In Kerala's Kasaragod, political campaigns spread across a multitude of languages, including Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, and Hindi,
Congress sitting MP Rajmohan Unnithan with a Theyyam performer while campaigning. (Supplied)
Despite the minimal likelihood of her victory in Kerala’s northernmost Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency, BJP candidate ML Ashwini perceives her enthusiasm for languages as a much-needed advantage.
During the roadside campaign meetings, Ashwini commences her address in her native tongue, Kannada, and then transitions to encompass additional languages such as Malayalam, Hindi, and Tulu.
The Manjeshwar native, who was brought up in Bengaluru, also speaks a few sentences in English in urban areas of the constituency to gain the trust of educated young voters.
In contrast to other regions within Kerala, Kasaragod exhibits a distinctive linguistic diversity. For the locals, it’s Saptha Bhasha Sangama Bhoomi — the land of seven languages. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language in the Trikkarippur, Hosdurg, and Kanhangad regions. Conversely, most of the population speaks Kannada in the Kasaragod, Uppala, Kumble, and Manjeshwar regions.
Marathi, Tulu, Konkani, Urdu, Hindi, and Byari (a regional language spoken in the coastal areas of Kerala and Karnataka by Muslims) are among the languages the local population speaks.
“I am not very fluent in Marathi, Konkani, and Urdu. However, I can reach out to the voters who speak those languages using Hindi,” Ashwini tells South First. Ashwini, who is running for the position for the first time, states that in Kasaragod, a city known for its diverse cultures, someone can’t exist knowing only one language.
According to her, she gained proficiency in both Hindi and English while growing up in Bengaluru and engaging in conversations with individuals from different social strata.
BJP’s Kasaragod candidate, Ashwini ML. (Supplied)
When considering Ashwini’s inclination towards linguistic diversity, it is worth mentioning that she actively fosters an environment where her family members feel at ease participating in talks in other languages. Most of her communication occurs in Tulu with her spouse and in Malayalam with her son. Furthermore, Ashwini communicates with her daughter in Kannada.
Ashwini tells South First that her long stay in Bengaluru afforded her the chance to develop fluency in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam by actively interacting with a diverse community of migrants originating from other regions of India.
Ashwini’s adeptness in many languages has significantly bolstered her political development, notably throughout her tenure as a national executive member of the BJP and Mahila Morcha.
Ashwini oversaw a network of 10 states within the BJP, specifically Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Assam. While executing these responsibilities, she skillfully engaged with the indigenous population in their distinct mother tongues. She says that coworkers originating from northern Indian states demonstrate significant proficiency when participating in talks with her, regardless of whether the language used is Hindi or English.
According to Ashwini, language plays a key role in enabling her to develop meaningful connections with individuals. Language is crucial in facilitating successful contact with people from various parts of India, enabling her to effectively address the concerns that resonated with them, with a particular emphasis on Hindi.
Five years ago, Raj Mohan Unnithan, a senior Congress leader from southern Kollam, was tasked with fighting the election in northern Kasaragod at the last minute. His language proficiency was limited only to Malayalam, Hindi, and English.
LDF candidates MV Balakrishnan’s posters in both Kannada and Malayalam. (Satheeshan Karicheri)
Following his thumping electoral victory despite being an outsider, Unnithan turned Kasaragod into his permanent abode and began acquiring working knowledge in Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Marathi, and Urdu. Now, he has confidence that he achieved the target and uses the basics of these languages to converse with the electorate.
“I lacked proficiency in all of these languages while arriving here. My knowledge of Kasaragod’s language diversity was also very limited. However, I soon started taking sincere steps to learn at least the rudiments of local languages, and now, I feel I have achieved major gains in it,” he tells South First.
“Over the past five years, I have demonstrated to the local community that I am not an outsider who exclusively communicates in Malayalam. I presented a resolution in the Lok Sabha advocating recognising Tulu as an official language. I am making every effort to advance the local languages of Kasaragod,” Unnithan adds.
MV Balakrishnan, the LDF candidate, belongs to Kasaragod, and he is fluent in all the local language variations. He also finds the ability to converse in diverse languages to be an advantage.
The flex boards and banners displayed by political parties in various languages during the peak of election campaigns in Kasaragod district are unique to the region.
Throughout history, Kasaragod has consistently maintained robust diplomatic ties with Mumbai, contributing to the presence of a Marathi-speaking community in the region. Throughout the years, many Marathi families migrated and established themselves in this location.
