Kannada Medium

1st November is the day of Kannada Rajyotsava and today (30th Nov) happens to be the last day of the Kannada month.  This blog of mine on this occasion is deliberately written in English.  There is need to spread the fragrance of Kannada and its culture to the millions of non-kannadigas who are living inside and outside Karnataka.

Quotation in Kannada in the above pic claims that Kannadigas, even without formal education are capable of writing epics!  The quotation is an extract from the first ever known book in Kannada, 'Kavirajamarga'  written by the Rashtrakuta King Amoghavarsha around 850 C.E. A number of live examples of great personalities around proves that there is no exaggeration in the statement. 

Dada Palke award winner, Padmabhushana Dr. Rajkumar (left in Pic) is a veteran Kannada film actor.  Each of his 200 films is no less than an epic.  He studied up to only 3rd standard in formal schools.

Padmasri winner Salumarada Thimmakka (middle in the pic) never went to Schools. She never had children.  But single handedly she has brought up 384 trees, along 4-kms stretch of a state highway! Probably her effort is the greatest message for preserving environment.

Padmasri winner Sulagitti Narasamma (right in the pic) too was from humble backgrounds.  She was a self-appointed midwife who has successfully performed over 15000 child deliveries in rural areas without charging any fees.  She had the expertise in identifying proper location of head and limbs of the child inside the woomb!

Karnataka is the home of 4 Bharat Ratnas.  C.V.Raman (extreme right), the Physicist was also a Nobel award winner.  Sir M.Visvesvaraiah (second from right) was a great Engineer.  Pandith Bhimsen Joshi (extreme left) is the uncrowned King of Hindustani vocal music.  Many are surprised that our great scientist C.N.R.Rao is not yet awarded a Nobel.

Karnataka undoubtedly, is the most musical state in India.  It is the only state where both the systems of Indian classical music, Hindustani and Carnatic are alive and thriving. 

Moreover Sugama Sangeeta, the system of composing and singing poems written by great poets has the deepest roots in Karnataka.  Sugama sangeeta singers like C.Aswath (right in pic above) are household names in Karnataka, although they are not film singers! Not many Indian States have such distinction.

Karnataka is also known for its rich literature.  Leaving Hindi, Kannada is the language which has produced highest number of Gnanapeeta award winners (see Pic above).

Karnataka is one of the great tourist destinations in India. Aihole temple in Bagalkot district (top row, extreme right) built around 500 C.E. is probably one of the earliest stone arts for the whole of India! 

Rev. Kittel (top left) was a German priest.  He was the first person to write a Kannada-English dictionary during 1894. Another German,  Krumbigal (inset right) was the Botanist who developed our Lalbagh under Mysuru Kings. Services of Dr. MccGann in interiors of Shivamogga District is honoured by naming the District Hospital after him.

Karnataka's contribution to the world of sports is also immense.  Karnataka cricketers are well known.  Prakash Padukone (right below) was the first Indian to win All England Open Badminton and was also rated world No. 1 during 1980. Pankaj Advani (top left) is 23 times Billiords world champion! 

Karnataka is the motherland of IT and BT giants. Bengaluru is now the home for millions of IT-BT professionals from all over the country!

While Karnataka is thriving, Kannada is languishing behind. Kannada has almost vanished from its capital, Bengaluru.  While outsiders are not interested in learning or speaking Kannada, natives too are equally disinterested.  For senior natives like me it is disgusting to see young children speaking, playing and even quarreling in English! It seems that after another 2-3 decades, Kannada is bound to become extinct in Karnataka.  This is also the sad story of all other regional languages of India.  But who is caring?

Parents can't be blamed for putting their children into English medium schools.  Their main concern is to make their children employable! Till last year in almost all rural Government Kannada Schools, students strength was poor and were facing closure.  This year Karnataka Government has introduced English Medium from 1st standard in about 1000 Government schools, at the rate of 1 school each in a hobli (sub-taluka)! This has proved a magical step.  There is huge rush for admissions in such Goverment Schools.  Parents are even taking away their children from Private English schools. 

