ಕನ್ನಡವೆ ಸತ್ಯ! ನಿತ್ಯ! ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್‌ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರಅಪಥ್ಯ!

ನಮ್ಮ ನೆಲದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಬಾಲಿವುಡ್‌ ನಟ ಶಾರೂಖ್‌ ಖಾನ್‌ ಹುಣ್ಣಿಮೆಯಾಗಿ ಮಿಂಚಿದ್ದನ್ನು ಹಾಗೂ ನಾಡಿನ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯ ಗಾಯಕ ಸಿ.ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥ್‌ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆಯಾಗಿ ಬದಿಗೆ ಸರಿದಿದ್ದನ್ನು ನೀವು ಕಂಡಿರಾ? ಕಂಡೂ ಮರೆತಿರಾ? ಎದೆಯುಬ್ಬಿಸಿ ಕೇಳಲು ಇದು ನವೆಂಬರ್‌ ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಸುಮ್ಮನಾದಿರಾ?

• ಶ್ರೀದೀಪ್‌
  [email protected]

Dear Sir,

I would like to know whether there is any place for Kannada in Bangalore. This is because, I did not find any reasonable coverage in English dailies of C.Ashwaths "Kannadave Satya" programme held at Palace Grounds. It was a highly successful function with Kannada music lovers numbering more than a lakh, and causing traffic jams around the grounds. But some of our esteemed English dailies do not find it exciting. There was a mention, but relegated to the last end columns, as if it were some minor local event. But these papers gave more than the due coverage to Shah Rukh Khans function, in the main page, again in the city edition complete with colourful photographs and all minor details.

This attitude is really distressing, there is a bias against Kannada in its own land. It is fashionable to call Bangalore a cosmopolitan city. But does it mean things relating to Kannada have to take a back seat? We have noticed that whenever a pop or rock star is to perform in Bangalore, these newspapers start giving publicity months before the actual event. Entire pages are used up to cover the event with glossy photographs, with each and every minor detail of the function. The pop stars who may be a nobody in their own countries are given all the coverage and publicity as if he were the king of the world. Same is the case with Bollywood figures. Any Tom, Dick and Harry from Bollywood is accorded a heros welcome by these English dailies. But when our own people conduct musical programs, concerts, film awards, literary events, the coverage is so minimal that it hardly gets noticed. Even Tamil and Telugu events held in Bangalore gets more publicity than Kannada events. Anybody questioning such attitude is dubbed as fanatic and chauvinistic by some so-called broadminded cosmopolitan people, many of whom are Kannadigas themselves.

It is time we protested such an attitude, else it may be too late.

ಮುಖಪುಟ

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