‘Encourage marriage across state borders for harmony’

Haveri: “The ruling governments and authorities concerned should extend their support and help boost marital relationships to with neighboring states across borders. This will help language harmony,” asserted columnist S Raghunath.
During his speech on 'Harmony with neighbouring state languages' at the Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana on Sunday, he pointed out that harmony will automatically develop if a Kannadiga groom marries a Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Konkani bride, and vice versa for a Kannada bride. The government should announce financial assistance for such marriages, called 'Bhasha Baagina' in association with the Karnataka Border Area Development Authority, he said.
Raghunath claimed that one language would not be a source of quarrel between them. However, political leaders have overused border dispute issues to gain political mileage. In addition, schools in border regions are harmony centers, but all ruling governments have restricted the use of other regional languages in education, which makes maintaining harmony a challenge.
Educationist Revanasiddappa Jalade expressed his ire at the department of education. He said the government has ruled that private schools must renew recognition every year, but this rule has become a source of corruption in the department. “Following these unscientific rules, thousands of Kannada schools have been closed for the last three years in border areas. “If the government truly cares, it should protect Kannada schools,” he demanded.
In addition, he urged the government to use crores of rupees to develop Kannada schools in border areas, instead of organising such Sammelanas, as it will help in language development. In spite of concerns about the Kannada language, the government must exert control in this regard, he said. "Kannada teachers are in a very precarious situation now because at least 150 Kannada schools have closed in Bengaluru in the last three years, and existing schools lack basic amenities. The government should pass the 'Kannada School Empowerment Bill' soon,” he demanded. Basavalinga Swamiji, seer of Akkalakote in Sollapur slammed the government for neglecting Kannada schools and organisations in border areas. This is despite the fact that 90 percent of people on the Maharashtra border speak Kannada. The reason for this is lack of political will. If this continues, Belagavi will join Maharashtra. “Instead of border and language disputes, we are all Indians, so there is no need to quarrel," Swamiji said.
'Unscientific border
fixation'
The Sahitya Sammelana president Doddarange Gowda expressed unhappiness about border fixation by the late home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. “We shouldn’t fix borders by lines. We should do it by language and emotions. There is no use throwing stones at buses,” he said.
He noted that there are differences between Kannada- Telugu, and Kannada-Tamil, but the dispute is only with Marathi. “We are all Indian. We shouldn’t forget it,” Doddarange Gowda said.