Bengaluru: Every kannadiga with an online presence seems to have something to say about ‘Ellara Kannada’ today.
This is a campaign that seeks to avoid the aspiration consonants (Mahapretan) in Kannada written and replaces Kannada Sanskrit / Sanskritization words with simple Kannada.
While the name Ellara Kannada (Kannada everyone) itself has lifted a lot of hackles, quite a lot of fur has ruffled by the purpose of the campaign.
From the author to fans of new language reforms / scripts to Kannada activists, this debate flooded the Kannada world online.
“We are on Kannada having the choice to write what we are talking about, why do you want to take it? I think it’s stupid to do it.
Some people can speak kannada differently, but I can’t be forced to give up talk or write in a certain way,” Poet said Pratibha nandakumar.
Ellara Kannada is a term related to efforts connected loosely on script reform by various groups and individuals.
Over the past few years, words with roots in Kannada have been created by these activists as an alternative to the words of technical and general use of English and Sanskrit.
Some of these words like ‘Minchanche’ for email and ‘neralaachchu’ for photocopies have gained popularity.
Web sites like Hunalu.net publish Kannada articles that follow Ellara Kannada’s ideals.
Publisher Guruprasad DN said the aspiration consonant was a real problem.
“As a publisher, I know most people cannot see the difference.
And avoid Mahapranas is not a new idea.
In 1946, Prof.
M Mariyappa Bhat showed how Mahapanas was not original Kannada.
DN Shankara Bhat is his biggest initiator.
There are some like KV Narayana, Rangatha Kantanakunte And other people who write about it and in it, “he said.
ChoiceShankara Bhat’s problem began the revolution around 2006 after the decade of study.
Even though he did not use the term Ellara Kannada, he stated the need to reduce phonemic letters in Kannada from 49 to 32 by dropping Mahapanas.
Since then, he has written many books using only 32 alphabets.
However, Bhat, has refused to be pulled into any debate about this problem and has held a view that he will only use 32 alphabets, despite what other people do.
Bharat Kumar, a technician, Language activist and Ellara Kannada’s initiator, has been playing a role in the publication of a dictionary like ‘padanakane’, written with Bhat.
This dictionary includes alternative words made for Sanskrit and English terms.
“Individuals and academic and non-academic groups have used Kannada without Mahapanas for some time now.
There are even novels written in this form.
If someone does not want to follow him, it is their choice,” he said.
Some Facebook posts called on Ellara Kannada as a new year resolution last week, triggered a new debate.
Guruprasad announced he would publish one article every day on the Naanugauri website at Ellara Kannada.
Writing Kannada without using aspiration consonants is not new.
For ages, many try not to only avoid consonants and letters from Sanskrit, but also completely ignore Sanskrit words in Kannada written.
But this is an exception, not the rule.
Pratibha Nandakumar said the latest efforts were more related to the Anti-Brahminis Ellara Kannada tone.
“Obviously.
This is a suburban problem.
Some people try to take him to the mainstream by projecting it as Debate Dalit vs.
Brahmana,” he said.
Accidental or vice versa, broke out between them for and against Mahapanas in real kannada and now spilling into the open.