Latest news with #KuvempuUniversity
Deccan Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Daughter or sister — How are Kannada and Tamil related?
Actor Kamal Haasan's remark that Kannada was born out of Tamil has sparked a furore in Karnataka, but he has said nothing new. Leaders of all political hues in Tamil Nadu propagate the sentiment, and it is part of the state anthem as well. .The actor's casual remark, made in Chennai at the audio release of his upcoming film, Thug Life, could also be seen in the context of the Dravidian movement spearheaded by Periyar in the early part of the 20th century. As an ideologue, Periyar (1879-1973) espoused the cause of the south and opposed Hindi dominance. He held that all south Indian languages were born from Old Tamil. In current-day politics, Kamal Haasan is seeking to enter the Rajya Sabha with support from the DMK, a party founded on Periyarist Periyar calls Old Tamil is the very same language that linguists call Proto-Dravidian, assumed to have been the source of Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tulu, Kodava, Badaga and less widely spoken languages such as Hassan's position on the supremacy of Tamil is contentious. For Kannadigas, the dispute is not so much about whether Kannada and Tamil are related — there is no question that they are — but about how they are related. Linguists DH spoke to argue that the languages are sisters, and not mother and fallout of Kamal Haasan's casual remark, and his subsequent refusal to retract his position and apologise, has triggered outrage in Karnataka. .Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, comes 38 years after Nayakan, the gangster drama on which the two had collaborated and created box office history. .Meti Mallikarjun, linguist, professor and researcher at Kuvempu University, Shivamogga, says it is a common belief among Tamil people that Tamil is the mother of all Dravidian languages. 'There is no rationale behind it. It is like a folk belief,' he says. .Kamal Haasan would not have made the controversial statement had he acquired a deeper understanding of the history of the southern languages, he observes. 'The two languages are like branches of the same tree. The roots are what is known as Proto-Dravidian,' he multiplicity of tongues in India derives predominantly from two language families — Proto-Dravidian and Proto-Indo-Aryan. 'We have 25 to 27 languages in the Dravidian family. Some studies suggest the number is 70, but we have no evidence to support it,' Meti says. .The languages branched out at different points in time — Brahui, Malto, Tulu, Gondi, Kodava, Tamil, Kannada and so on. Gradually, when mutual intelligibility among the languages faded, they became independent languages, he adds. .A well-known linguist based in Karnataka says Kannada and Tamil share a cognate relationship, and one is not a descendant of the other. .Predictably, politicians wade into language controversies to score points and push their agendas. The claim that Kannada descended from Sanskrit is advanced by some. 'These are popular ideas that do not have evidence to support them,' the linguist, who requested anonymity, Malayalam and Kannada were part of the same Dravidian language group (known as the south Dravidian language group), he explains. 'Kannada was the first to branch out from it. Tamil and Malayalam were together for a long time. Some studies also suggest that Tulu and Kodava had already branched out much before Kannada,' he says..K Nallathambi, who writes fiction and poetry in Kannada and Tamil, says, 'The languages have many identical words but that does not mean one originated from the other. Korean has many words in common with Tamil, but that does not mean Korean originated from Tamil.'.The academics do not dispute the antiquity of Tamil. 'Sangam literature, which dates back to about 300 BCE, is evidence that Tamil is an old language. To add to it, one of the oldest grammar books, Tolkappiyam, was written by Tolkappiyar, a contemporary of Panini. It is a famous grammar book of south India,' Meti Carlos, who was a Tamil professor in the Kannada department at Bangalore University — he taught Tamil through Kannada — says the belief that Tamil is older than other southern languages is deeply rooted in Tamil Nadu. 'In his poem chosen as the Tamil Nadu state anthem, Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai says all Dravidian languages originated from Tamil. The Tamils sing this song every day and go by it. He also praises the other languages. He refers to Telugu as a beautiful language, and Kannada as a happy language and so on. But he also says that they all came from the womb of the Tamil mother. This is what Kamal has also said,' he the British missionary and linguist Robert Caldwell, who wrote A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages in the mid-19th century, debated the etymology of the name Tamil. 'He writes that 'Dramil' has now become Tamil. But there is a debate about it. Some people say Tamil has become Dramil in some Sanskrit texts,' says Meti. .Carlos calls attention to A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary, originally published in 1961, compiled by M B Emeneau and T Burrow. 'In this book, about 12 Dravidian languages are enumerated with their roots. Words are listed in alphabetical order and compared with the other example, hogu ('go' in Kannada) is listed alongside po in Tamil and so on,' he explains. He describes it as a pioneering book that put forth the theory that all south Indian languages came from a Proto-Dravidian it is true that Kannada and Tamil share many similarities in grammar and lexis, it is equally true that, over the centuries, they have chosen their priorities differently. Formal Kannada borrows generously from Sanskrit, while formal Tamil mines its Dravidian lexis to create new terms. For example, for 'president', Kannada uses 'rashtrapati', a term adopted by many Indian languages with a Sanskrit influence, while Tamil has coined a more native 'kudiyarasu thalaivar' — head of the Kamal Haasan nor Mani Ratnam is a stranger to Kannada. The actor has starred in several hit Kannada films, including Rama Shama Bhama (2005), in which he speaks Kannada in the north Karnataka dialect. Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983). .The two languages enjoy much warmth, but sometimes, sibling rivalry kicks in.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- The Hindu
