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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The Great Indian mother tongue tango: Pride, slaps and salty tea
In Mumbai's latest episode of "Speak Marathi or Else", early July, some traders found themselves slapped, not with fines they can manage, but greasy palms slammed on their faces at the speed of xenophobia. For what? For choosing Hindi over the local lingo. While language pride is laudable, turning it into a nasty contact sport has been India's national pastime since... well, since Jawaharlal Nehru's reluctance to divide the nation along linguistic lines was overruled. So, while the globe hyperventilates over 'language' in a different way with their LLMs—Large Language Models—churning out Shakespearean sonnets, we Indians deploy our impromptu street language audits or every Som, Danish and Harish. I know, because I have faced it myself. It is Bangalore, 2007, my first day in Karnataka. Fresh off the bus, feeling unwell, I drag myself to a pharmacy. What I receive isn't just Paracetamol, but also a hearty dose of Kannadiga pride, served up by a sweetly smiling elderly uncle. "Why don't you speak in Kannada?" he inquires, like he's offering me sweet nakul dana from the latest aarti in the nearest temple. "I will," I reply, "if I stay here longer! This is just my first hour in your magnificent city!" I think that truth plus city-pride-hyperbole would end the matter. Silly me. Uncle now deploys his own kamikaze logic drone. He beams, radiating the positivity of a thousand suns (Now, I am become Death?): "Then it's the perfect day to start!" My expression? Pure, unadulterated, "Dude. Seriously?" Thankfully, my pills arrive, rupees change hands, and below a bewildered headshake, my legs carry me back to the hotel at Olympic speed to escape this linguistic conversion. And you know the irony? That uncle's well-intentioned ambush backfired. It, and other incidents reported in the media since, left such a bad taste that I developed an involuntary reflex to avoid Karnataka. I've since ventured there only with the enthusiasm of a cat facing bath time. And the tragic, personal casualty? Hampi. That glorious miracle of the Vijayanagaran Empire is firmly in my global top-five must-sees. Yet, while I travel the world – doing slow-tourism of Varanasi (Hinduism HQ) and Rome (Christianity Central) just in the last year, Hampi eludes. All thanks to one retired gentleman with more time for linguistic gatekeeping than, following our scriptures, to, you know, leave for Sannyasa ashram. Since then, every news flash about someone getting thwacked in Maharashtra (where I've now lived half my years), Karnataka, or frankly anywhere for linguistic reasons, instantly teleports me back to that Bangalore pharmacy. That cocktail of anger and frustration bubbles right back up. If our aan, baan, shaan, and our naam, namak, nishaan, is our nation, India, why let hyper-local supra-pride manifest as public humiliation? Will insulting someone in the name of your 'mother' tongue make your mother proud, or serve as an advertisement for the "greatness" of your language and culture? And does it come with a brochure? A free phrasebook, with the address to the nearest night school that teaches your language? Nope? Just a stinging cheek followed by decades of resentment. Those of you branding me an anti-lingo or anti-national, hold your horses, cause the truth is the opposite! Genetically hailing from the Far East (Assam), raised in the Far West (Gujarat), and having loitered all over the country since, I've become a linguistic chameleon. Gujarati, Hindi, Assamese? Speak, read, write. Hindustani and Urdu? Proficient enough to order biryani with poetic flair (even began learning Farsi as a kid, till a new Maulvi proclaimed me Hindu and banished me). Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi? Understand fluently, speak like a charmingly broken robot. Nagamese, Oriya? I catch the drift, generally. The glorious dialects and languages under Hindi: Braj Bhasha, Bundeli, Haryanvi; Awadhi, Bagheli, and Chhattisgarhi; Maithili, Bhojpuri and Magahi? Perfect comprehension, passable spoken attempts. I'm basically a walking, talking poster for national integration, or in today's lingo, for 'Bharat Mata ke bhasha ki jay'. My Achilles' heel? Total blackout on the Tibeto-Burman tongues of the North-East. And shamefully, the magnificent four Southern languages. Though, while living in Hyderabad for a bit, I did dabble in Telugu, enough to land myself in hot water with a client after calling him "hantakudu" (murderer) instead of saying "andagadu" (handsome). Honestly, why wasn't learning one South Indian language compulsory in school? I believe it's a national tragedy. And shame. So yes, I live in the Land of Loving Languages. So, all you passionate Kannadiga warriors, champions of the Marathi manoos, Tamizh thaai devotees – here's my suggestion: Inspire, don't require! Instead of unleashing the Slap Brigade, how about unleashing the "Adopt-a-Non-Local" initiative? Get your people to gently take a clueless outsider under their wing and teach them your language, word by glorious word. And guess what: No one will object! Why? Because it's ridiculously useful! Exhibit A: My dear departed father. Fresh off the train from Assam to Gujarat in 1974 (he hadn't even heard of a dhokla before), his Hindi was