‘It is the only way to save Indian languages; our mother tongue makes our life meaningful’

The 84th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana will be chaired by Jnanpith recipient Chandrashekar Kambar, a strong proponent for nationalisation of education at the primary level. In his presidential address at the sammelana, to be held from January 4 to 6, he is expected to urge the State government to withdraw its decision to introduce English medium in 1,000 schools from the academic year 2019-20. Mr. Kambar, credited with infusing folk idiom into modern Kannada literature, is the author of 26 plays, 11 poetry collections, and five novels. He is president of the Sahitya Akademi. Excerpts from the interview:

You are chairing the sammelana at a time when the government is set to introduce English as medium of instruction in over 1,000 government schools. What is your stand?

I have decided to put forth my ideas on the need to nationalise education from pre-primary till standard 7, which according to me is the only solution to address the issue of medium of instruction, and essential for the very survival of Indian languages. It is the mother tongue which makes our life meaningful. Our cultural beliefs and values are embedded in language. Language is the treasure trove of the dreams of people over thousands of years. I believe that learning Kannada properly will help in learning better English, German, French, or any other language.

I am told that the panel tasked with preparing the new National Education Policy (NEP) has completed its work. According to Union Minister for Human Resource Development, NEP will help in boosting all Indian languages. Let us see how the policy will help in addressing the issue of imparting education to children in their mother tongue.

Have governments taken resolutions passed at a sammelana seriously?

Resolutions are the demands of Kannadigas. But the parishat is not a political organisation. I remember the words of Thomas Mann, Noble laureate and German writer, who said, “In our time, the destiny of man presents its meaning in political terms.” If the government fails to lend its ears to Kannadigas’ aspirations, then who will? It is the responsibility of the government to listen to them and prioritise them.

What mechanism can be used to make the State act?

Political systems have become thick skinned. They won’t bother even if you stop passing resolutions. The only available mechanism is that we have to make them implement resolutions much more intensely.

Considering the popularity of various literary festivals, do you think there is a need to change the format of the sammelana?

You cannot compare Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana with other literary festivals. There is no need for the sammelana to change its format, as this sammelana is ‘Askhara jatre’, a fair of the letters. A fair is part of any diversified culture and there is no need to distort that format. According to me, literary festivals are just shows. They are characteristically pretentious. I would call them showrooms for writers to advertise themselves. A sammelana is a celebration, while a literary festival is a show.

You are set to chair the sammelana at Dharwad six decades after you attended the event as a young participant at the same place. How do you feel?

For the moment I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am elated. Dharwad is a place where I studied and dreamt big. It is here that my poetic instincts flowered. At the same time, I am distressed, as my teacher, Bhoosanuru math, close friends M.M. Kalburgi and Giraddi Govindaraj are not in Dharwad now. Five of us — Kalburgi, Giraddi, Siddalinga Pattanashetti, Chandrashekar Patil — were considered the Pancha Pandavas. Our literary careers found real meaning in Dharwad. As a student, I participated in the sammelana chaired by Kuvempu, my beloved poet. I vividly remember [Da Ra] Bendre rendering his poem ‘Karadi Kunitha’ there in his classic style. I remember the days spent in the loft of Manohara Granthamala, the iconic publication, where literary personalities met regularly. I first met Girish [Karnad] there.