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Business placards and hoardings neglecting/insulting Kannada
Written By nijavaada - 21 April, 2008
Bangalore language consumer rights Language and Culture
There are several instances in Bengaluru nowadays wherein placards and huge hoardings put up by business establishments to advertise their product or shop are insulting the local language - Kannada - by printing Kannada characters on a miniscule scale, whereas English (sometimes even Hindi) characters rule the canvas and are larger than life itself.
This is an insult to the language, and also to the consumers in Bengaluru, who are predominantly Kannada speaking people itself. This is a prick in the Kannadiga consumer's pride and prestige.
Look at this image (seen in south Bengaluru), for instance: (spot the Kannada characters on this and you'll have to visit an eye-specialist soon!)
COMMENTS
shas3n - 21 April, 2008 - 09:28
English and Kannada should be alright.
muni_blr - 21 April, 2008 - 09:17
Being a cosmopolitan city which is home to so many people speaking different languages, there is no harm in having English as the Main and Kannada as the supplementary language on Hoardings.
There are many instances where kannada itself does not figure in the name of the shops/ companies which i find objectionable. Having othere languages only other than ( Kannada, English) is something which can be debatable as a form of insult.
The above may not make sense to some people, but being the people we are as kannadigas, we have a tendancy to allow things to happen and take control and later realise that " How did that Happen!!".
Though i must say there are other means whereby we can preserve and enrich our language.
Hurry Home
The Sage
nijavaada - 21 April, 2008 - 10:01
Shastri, as a consumer what one needs to realise is that he is indeed the King of the market, and thereby the business that happens in the market. And inside Karnataka, Kannadiga consumers no doubt form the majority (Your Radio mirchi example forms a good enough substance to prove this). Coming to think of the majority we are in, and the amount of business we give to these businessmen (who also, unfortunately, might be Kannadigas themselves!) we have a right to be interacted with in our language. Otherwise, it is but an insult to our language and us.
Sitting cold on thoughts that "this is not an insult to me" - is what a majority of Kannadiga consumers are doing, and accepting the fact that English is okay for business - thereby implying that Kannada is not. Kannada glorification on plain vanilla words, saying I too am a proud Kannadiga, has ceased to impress even a dead soul, dude! Wake up, and realize what that pride in you really has to be! If you'd be glad to see Kannada everywhere (including these boards), then press for it, and not sit ignoring the insult indeed!
Big bazaar doesnt want to put Kannada big on its hoardings, even when, believe it or not, Kannadigas spend most of the money that Big bazaar makes in Bengaluru. The trouble here, my friend, lies in you, and not in Big Bazaar! The state of affairs is but you, the consumer!
-Nijavaada
shobha koppad - 21 April, 2008 - 10:23
Copying a comment from Karnatique,, some one called Avinash has given a very good reply..
Everyone wants our karnataka to progress and achieve a developed state
status and an important part of becoming a developed state is
addressing the employment concerns of the people.
We all feel
about giving something back to the society, want to do something to
help one of our brother or sister to get a job and a very simple thing,
we can do to help a kannadiga get a job is talking in kannada in all
the business we come across daily. It might sound awkward..
I'll explain..
A
famous bank calls people in bengaluru for credit card sales and the
sales calls come in 2 languages, namely Tamil and English. Know the
reason why?
Coz, the same bank does a review of the sales calls made every month and their findings are as follows:
Calls made in a particular month: 1000
Calls which fetched Business: 100
Language which fetched business:
Tamil : 50
English:80
Hindi:20
and the bank knows that it must call people either in Tamil or English to make sure it gets business.
Now, out of that 80 calls in English, atleast 50 were answered by Kannadigas, who used English with the agents.
Now,
imagine, if all those 50 kannadiga calls insist on services to be
rendered in Kannada, failing they will reject the business with the
bank, what will happen?
Bank will come on it's toes and will immidiately recruit graduates who know can speak fluent Kannada.
So,
If
we all get together and ask for services to be rendered in Kannada, it
will create a lot of jobs for our brothers and sisters who know only
Kannada.
You are not doing anything but talking in kannada to get these jobs created for your brothers and sisters.
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