Kuvempu University postpones exam after BA students receive wrong question paper
Shivamogga: The Bachelor of Arts students of Kuvempu University appearing for the sixth semester (NEP batch) examination of the Kannada optional paper were in shock on Saturday (May 24, 2025), when they received the wrong question papers. The examination was scheduled between 9 am and 11 am. The students were provided with the question paper prepared based on the old syllabus, leaving them clueless. The students brought this to the notice of examination supervisors and the principals of respective colleges, who later informed the Registrar (Examination) of the University. Exam postponed Following complaints from the colleges, the University postponed the examination scheduled on the day. The students were asked to leave the rooms, returning the answer sheets and question papers. Prof. S.M. Gopinath, Registrar (Evaluation) of Kuvempu University, told The Hindu that the exam had been postponed and the next day would be decided soon. 'The students received the wrong question paper due to the negligence of the chairperson of the board of examiners (BoE). Question papers are prepared confidentially. The BoE chairperson finalizes the question paper and also has the responsibility to do scrutiny of the draft before it goes for final print. The students faced difficulty because of the chairperson's negligence', he said. Further, the Registrar, said he would seek an explanation from the erring official, issue a show-cause notice, and seek a response. 'We will hold the erring official responsible for the development and ensure such incidents do not repeat', he added. The colleges in Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru are affiliated to Kuvempu University.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
M.B. Badbade passes away
Mehboobsaab B. Badbade, a retired KAS officer and former Special Deputy Commissioner, passed away in Belagavi on Sunday night. He was 85. After retirement, he formed the Consortium of Minorities Association, an NGO that runs schools and colleges, a certificate centre for Urdu, Arabic and Persian and the distance education centre of Kuvempu University. He also organised free tailoring training and handicrafts training for poor and destitute women and short-term courses for youth preparing for competitive examinations. He was among the guest speakers at The Hindu career guidance session in 2018. District in-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi and other leaders have expressed their condolences.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Two books by Kannada writer Satyanarayana Rao Anathi launched in Shivamogga
Two books written by senior poet and writer Sathyanarayana Rao Anathi were released in a programme in Shivamogga on Sunday (May 11, 2025). Mr. Anathi has brought out a collection of his poems written so far titled Mouna Migilu, and a play, Neelanjane Manimekhalai. The collection has poems also published in previous collections – Rammiyata, Hippemara, Bhoomi Badukina Gandha, Krishna Kannina Nota, Terakonda Aakasha, Patragalu Irali Galeya, besides his recent poems. Life in literature Mr. Anathi, 90, has taught Kannada literature for decades in colleges in Shivamogga and other places. Many of his colleagues and well-wishers felicitated Anathi and his wife Prabha on the occasion. Prof. Sharath Ananthamurthy, Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University, released the books. He read out a couple of his favourite poems from Anathi's collection. Noted theatre personality Venkatarama Aital, writers Channappa Angadi and Bharathi Devi spoke on the books released. Bengaluru-based Charumathi Prakashana has published both the books. B.S. Vidyaranya of Charumathi Prakashana was also present at the programme
The Hindu
08-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Nobody wins in a war, says Kuvempu University V-C Sharath Ananthamurthy
Shivamogga Nobody would win in a war, and the people with a lack of awareness of the impact of the war were expressing themselves with nationalistic fervour, said Sharath Ananthamurthy, Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University. He was speaking at a discussion on poetry, Kavya Samvada, organised by Malenadu Chintakara Chavadi in Shivamogga on Wednesday. After reading out the Kannada translation of Latvian poet Amanda Aizpuriete's poem War Lies at the Roadside, Prof. Ananthamurthy said, 'We are on the brink of a war. I have seen on the internet that everybody was speaking with nationalistic fervour. It is because we have not experienced the brutality of war. Nobody wins in a war. People exhibiting nationalism, thumping chests, is a dreadful scenario,' he stated. Further, the Vice-Chancellor said it was worrisome to see children talking about war with no idea of its impact. 'We need to make them read poetry on war and understand its impact,' he opined. He also stressed the need for events to discuss poetry. 'Earlier, such meetings were regular in Bengaluru and Mysuru. I am happy that such meetings are happening here in Shivamogga as well.' Two collections of translated poems — Kamalakara Kadave's Valase Hakkigala Huyilu and Jayashreenivasa Rao's Baltic Kadala Gaali – were discussed at the programme. Prof. Rajendra Chenni and Prof. Siraj Ahmed spoke about the translated works. Kamalakara Kadave and Jayashreenivasa Rao shared their experience of translating poetry into Kannada.
