The untold convenience of multilingualism
A couple of years back, Bengaluru was rocked with a scandal. A security man posted at a Namma Metro station in response to a local person’s query demanded that the person speak in Hindi since he can’t understand Kannada. It didn’t end there. He, supposedly a migrant, rather nonchalantly expected people to be aware and converse in Hindi as it is ‘the national language’.
Obviously, Pandora’s box was unearthed. A lot of protests by people concerned occurred. Humans have a tendency to settle scores. We have been doing this since the beginning of civilisation or even before I might say.
Likewise in this instance, settling score meant that the Hindi signboards across Namma Metro stations was to be removed. Back then, I was one of those people who cheered this move. I think otherwise today. Now usually, the metro signboards were in Kannada, Hindi and English to follow the three-language formula. But in all practicality, the Hindi presence was mostly restricted to the station name. The inner signboards were mostly in Kannada and English.
Anyway, the matter was ‘settled’. I recall following the news closely. The signboard of Chickpete station was covered after protestors had attempted to remove the Devanagari font. And days later the signboard was unveiled this time sans Hindi.
Last Sunday, I reminisced this story as I was passing through the corridors of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala. Signboards there are usually in three scripts and more. Apart from Kannada and English, Tamil is displayed reflecting the pilgrims coming from not just within Tulu Nadu and rest of Karnataka but also Tamil Nadu. Hindi also finds an irregular mention. Even Sanskrit is mentioned here and there. Recently, the temple authorities have unveiled a shield at the temple’s main entrance with Om written in Tulu script and a small caption again, in Tulu.
Apparently, this is not a one-off case. In Kolhapur’s Ambabai Mahalakshmi Temple, signboards are in Marathi, Kannada and English. If one recalls the Belgaum issue, whenever temperature rises over it, Kolhapur which is situated just across the Karnataka border simmers. This hasn’t stopped the city’s Mahalakshmi Temple to go multi-lingual including Kannada, just like Kaveri river matter hasn’t dented few prominent Karnataka temples from displaying Tamil.
Likewise, in Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, apart from Hindi (and Sanskrit), signboards can be found in Tamil, Kannada and sporadically in Bangla too.
In times where language is back in the limelight for wrong reasons, it is heartwarming to see temples showing linguistic amity. However, it should be prudent to notice that this is more a practical necessity than a false display of diversity. The display of Tulu and Sanskrit is an exception to this rule though. As it is done to honour the concerned language/script and to reinvigorate them from oblivion.
It seems for one, religion shows more sanity and accommodation than the politics of our country.