Bollywood-basic, Gujarati non-existent. At his first Gujarati home visit, wanting sugar in tea, he requested "meethu." While "meethu" sounds like it means sugar, it actually means salt in Gujarati. The bewildered host, assuming salty tea was an Assamese delicacy, obliged. Not wanting to offend, dad drank. Decades later, we blamed this incident for his hypertension. Jokes aside, my point? Most long-term residents, like my dad, realize the immense benefit of the local lingo and want to learn. The burning question: Who's gonna teach them? The slapperatti? Here's a still better suggestion for all you Bharatiya language lovers. March down to your state's tech startup district and inspire (please, no slaps) someone to build the next big thing: a hyper-local Duolingo rival! Storm your AI companies! Instead of forcing LLMs (Lots of Language Modes) down throats, demand they build actual LLMs (Large Language Models) in your language! Get tech to do the heavy lifting of preservation and promotion! And the other thing you can actively do: sharpen your culture. Because, despite the Bangalore Pharmacy uncle's unintended effect, my aversion to Kannada has been chipped away gradually by you know what: Karnataka's music, art, culture and most importantly, cinema. Films like Thithi, Kantara, the sheer operatic madness of KGF... they make me wish for a Matrix-style instant Kannada download jack at the back of my head! Plug me in, Morpheus, I need to understand this awesomeness properly! And then came the Booker's nod to Banu Mushtaq's writing? I read one of her short stories in English and it wrecked me with its prose. Imagine its power in the original! That's the pull. Wherever you are in this glorious, noisy nation, if you want to promote your language and culture? Make your art irresistible. Make your language a magnet, not a mallet. Build a pull economy where people crave to learn, not a push economy where you shove it down reluctant mental throats. So, as a tribute to the linguistic assortment I adore (and the many more I aspire to master before I abandon this mortal coil), here's a little… let's generously call it a poetic interlude… in my four beloved tongues: नयी भाषा सीखो, नई दुनिया देखो। (Nayi bhasha seekho, nayi duniya dekho.) શબ્દો એટલે પુલ છે, અંતરને જોડે. (Shabdo atle pul che, antar ne jode.) शिकलेली भाषा आपल्याला जगात नेते. (Shikleli bhasha, aapalyala jagat nete.) আৰু এটা ভাষা, নতুন বন্ধুৰ আশা। (Aaru eeta bhakha, notun bondhur aakha.) For the linguistically challenged amongst us – a.k.a. most normal people – here's a translation: Learn a new language, see a new world. Words are bridges connecting hearts. A learned tongue carries you into the world. One more language, hope for new friends. Build bridges with words, stop constructing walls with slaps. Onward, linguistic India! But with a cultural hug, not a slap.
Deccan Herald
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Deccan Herald
Malnad witnesses incessant rain as monsoon gains steam
Bengaluru: The southwest monsoon has gained vigour as heavy rains battered Malnad region on Thursday with Hulikal in Shivamogga district receiving a massive 270 mm of rain in the last 24 hours (ending 8 am on Thursday).As many as five places in Shivamogga district, including Maani and Agumbe, have recorded more than 150 mm of rain. Heavy showers have swelled rivers, including Tunga, Bhadra, Sharavathi, and infused life into the waterfalls in the received heavy rain relentlessly from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon. The district administration had declared holiday for schools and colleges on Thursday following a heavy rain forecast. The IMD has issued a red alert to the hilly district till Friday inflows into Harangi reservoir have gone up considerably. The water level in Cauvery river has increased. The river is flowing above the danger mark at several places in the parts of Chikkamagaluru district, including the city and areas in and around Mullayanagiri Hills, have been receiving heavy showers intermittently since Wednesday rain in the Kali river basin in Uttara Kannada has triggered a major landslide on Kadra-Kodisalli road near Balemane in Karwar taluk. A 50-feet section of the hill caved in dumping heaps of mud and rocks on the road, used by the Kodasalli reservoir and KPCL staff. They have to take a boat ride from backwaters to reach the hydel plant, says KPC chief engineer Sridhar rain lashes Malnad; swollen rivers pose flood threat in and Gotegali in Karwar taluk received 180 mm of rain each in the last 24 hours. A mudslip was reported at Ganesh Nagar in Sirsi. .The Uttara Kannada district administration has announced a holiday for anganwadis and schools in Sirsi, Siddapur, Yellapur and Joida taluks, and in Kadra of Karwar taluk on heavy discharge from Tungabhadra reservoir has submerged several Hampi monuments, including Purandara Mantap. On Thursday, 39,611 cusec of water was released downstream by opening 12 crest gates. The outflow is expected to go past 60,000 cusec as the reservoir is clocking copious inflows following heavy rain in its catchment areas in Shivamogga. The reservoir, as on July 3, has 78.23 tmcft of reservoir has continued to receive inflow over 1 lakh cusec, thanks to unyielding showers in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. The outflow from Almatti has cross 1 lakh and is expected to increase further in the next few days.
