Kannada Chanda Bhashe! Hendrik Hardeman-a Danish speaks Better Kananda Than Kannadigas

Kannada Chanda Bhashe! Hendrik Hardeman-a Danish speaks Better Kananda Than Kannadigas

Kannada Thumba Chanda Bhashe! (Kannada is a Very Nice Language!) Hendrik Hardeman a Danish speaks Better Kananda Than Kannadigas. “Namaskara”, this foreigner speaks Kannada like a native!

Mangaluru: While our State- is celebrating “Karnataka Rajyotsava” (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ; Karnataka Formation Day; literally “Karnataka State Festival”) today, 1 November, we should know that is the day in 1956 when all the Kannada language-speaking regions of South India were merged to form the state of Karnataka. It is celebrated by Kannadigas across the world- and it is marked by the announcement and presentation of the honours list for Rajyotsava Awards by the Government of Karnataka, hoisting of the official Karnataka flag with an address from the Chief Minister and Governor of the state along with community festivals, orchestra, Kannada book releases and concerts. And for that matter, Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru is all decked up for the big celebration, including a procession prior to the formal ceremony.

Yes, “Karnataka Rajyotsava Day” is celebrated with great joy and vigour all over the state of Karnataka. The entire state wears a festive look on this day as the red and yellow Kannada flags are hoisted at different strategic locations across the state and the Kannada anthem (“Jaya Bharatha Jananiya Tanujate”) is chanted. Religion not being a factor, the Rajyotsava is celebrated by Hindus, Muslims and Christians as well. Okay, that sounds good- but how many people born in Karnataka can speak Kannada fluently, or write good Kannada- there could be quite a few. With many English and CBSE schools mushrooming in the State, children are showing less interest towards Kannada, and don’t even try to learn it.

Critics say that journey from ‘Kannada Barolla’ to ‘Swalpa Barutte’, and then to ‘Kannada Barutte’ can be a pleasant and exciting ride if you choose the right path. Kannada is a very simple yet rich language. If you have real interest in the language, it is possible to speak reasonable Kannada within one month, with a very little effort. The first step is to get familiarized with the structure of the language. To achieve this, you need to hear more and more Kannada on Radio, TV and also try to catch the live conversations. But don’t get surprised, on this great “Karnataka Rajyotsava Day”, Team Mangalorean wants to salute a Non-Kannadiga-Hendrik Hardeman (52), citizen of Denmark-born in Belgium, who has been residing in Mysuru for the past five years, has learnt to read and write in Kannada thoroughly. His command over Kannada will give you some serious language goals. Namaskara, this foreigner speaks Kannada like a native!

A report on him in a national daily had quoted saying that -Just hearing Hendrik speak in Kannada, you wouldn’t think he is a foreigner. For he just doesn’t say, ‘swalpa swalpa gotthu’, (knows little little) but surprises you by speaking Kannada like a native…complicated words roll off his tongue easily. Hendrik who first visited Bengaluru as a tourist in 1996, was so impressed by the city that he kept visiting India often. He founded India’s first dedicated puzzle company in 2001, which operated till 2008. In these seven years, he developed a special love for Kannada language, and started learning the language.

Hendrik did not attend those classes where the spoken word is taught. His best teachers were dictionaries. He would constantly pore over them to understand the language. And he found that the best way to learn a language is to speak it. Speaking to a reporter he had said, “In the initial days it was challenging for me to identify the Kananda language, as people in Bengaluru were speaking several other south Indian languages in addition to Kannada, such as Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. It took me some time to identify the Kannada alphabet. After some months, I bought a dictionary and started learning Kannada words. In the beginning, I found it very difficult to understand basic grammar like singular and plural words. By constantly referring to the dictionaries, I learnt the meaning of Kannada words and started using the words while communicating with people. And in a few months I learnt the nuances.”

Hendrik says as Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city with people speaking many languages, he couldn’t pick up the nuances of Kannada language. He was determined to master the language, so he shifted base to Mysuru in 2012. “There are several instances when people looked at me in surprise when I spoke to them in Kannada. While some were confused when I spoke in Kannada, some have even apologized for speaking to me in English saying, ‘sorry we thought you were a foreigner,’ has added Hendrik smilingly. People would be more surprised to know that he has written a short story in Kannada.

To enrich himself, he has read the books of writers like poet Kuvempu, Poornachandra Tejaswi, Jayanth Kaikini, P Lankesh, among others. His favourite short stories are ‘Krishnagowdana Aane’ and ‘Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu’. He earns his livelihood by translating books. Concerned that Kannada is no longer the priority for many, he had mentioned that some people think speaking in Kannada is less dignified and hesitate to speak in this beautiful language- and that he has seen parents insisting that their children learn English. First, one must learn one’s mother tongue and then one can learn any language according to Hendrik.

During the 12th World Sudoku Championship and 26th World Puzzle Championship held in Bengaluru between October 15 and 21, Hendrik distributed a book to the foreigners who attended the event. The book gives a brief introduction to the Kannada alphabet, and the commonly used words in daily life, etc. He has transliterated the Kannada words in English. In order to promote Kannada among children, he plans to write a series of adventure books for children. He is translating short stories of writer Jayanth Kaikini into Dutch as a personal project.

It is learnt that Hendrik loves eating ragi ball (ragi mudde), idli, vada with coconut chutney- but cares very less towards non-veg food. When Hendrik Hardeman speaks, he evokes gasps of surprise. The Dane speaks fluent Kannada, with an accented perfected in Kannada heartland Mysore. His email id reads , which tells its own tale. Listening to his impeccable Kannada, it’s hard to believe he’s Danish, and was brought up on foreign soil. Speaking to Team Mangalorean over the phone, linguistic expert Hendrik Hardeman, who claims he’s a Kannadiga said,”I love Kannada – the language, literature and culture. That’s made me learn the language fast. I am now a Kannadiga because I’ve been a resident here for over five years. Even though I lived in Bengaluru for quite sometime, I hate that City where people have no love for Kannada. Even if you speak to them in Kannada, they reply in broken English. That’s why I decided to shift to Mysore a few years ago where I perfected the language.”

Like Danish, Kannada too is facing a threat from English, he says. “These languages have a lot in common. When I was a boy, everybody spoke Danish but now most of my people speak English. But all said and done, I believe these classical languages will never die. People will return to them when they realize the importance of indigenous languages,” he said, with a sense of confidence and hope. Hendrik can speak 10 languages other than his native Danish, which include Spanish, French and English. He knows three South Indian languages, including Tamil and Telugu. “I enjoy speaking Kannada a lot more than the other South Indian languages. Which is why I’ve never missed any Kannada literary meets. I also watch Kannada films and a big fan of many Kannada superstars, specially Dr Rajkumar’s Son, Puneeth” he said with pride.

Hendrik who has visited several European countries, can speak many languages like Dutch, German, French and Swedish. Coming to South Indian languages, he is fluent in Kannada while he can understand Tamil and Telugu. But his passion remains Kannada, he says: “Kannada thumba chanda bhashe, maathadakke matthe kelakke (Kannada is a beautiful language—to speak and sounds nice).” Long Live Kannada! Greetings to all Kannadigas from Team Mangalorean on “Karnataka Rajyotsava Day”!