Then how Kannada should thrive?  Fighting for Kannada medium in all Schools and Colleges is bound to be resisted by parents and administrators.  Courts too are inclined to reject such petitions. The best way is to make Kannada a compulsory subject in all classes till Graduation.  Parents and students are unlikely to oppose such a proposal.  Central Government can take initiative to implement such bold measure in all States, so that the cause of all regional languages gains strength. Of course, this is my view.  I welcome alternative views from my friends.

Before concluding I would like to place before you one question.  WHO IS THE SHRESHTA (greatest) KANNADIGA OF ALL TIMES? I am sure you people will flood me with right answers!

Long live Kannada!

Long Live All Indian Languages!!

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ಕಲಿ ಮಗಳೆ ನೀನು

ಕಲಿ ಮಗಳೆ ನೀನು 

ಕಲಿಯಲಿಲ್ಲ ನಾನು, ಕಲಿ ಮಗಳೆ ನೀನು 

ಶೋಷಿತಳು ನಾನು, ಸುಶಿಕ್ಷತಳಾಗು ನೀನು 

ನಿರಾಶ್ರಿತಳು ನಾನು, ನನ್ನಾಶಾಕಿರಣ ನೀನು 

ಬೀದಿ ಬದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು, ಬಾನೆತ್ತರಕೇರು ನೀನು 

ಕೈಗೂಡಲಿ ತಾಯ ಹರಕೆ, ಈಡೇರಲಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಬಯಕೆ 

Travel lessons from US

America, the land of opportunities holds an unique attraction for people all over the world.  The dream of every travel loving person is to visit US, at least once. In this context, I take the pleasure of sharing with you a few lessons I learnt from our recent tour of US.

How to plan a cheaper tour?
The most preferred option for seniors for a comfortable tour is to choose one of the well known Indian tourist operators.  We travelled with one such operator, who provided us a total solution and our experience was good.  But the cost involved was quite high. The cost was about USD 600 per day (Rs.42,000) for 2 persons.  This was excluding onward and return journey fares, as we travelled on our own ahead of the tour party.

Moreover tourist operators are likely to postpone booked tours for want of enough number of bookings and this causes great inconvenience to working/business professionals.  This also may result in escalated cost.

There are a few well known local tourist operators in US who offer short and long trips covering entire US.  They will pick you only from local centers in US. We travelled with one such operator called 'TakeTours.com' on a 2-day trip to Boston. Know more by visiting their site. Also the cost quoted in their site is only the basic cost and other charges are collected separately while travelling. The experience was equally good, excepting that we had to do some compromise on food. The cost involved was about  USD 400 per day (Rs.28,000) for 2 persons. This option is very good for those who go and stay with their friends/relatives/children. Choosing this option is bound to please hosts by providing them the much needed relief! And your coverage of tour will become more detailed and comfortable.

One can also explore cheaper stays at US,  through a well known operator called 'airbnb.com'.

Obtaining US-Visa:
One can apply online on their own or apply through the chosen tourist operator/Visa-agent. Ensure that visa application is filled only as per facts and keep ready all supporting documents.  Confidently face the visa-interview and answers should be based only on facts and nothing else.  In all probability visa will be granted.

It is better to obtain US-visa at least 3 months ahead of your tour.  This will help exploring cheaper air-fare during travel.  Booking air-tickets with a few days left for travel will prove very very costly! Even tourist operators cleverly de-link themselves from such late booking costs.

Those who are likely to visit Niagara falls, should also obtain 

Canada-visa before leaving India.  Niagara visit is incomplete without viewing from Canada-side. Canada-side is only a few Kms away from US-side of Niagara.

Which period to chose?
May to September period is considered good for US-travel.  One should also try to avoid local school/college holiday period, to avoid rush at tourist locations. It is always better to check from US-friends.

