Actress Aishwarya Rai with chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy at the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana in Belgaum on Friday
Belgaum: Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy has the same wish as that of Kannada’s first poet-laureate, Pampa.
If God grants him a wish, the IT czar would repeat what the 10th-century poet famously wrote: “Maridumbiyaagi maen kogileyaagi puttupudu karnata deshdol:
(I want to be born in Karnataka as a small bee or a nightingale).
By expressing his wish before tens of thousands of people at the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana here in Belgaum on Friday, probably, Murthy, tried to silence his critics who have accused him of being anti-Kannada. Besides, he utilized the opportunity to subtly explain the need for multilingual and cultural business
environment, raised the issue of poverty and poor facilities for the rural masses and the need for youth to start business. He fondly remembered the great history and culture of Karnataka and the qualities of Kannadigas.
Inaugurating the event, he said: “I was born in Siddlaghatta of Kolar district, studied in Mysore and Kanpur, worked in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune and Paris. So I know many languages. Multiple languages help me in my profession. But I am always a Kannadiga at heart. We speak Kannada at home. Though I use English for my official communication, even now, I would like to express my emotions in Kannada.’’
The globe-trotting Murthy does feel homesick and craves for the simple Bangalore coffee. “Wherever I am, whoever is the host, I feel content and satisfied only after reaching Bangalore and sipping coffee,’’ he said to differentiate between contentment and business.
About Kannadigas, he said: “By nature, we are decent, cultured, no nonsense and soft-spoken. Hence, in north India, engineers from here are referred to as Mysore Engineers.’’
“Today, our land is not just famous for gold mines, sandalwood or silk but has also drawn the attention of the world in the technology sector,’’ he said.
“Bangalore has become the hub of software companies. Don’t be surprised if the word ‘Bangalored’ gets into the English dictionary. Our land has an illustrious history of 2,000 years. We should always remember personalities like Kuvempu, Da Ra Bendre, Shivarama Karantha, Sir M Visvesvaraya and Mirza Ismail.’’
He said: “North Karnataka is not an unfamiliar place to me. I am a son-in-law of north Karnataka. I have beautiful and sweet memories here. Rani Channamma and her lieutenant Sangolli Rayanna have laid their life for the freedom struggle.”
Lalbagh in Belgaum
Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa announced his government would build a park in Belgaum and name it after Vishwa Kannada Sammelana. “We will develop this unique park at a cost of Rs 25 crore on the lines of Lalbagh in Bangalore,’’ Yeddyurappa said in his presidential speech.
Ellarigu namaskara
“Manya Sri mukhymantrigalada Yeddyurappanavare, hagu ganyare, mathu samastha Kannada janathege, ellarigu nanna namaskara’’ (Greetings to honourable chief minister Yeddyurappa, other dignitaries and all Kannadigas), said Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai in chaste Kannada to a thunderous applause.