Kannada gottilla? It's never too late too learn. Nearly 70 people turned up for a session on basic Kannada organised by a group of volunteers at Cubbon Park on Sunday.
The organisers, a group called Let's Spread Love (LSL), came up with the idea after many of their volunteers faced difficulties communicating with slum children during their volunteering activities. "Many of them would say, 'I wanted to speak to so and so lid, but couldn't because I didn't know the language', and were keen to at least learn basic communication," said one of the group members Matheen Jamadar. The group also organises a food donation drive once a month and conducts skill development classes for slum children.
The participants also had a session on sign language where they were taught basics of Indian sign language, such as how certain letters of the alphabet are formed, and basic introductions. The trainers for the Kannada and sign language sessions were from kannadagottilla.com , an initiative focused on teaching the language to new migrants to the city from outside Karnataka, and Enable India respectively.
"The best part of the session was that it was held in open air. People from all age groups had turned up, including someone as old as 80. I've been in Bengaluru for five years now but spoke mostly in Hindi or English to get by, I felt that I needed to learn Kannada," said Dorothy Roy, one of the participants who belongs to Kolkata. She is keen to look up a few words from the internet or through apps, to build on the basic sentences she learnt in her first class.
Harshil Mittal, the founder of the LSL, said the motive was to encourage people to learn Kannada so they can connect with the local population. "The participants were taught through rhymes and repetition, so they could memorise what they were taught," said Mr. Mittal. He added that 15 foreign nationals from countries including Autralia, the United States of America and a few south Asian countries also joined the session.
The group plans to hold a second session on March 5. "Singer Vasu Dixit is expected to take the session forward by teaching Kannada through music," added Mr. Mittal.
