MLA A.S Ponnanna's use of Kodava language in official communication gains praise

A recent letter from Mr. Ponnanna to Kodava Samaja has become widely popular on social media.

Madikeri: In an unprecedented move, Ajjikuttira S Ponnanna, the legal advisor to the Chief Minister of Karnataka and also the Virajpet MLA, started using the Kodava language in official communications. This gesture has garnered appreciation from the residents of Kodagu.

A recent letter from Mr. Ponnanna to Kodava Samaja has become widely popular on social media, earning Mr. Ponnanna appreciation for incorporating the Kodava language in official communication.

Furthermore, the people from Dakshina Kannada district in the coastal Karnataka region, who speak Tulu, another minority language similar to Kodava in the Karnataka state, also commended the MLA's decision to utilize a local minority language in official communication.

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In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Kodava Naad, stated, “Deep gratitude to M.L.A A.S Ponnanna and the Chief Minister Secretariat for making history with the first-ever official letter in Kodava language from Vidhan Soudha. Your support echoes loudly, fostering pride in our minority language. Thank you for championing cultural richness.”

Tulu-speaking individuals, in expressing their appreciation for Mr. Ponnanna's decision to use Kodava along with Kannada in official communication, urged Tulu-speaking MLAs from the coastal Karnataka region to also initiate the use of their language in official communication.

A X post by Mahi Mulki from Tulu speaking region, stated, “Tulu MLAs should take a note, using the #Tulu language in tweets, letters, and public speeches may seem like a small step to you, but these actions can erase generations of misconceptions and help Tulu regain its lost relevance in administration and the public domain.”

Despite Karnataka being a diverse state, it should have safeguarded its subaltern languages and cultures, with a specific focus on Kodava, Tulu, and Konkani. Unfortunately, there has been minimal utilization of these minority languages in the state's administration, particularly in regions where such languages are prominent.

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