Marriages occur continuously between individuals of Kasaragod ethnicity and Marathi ethnicity. Muslims in Kasaragod speak Urdu, but people who hail from coastal Karnataka and Goa primarily speak Konkani and Tulu.
Kasargod exhibits a rich tapestry of cultural diversity, as its inhabitants engage in conversations utilising a maximum of seven languages.
CPI(M) candidate MV Balakrishnan. (Supplied)
In the border regions separating Kerala and Karnataka, Tulu is the prevailing language. However, electoral notices in these areas are distributed in Kannada. This implies that it is imperative for all candidates to possess the capacity to proficiently engage in multilingual communication with voters.
The Kerala government mandated the publication of all forms and official documents in Kannada on 12 December, 1961. This directive was made with consideration for the linguistic minority groups residing in Kasaragod, a region that shares a border with Mangaluru in Karnataka.
Kasaragod accommodates Malayalees and a population of about 300,000 individuals who speak Kannada, Konkani, and Tulu. Families in this region exhibit a robust sense of connection with South Canara (now Dakshina Kannada) and Mangalore (now Mangaluru), specifically. “The connections that go beyond generations are personal, professional, and social,” Dr YS Mohan Kumar, a medical practitioner and social activist who speaks Kannada and resides in Kasaragod, tells South First.
The British East India Company established the undivided Canara district in 1799, encompassing the area from Karwar in the in the north to Kanhangad (a taluk in the current Kasaragod district) in the south. Major General Thomas Munro was the inaugural collector of the district, which encompassed the Lakshadweep islands.
In 1862, the British authorities divided the district into two separate regions, North Canara and South Canara, based on administrative justifications. Until 1956, Kasaragod remained an essential component of South Canara, and the linguistic disparities between the villages did not escalate into a significant concern.
Muralidhara Balukaraya, the president of Karnataka Smathi in Kasaragod, tells South First that geographically, economically, culturally, and linguistically, half of the district located north of the Chandragiri and Payaswini rivers is still considered an extension of Karnataka. Most schools in that area use Kannada as the primary language for teaching.
The cultural affinity between Kasaragod’s Malayalam-speaking families and South Canara is robust. The most preferred author of Kasaragod is the deceased Kannada novelist Kulkund Shivarao, who is widely recognised under his pseudonym Niranjana.
Shivarao, when he was a school student residing in a remote village near Mangalore, heard about the execution of four members of the undivided communist party by the British. These individuals were executed for their involvement in a peasant uprising at Kayyur village in Kasaragod, resulting in the death of a police constable.
Madathil Appu, Koyithattil Chirukandan, Podora Kunhambu, and Pallikkal Abubacker were executed on 29 March, 1943, at Kannur Central Prison. They were executed for their involvement in the peasant uprising, where the peasantry revolted against local landowners, who had the backing of the British presidency and who relentlessly compelled them into debt traps. Kayyur, an integral component of the freedom struggle, continues to hold a significant place in the annals of India’s communist movement.
After a considerable passage of time, Niranjana embarked on a journey to Kayyur to compose Chirasmarane, his highly regarded literary masterpiece in Kannada that centres on the insurrection. The novel, written in the Kannada language, inherently situates the uprising within the broader context of global anti-imperialist movements. Additionally, it involves renaming the local Karyamkodu river as Thejaswini, which can be loosely translated as “river radiant.”
“Chirasmarane gained significant attention in the publishing industry following its translation into Malayalam by C Raghavan. It is uncommon to find a Kannada novel that focuses on a Kerala village receiving widespread recognition in the two adjacent states. There is considerable curiosity among individuals regarding the authorship of a Kannadiga’s profound portrayal of Malayalaee existence,” MA Rahman, an activist, writer, and filmmaker based in Kasaragod, tells South First.
The book represents the intercultural connections between individuals from Kasaragod in Kerala and the South Canara region of Karnataka, with Mangalore serving as the shared platform for interaction, he says.
However, a movement demanding the merging of the Kannada-speaking regions of Kasaragod with Karnataka is strong here. It became so strong in the post-Covid-induced lockdown days. The Kerala government’s move to change the Kannada names of some places in Manjeshwar to equal Malayalam words also faced stiff resistance.
(Edited by Kamna Revanoor)
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
Apr 27, 2024
