For the past couple of months, a group of 12 to 15 people have been meeting every Saturday at the Jain College premises in Rajarajeshwarinagar to discuss topics ranging from books published and historical events to data science and artificial intelligence. While the subject of discussion varies week on week, one thing remains constant: the language of discussion, which is Kannada.
To encourage more people to speak in Kannada, Srinivasprasad Magal, 40, a management professional, started Chiguru Kannada Vaalpriyaru, the Kannada version of Toastmaster’s Club, the only such public speaking club in the city.
“I got the idea from my wife. Though she finds it difficult to articulate well in English, words just flow when she speaks in Kannada. I realised there are a lot of people who would be more comfortable speaking in their mother tongues,” said Mr. Magal, an IIM-B graduate and member of IIMB Orators’ Club, the Toastmaster’s Club started by alumni of the institute.
The club follows the format of Toastmaster International. They pick a topic and at the end of the session, speeches are evaluated for choice of words, grammar, body language and modulations. Members of Kannada Vaalpriyaru have met for 61 weeks and are in the process of chartering the club. “We have been working silently all this while. Chartering the club will ensure more publicity, better formatted meetings and greater participation,” he added. Compared to the Toastmaster’s meetings in English, this Kannada version has difficulty finding patrons. Mr. Magal said the main reason is that people believe there will be no commercial benefit from speaking in pure Kannada.
“But speaking in our mother tongue is very important. The face of our culture is our language. If I don’t learn and use the language, we don’t understand our culture. Also, research has proven that thinking and speaking in the native tongue can power the imagination. That is why we encourage children to join us,” said Mr. Magal.
“Even after the club is chartered, we will let children attend for free,” he added. The group meets every Saturday at Jain College in R.R. Nagar from 3 to 4 p.m.
