ಕನ್ನಡ, kannada :-)

I would have wanted to write this post entirely in Kannada, to symbolize Kannada Raajyotsava. But, I wanted to mention some interesting facts about Kannada, which I wanted the non-Kannadigas to know as well. More than the non-Kannadigas, there is an urgent necessity for the Kanndigas themselves to refresh some facts such as these, and reclaim the pride in the language and heritage, which seems to be depleting these days.

1. Kannada language has a script known as the 'Brahmi Script'. It comprises of 35 consonants and 14 vowels. Each written symbol in the Kannada script corresponds with one syllable, as opposed to one phoneme in languages like English.
2. All Indian languages are phonetic when compared to other world languages. And, Kannada is the most phonetic amongst these. Both spoken Kannada and the script comprise of all the syllables. With its 49 characters Kannada is the most phonetic language in India able to produce vocal sounds of all forms used for communication. 
3. Kannada is one of the oldest languages in the world still in use. In India, with the exception of Tamil and Telugu, there is no other language older than Kannada in use. The Halmidi inscriptions date back to 450 AD, whereas the oldest existing literary work in Kannada- Kaviraajamarga (The name means literally "Royal Path for Poets" and was used as a guide book for poets and scholars) by King Nrupathunga dates back to 850 AD.
4. English has absorbed some bit of Kannada. For example, the word 'Market'. Etymology experts attribute this word to have been derived from the Latin word 'mercatus(buying and selling)',but, we cannot ignore that in Kannada "Maarukatte" means precisely what the word market stands for. 
5. Kannada script is also used by two other languages spoken in Karnataka -Tulu and Konkani. Kannada and Telugu share almost an identical script. 

The rest will be in Kannada :)

ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವಕ್ಕೆ ಹೇಳಬೇಕಾದ ಸಂಗತಿಯನ್ನು ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲೇ ಹೇಳಿಬಿಟ್ಟೆ. .ಈಗ ನಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಮುಖ್ಯ ವಚನಕಾರರ, ನನಗೆ ಹಿಡಿಸಿದೆ ಒಂದೆರಡು ವಚನವನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೆನಪಿಸುತ್ತಿದೇನೆ.
ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ :

ನಿತ್ಯ ನೇಮಗಳೇಕೆ | ಮತ್ತೆ ಪೂಜೆಗಳೇಕೆ ?
ನೆತ್ತಿ ಬೋಳೇಕೆ? | ಜಡೆ ಏಕೆ ಮನದಲಿ 
ಸತ್ಯವುಳ್ಳವನಿಗೆ ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ ||


ಗುರು ಇಲ್ಲದ ಮಠವು| ಹಿರಿಯರಿಲ್ಲದ ಮನೆಯು |
ಅರಸರಿಲ್ಲದೂರು ಇವು ಮೂವರು ನುಲಿಹರಿದ |
ಹೊರೆಸಿನಂತಕ್ಕು ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ ||

ಬಸವಣ್ಣ :

ನಿಮಿಷದ ನಿಮಿಷಂ ಬೋ, ಕ್ಷಣದೊಳಗರ್ಥಂ ಬೋ !
ಕಣ್ಣು ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಬಿಚ್ಚುವೈಸುಬೇಗಂ ಬೋ :
ಸಂಸಾರದಾಗುಂ ಬೋ ! ಸಂಸಾರದ ಹೋಗುಂ ಬೋ !
ಸಂಸಾರದೊಪ್ಪಂ ಬೋ !
ಕೂಡಲ ಸಂಗಮದೇವಾ,
ನೀ ಮಾಡಿದ ಮಾಯೆಯೇಂ ಬೋ, ಅಭ್ರಚ್ಚ್ಹಾ ಯೇಂ ಬೋ !

ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು... :)  

The Halmidi scripture