Hindustan Times
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
This documentary time-travels to an era when dark skin was highly esteemed in India
Bengaluru, Did you know that there was a time when people in this region preferred darker skin? In fact, they applied something to make their skin darker. This is one of the things we learnt while researching for our film, 'The India They Saw', said Alfonso Tagliaferri, Consul General of Italy in Bengaluru. This documentary time-travels to an era when dark skin was highly esteemed in India The 30-minute film, which narrates the travels of two great Venetian explorers Marco Polo and Niccolo de Conti during the 13th and 14th centuries is a joint venture between India and Italy, he said. Apart from the Italian Consulate, the film is supported by Karnataka's Ministry of Tourism, Archeological Survey of India, and Baldota Group. Among the things that the film highlight are a few surprising facts including that people in those days applied some oil – some believe it is sesame – to make their skin look darker and that holi was celebrated with much fanfare in the Vijayanagara kingdom, too, which is said to have ruled from the modern day Hampi, said the director of the film, Ganesh Shankar Raj. 'In fact, we think the European-looking figure in one of the wall engravings in the Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur is Marco Polo,' said Raj. It is indeed recorded in the book published by Penguin, 'The Customs of the Kingdoms of India' that, possibly in the Pandiyan state, the darkest man is the most highly esteemed. But Polo being featured in the Thanjavur temple is contested by some historians, stating that the timeline does not match. Tagliaferri said it all started when he was watching a presentation on Hampi along with Karnataka's Minister for Law, H K Patil, at an event both were invited to preside over. 'As the slides of Hampi appeared, I realised there's not much we know about Hampi in Italy. For most of us, India is defined by Rajasthan, Kerala, and of course, Taj Mahal,' said Tagliaferri. The idea for a documentary was sparked after a chat with the minister. The idea took shape when filmmaker Raj, who is also the Founder and CEO of Mindia, a digital platform focused on showcasing India through engaging and visually appealing content, agreed to the project. Raj said they zeroed in on Niccolo de Conti initially, as he had travelled through Hampi in the 1430s, and his detailed accounts of his travel, published as manuscripts, had a great influence on European understanding of India. 'But de Conti was not a popular figure. In fact, I was not aware of his existence until Alfonso told me. So, we decided to include the journeys of Marco Polo as well, a more well-known Venetian, whose accounts of India could have possibly inspired de Conti to undertake his journey,' said Raj. The film is also dubbed in Kannada and will soon be dubbed in Tamil. 'Perhaps, in Italian too in the near future,' added Tagliaferri. 'This documentary stands at the confluence of history, diplomacy, and imagination. At a time when cross-cultural understanding is more vital than ever, the film hopes to foster goodwill between our nations and inspire a deeper appreciation of our shared legacies,' said Raj. For Tagliaferri, the religious tolerance and the beauty standards of those days, which are so different from modern India, are a revelation that he was happy to have come across, just as he was completing his journey as Consul General here. 'But what hasn't changed is the sense of awe that one feels when one encounters India. Polo and de Conti were left in awe when they journeyed through India centuries ago. The same sense of marvel still fills the eyes of visitors today, as it did mine when I arrived three years ago,' added Tagliaferri. The film was released officially on June 23 at the Bengaluru International Centre in Domlur. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Time of India
How a diplomatic chat in Karnataka sparked documentary on forgotten Italian explorers
Bengaluru: A casual diplomatic conversation between the consul general of Italy, Alfonso Tagliaferri, and Karnataka's minister for law, parliamentary affairs, legislation, and tourism, HK Patil, led to the creation of a unique Indo-Italian documentary. This film revisits the journeys of two Italian explorers who travelled through the Deccan region in the 13th and 14th centuries. On Monday evening, the consulate general of Italy, in collaboration with the tourism department and the Archaeological Survey of India, launched 'The India They Saw: Marco Polo and Niccolò De' Conti's Forgotten Journeys'. The film narrates the travels of two great Venetian explorers, Marco Polo and Niccolò de' Conti, who, during the 13th and 14th centuries, travelled to India and marvelled at what they saw. Recounting the moment of inspiration, Tagliaferri told TOI: "I was attending the Tourism Utsav organised by the Karnataka govt in June 2024 and happened to be seated next to minister Patil. As the slides on Hampi appeared, I realised how little was spoken about Karnataka's rich heritage in Italy. For most Italians, India is defined by Rajasthan, Kerala, Mumbai, and the Taj Mahal. The south, especially the Deccan, is often overlooked. