many offices, banks and institutions of higher education.
The bill is comprehensive, even as segments of media pick up the more noisy issues to highlight. In many ways, the bill picks its direction from the Sarojini Mahishi Report (1984), which made as many as 58 recommendations to safeguard Kannada (and, in turn, Kannadigas) by and large. Finally, Kannada and its primacy seem to be a stated goal of the government.
Election-time conspiracy theories apart (whether true or imagined), the bill at hand looks robust. Its stated intent is solid. To an extent, it copies what other states in India already have in place—and in addition—it adds a couple of dimensions that other states just might follow in the future, as each state goes on to establish the primacy of its own language.
The beauty of the bill to me is that Kannada gets primacy in Karnataka. And rightly so. Tamil must get primacy in Tamil Nadu, just as Marathi must get primacy in Maharashtra. Indian states were really divided on a linguistic basis for a start. Today, in many ways, our 28 States and 9 Union Territories are “language homogenous structures” which have become entities that exist and govern themselves.
Federalism is the bed on which the states and the Indian Union sleep. Language, to that extent, is the one big binding force. A force that knits the state together, just as it separates one state from another. In many ways, it is not the political border of the various states that divides one from the other; it is the language that is spoken, the language that is lived, and indeed the language that is experienced by its peoples.
Every state is more homogenous than the country at large. This is seen in the food, culture, custom, dressing style and more. This homogeneity of a state is finally wrapped together by language. The language that is spoken, written, read and assimilated in all else as a culture. Language is, therefore, important. Very important.
This bill in Karnataka comes at an opportune time when there is plenty of social and political angst in the South of the country on the subject of Hindi imposition. Tamil Nadu leads vociferously in this debate, and all South Indian states follow. West Bengal and Maharashtra are not too far away in order of protest decibel levels. There is a very passionate call that asks for the primacy of the local language to be maintained at completely high levels.
I do believe the BJP Basavaraj Bommai government in Karnataka has read the pulse of the people of Karnataka right, and here comes the bill—all dressed up and ready to run.
The proposed legislation is a positive one for me if it establishes Kannada in its rightful place in Karnataka. A lot of us have forgotten to speak the language when we must. Many of us do not read enough of it, even if we know how. A lot of us pass qualitative and elitist value judgments on people who speak different languages. Many imagine the English-speaking to be at the top of the pyramid of language hierarchy, followed by the Hindi-speaking ones, and those that speak the local language occupy a different peg altogether. We need to think differently now. This is a completely politically incorrect thing to write, but write it, I must.
By default, English is considered today to be the language that gets you corporate jobs. Hindi is the language that gets you Central government jobs. And Kannada is the language that gets you local state government jobs. It’s time to churn this pot up a bit now. The local language of the state should be able to get you the best corporate jobs, just as it should be able to get you the best government jobs.
We need to establish in every Indian state pride in the local language that is spoken, written, and read. We can have one tax. We can have one market. But we need to have many languages. The many languages of India. This is indeed the strength of the real India. Unity in its diversity. We need to get closer to the local language than we are now. And that makes us local. And that makes us belong.
Even as the media focuses on the proposed noisy diktat in Karnataka that no incentives will be given to firms not giving first preference to Kannadigas in jobs, I do believe this is not the way to do it. I divide sops into two. A first-mile sop and a last-mile sop. Merit must always take first place at the last mile when it comes to jobs. I am okay with the state government giving me a first-mile sop. Give me the best facilities free of cost in educational establishments of every kind and in vocational and tech training centres operated for the purpose of helping the Kannadiga with competence building. Give me incentives as a Kannadiga to run as good as the rest, if not better. This is a first-mile sop. But do not insist on reservations of jobs at the last mile. It will kill my animal instinct to perform, compete and out-beat everyone else out there. As a Kannadiga, I do believe I can. Instill in me the pride of achievement through competency building, not through a process of reservation by diktat. It will kill my animal instinct. I am big on this. I am good as anyone else is.
At the end of the day, an act is only as good as its implementation is. We just may get a great act in place after due discussion by our lawmakers, but God is in the implementation. As is the Devil. Therefore let’s wait and watch, as even this bill shall pass!
Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc