Opinion Kamal Haasan row: Debate on which language came first is a waste of time

During the event, Haasan, in the presence of another famous Kannada actor, Shiva Rajkumar, began his speech by saying, “My life and my family are the Tamil language.” Further, he addressed Shiva Rajkumar and said, “Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are a part of it (my family).” Many believe that he made this statement to promote cultural unity between the languages of the two neighbouring states. This can be located in the context of the recent protests in Tamil Nadu against the three-language policy under NEP 2020, which are associated with a broader fear of Hindi imposition. However, the repercussions of his statement were exactly the opposite of what he seems to have intended.

The idea behind protests against the imposition of any particular language upon others is to convey that no language is superior, each deserving equal importance. By positing Kannada as being born from Tamil, Haasan’s statement implied a higher pedestal for the latter as the source language, contrary to the very essence of the said language resistance in Tamil Nadu.

The pro-Kannada reactions to this statement need to be understood against the backdrop of longstanding tensions over language. During the 1990s, there was a growing sense of fear among Kannadigas about the dominance of Tamils in Bengaluru. This stemmed from the perception among Kannadigas that Tamils were not making an effort to learn their language while becoming a part of their society. Pro-Kannada organisations demanded that the government acknowledge the threat this posed to the Kannada language and culture, and to show the required political determination to ensure the promotion of Kannada in the state.

This pro-Kannada sentiment had an interesting reflection in the business of cinema as well. Many may recall that during this period, Rajkumar’s movies were released on exactly the same dates as MGR films. At times, this led to minor riots among the fans of the two superstars. It is to be noted that both the Kannada and Tamil film industries have played significant roles in fostering strong linguistic sentiments through their depictions of Tamil and Kannada pride.

Most importantly, Haasan’s statement is historically incorrect. Kannada, which belongs to the family of Dravidian languages, is not derived from any particular language. Tamil and Kannada are considered to be sister languages, with both having separate trajectories of development. There are many reasons to believe that Kannada differs significantly from Tamil. In Tamil, the norms of writing are clearly distinct from the spoken form. The written norms were fixed in the 13th century and continue to be followed today. However, spoken Tamil is more dynamic and has evolved over time. In contrast, the written and spoken forms of Kannada are largely similar, with both having a history of continuous, gradual changes.

However, the debate on which language came first, or which is the source of other languages, is not a fruitful investment of time. Languages evolve and take various forms through the ages with their own base of speakers. In this process, a language borrows from and contributes to other languages that it comes into contact with. Thus, the discussion should instead be on how languages enrich each other.

When questioned later about the controversy stirred by his remark, Haasan emphasised a legacy of harmonious coexistence among speakers of Kannada, Tamil, and other languages. He cited the example of Tamil Nadu having several chief ministers of non-Tamil origin. Similarly, we can add to this by citing examples of great Kannada writers who were originally from Tamil Nadu. There were playwrights like T P Kailasam, novelist Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, poets G P Rajaratnam and P T Narasimhachar, scholar A K Ramanujan, and many others who spoke in Tamil but produced some of their greatest works in Kannada.

The description of Ramanujan’s childhood is a wonderful metaphor for the shared history of Kannada and Tamil. He mentions in an interview with H S Shivaprakash (translated by Maithreyi Karnoor), “We spoke Tamil downstairs – on the ground floor where my mother and my grandmother spent their time. The upper storey had my father’s library where English was prevalent. And when I stepped out of the house, I encountered Kannada.”

The writer teaches English at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan College, GGSIPU, New Delhi