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo " That conversation set off a research journey that led Tagliaferri to the forgotten travels of Niccolò de' Conti, who visited the Vijayanagara empire's capital Bizinegalia — present-day Hampi, and Marco Polo, who documented his time in Tamil Nadu's Mylapore and spoke of the riches and elephants of the Pandiya dynasty. Motivated to revive these lost narratives and spotlight South India's historical ties with Italy, Tagliaferri collaborated with Ganesh Shankar Raj, director of MINDIA. "He instantly agreed to work on the film. He assured me he would deliver it at the earliest," said Tagliaferri, who has just two weeks left in India, for he will be posted next in Berlin. The idea took formal shape in Sept 2024, was proposed to the Italian govt in Jan 2025, received partial funding in Feb. Filming began in March and wrapped a month later, and post-production is now under way. The documentary includes extensive footage from Tamil Nadu and Hampi, enhanced with computer-generated graphics to recreate the grandeur that once was, compensating for the current poor state of preservation in Hampi. "The way De' Conti described Hampi is astonishing — especially his account of how king Devaraya I built his empire and maintained a powerful army," said Ganesh. "It's heartbreaking to see the ruins in their current condition. " The 30-minute film also captures the cultural vibrance of Hampi during festivals, the pearl trade in Mylapore, and the wartime use of elephants described by Marco Polo. Tagliaferri praised the Karnataka govt for its swift support during production. "Unlike in many other places where permissions are time-consuming, the Karnataka govt was immensely cooperative. The warmth and openness here has strengthened diplomatic ties between Italy and Karnataka." The film is set to be dubbed into Kannada for wider reach within the state. "The idea is now to offer it, free of charge, to airlines that connect Italy and India, and to the many OTT platforms on the market. Patil said: "I hope the film sparks fresh journeys, strengthens the friendship between our peoples, and inspires travellers, filmmakers, and storytellers to explore Hampi and nearby treasures like Anjanadri Hill, Aihole, Lakkundi, and many more, sharing Karnataka's living heritage with the world."
Hans India
22-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
150-yr-old Kanale temple tells a forgotten story in colour
Sagar: Tucked away in the lush interiors of Karnataka's Sagar- Kanale region lies a neglected gem of artistic and spiritual heritage — the Sri Eshvara Temple, once adorned with murals believed to be over 150 years old. Today, these intricate wall paintings, once brimming with local folklore and sacred narratives, face a slow erosion, both by time and human oversight. On this International Yoga day, Prof. SA Krishnaiah brings this to the public domain in his one research parlance. 'The attic of this temple has a mural that shows Yoga and Kundalini and the mandalas which needs to be restored immediately as it is showing erosion and heavy weathering' The temple's architecture evokes the grandeur of the Vijayanagara style, reminiscent of Hampi's stone marvels. But what set it apart were its now-lost murals: elaborate cartwheel motifs and narrative wall paintings that reportedly conjured the illusion of a temple car festival in full swing. 'There was once a sense that the walls moved with life — the divine procession almost felt real,' recalled a local elder, lamenting the fact that many of these visuals were erased during a routine whitewashing drive. Only fragments of the original glory remain today — on the decaying roof above the front staircase. In adjacent spaces, faint images of mythological figures like Shakkini and Daakini peek through layers of time. Some portions of the temple's attic, accessible only by ladder, still bear Kannada script inscriptions and pictorial sagas, offering rare glimpses into the devotional storytelling of a bygone era. The surrounding village of Kanale, about 12 to 15 kilometres from Sagar and nestled near Mandagalale and Kagod, is known for its educated populace. Yet few are aware of the spiritual and cultural significance etched into the temple's fading murals and mud walls. Adding to the site's quiet allure is a serene temple lake, reflecting the temple's image in still waters — a picturesque metaphor for the stillness of preservation. Efforts to revive interest in this mural heritage have found some champions. Dr. Venkatesh Jois and Professor S. A. Krishnaiah have been instrumental in bringing the temple's mural art to scholarly attention, documenting what remains and urging for immediate conservation. As mural fragments crumble and colours fade, Kanale's Eshvara Temple stands as both a testament to regional artistry and a reminder of how easily heritage can be lost. The time to act — to restore and protect what little remains — is now says Prof. Krishnaiah.
