Love for Kannada cannot come by giving incentives: Sudha Murty

Acclaimed author, engineer, philanthropist, movie buff and Infosys Foundation chairperson — Sudha Murty wears many hats and enjoys all these roles.

Acclaimed author, engineer, philanthropist, movie buff and Infosys Foundation chairperson — Sudha Murty wears many hats and enjoys all these roles. But one thing she takes pride in is her love for Kannada.

In an interview to The New Indian Express, Sudha Murty, wife of Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy, speaks on Kannada litertaure, Kannadigas and how to popularise the language. She stresses on developing a pride for the language, which according to her, is the only means to popularise it. 

Philanthropist and writer Sudha Murty. (File | EPS)

She also speaks about  ‘The Gopi Diaries: Coming Home’,  her latest book which is the first of a three-part series that focuses on the life of her pet dog. Excerpts:

Do you think Kannada is losing its place in Bengaluru?

If two people are speaking in English in Bengaluru, most likely they are Kannadigas. Normally, we do not converse in Kannada even when we meet a fellow Kannadiga, while that is not the case with people from other states.

How can one promote the language?

It’s only through pride and love that we can develop and popularise Kannada. A language will blossom only when you have love for it. This love for Kannada will not come by giving incentives. It has to come from the heart.

How can we make children learn Kannada?

Parents play a big role. If their mother tongue is Kannada, they have to speak to their children in that language.

Will you be present at the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana beginning on Wednesday?

No, I will be touring for the next ten days.  Frankly speaking, I write because I enjoy. I do not attend events. The present trend in Kannada literature is that people from different fields have started writing.

I am happy about it. Literature is not just limited to people who study it as part of their academics. People who come from other fields have a different vision and perspective.

What about Science and Technology writings in Kannada?

There is a huge gap. People who are experts in Science and Technology do not have good knowledge of Kannada and vice versa. This gap can be filled only when people who have knowledge in Science learn to read and write in Kannada. In other languages, such attempts are made and are quite successful. For instance, in Tamil, there are a good number of people who excel in Science and are good at Tamil and they are writing books. When they can, why can’t we?

Tell us about your book on The Gopi Diaries...

Gopi is a year old. He gives tremendous joy, unconditional love. What I think about Gopi as a dog is normal, but how Gopi thinks about us is not known. I don’t know how he sees me — as a grandma, mother or friend. I became Gopi and started narrating from his view point. There are hardly such attempts made in literature.

What will your next book be?

Gopi Diaries is the first of a three-part series. The second part will come out this year and the third is expected in 2021. Gopi is the hero of my book. Now that my son Rohan is married, Gopi will get parents and will also get a girlfriend in the coming series.

(Source: TNIE)