How much money to take?

If you are travelling with a tourist-operator, about USD 50 per day for 2 persons is more than enough. If you are travelling on your own, you may have to carry about USD 500 per one travelling day for 2 persons. In both the cases it is assumed that you are clever enough not to make any costly purchases. Whatever money you may carry, take it in the form of multi-currency-travel-cards and cash in the ratio of 3:1. Card alone may not work always.

Ensure that you obtain adequate Travel Insurance before leaving India.  God forbid, if something happens, medical treatment is bound to cost heavily for tourists.  Fortunately cost of travel of insurance is not more than a few thousands.  Moreover if you are going through a tourist operator, ensure that they have covered your travel insurance.

If you are travelling on your own, taxi travel becomes inevitable.  Ensure that you have downloaded Uber app and the same is linked to one of your debit/credit cards. Many of the Uber-taxi operators in US will not accept cash! 

Every tourist, young or old must always carry with him/her enough cash, a live-mobile and a copy of his passport-visa.  Moreover it is very important to hand-hold elders and children! 

How much luggage?
Carry luggage within permitted limits of air travel (generally 23 kgs check-in and 7 kgs of cabin baggage per person).  Also check whether you are physically strong enough to carry your luggage because in US, coolies are not available.  Moreover in US-airports luggage-trolleys are not freely available!

Essentials like your daily tablets should be carried in two different packets stored in two different suit-cases. Better to carry  spare spectacles too. Fix a 'place for each item and keep every item in its place', in order to avoid irritation and anxiety while searching.

While all sharp items like scissors and razors should be kept in check-in luggage, power-bank must be carried in cabin-baggage only.

Is America different from India?
America is 3-times bigger than India by land.  But its population is just 32 crores when compared to India's 130 crores! Moreover it is a rich country with GDP, 6-times greater than India's. 

Most of the residential colonies are away from the cities.  Such colonies are the ideal locations of tranquility.  Roads are broad, long and well laid with green trees on either sides. An average plot with a single house measures about 1-2 acres.  

Americans concern for preserving nature too is exemplary.  We
visited one such location called 'Dukes Park' in New Jersey.  It's

a 3000-acre park developed and maintained by a philanthropist by name J.B.Duke.  It's a peaceful homeland for thousands of species of flora and fauna. Entry for visitors is free.

New York, America's biggest city with a composite-population of about 2 crores is a packed city almost like our Mumbai. Traffic-jams are as bad as any other Indian city here.  Moreover 

New York too is facing uphill task of managing its huge pile of garbage! 

Roads linking various cities of US are not great.  They too are 

congested with dense traffic.  Pot-holes and road-patches are not uncommon here. A passenger bus in US can cover about 70-80 Kms per hour.  We can proudly say that our Indian 6-lane highways are equally good, if not better than America's!

Dollar Vs Rupee!
No doubt, USD is much stronger than Indian Rupee!  The average per-capital income of an average American is about USD 60,000 and he spends about a third of his income on housing.

Compare this to an average Indian, whose per-capita income is about USD 2000.  But he spends only about a tenth of his income on housing.  May be the quality of housing may not be comparable.  But it proves a point that Indian Rupee is much stronger when measured in terms of Purchase-Power-Parity (PPP). A cup of coffee costs about USD 5 in US, whereas even for Rs.10 one can get a good cup of coffee in India!

Last but not the least America is a multi-ethnic and multi-racial country.  Over centuries it has gracefully accommodated

people migrating from all parts of the world including India.  It's a perfect example of people living in harmony.  Any tourist visiting US, while walking on a road,  is bound to be pleasantly surprised by the warmth of a 'nice hello' from a stranger-American! They are friendly and helpful people too. Moreover what makes USA great is its sense of discipline, law and order compliance among its people.

Long live America

Long live India

Long live Indo-American friendship!

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