Baseless claims about Kannada’s origin reflect not only ignorance but a dangerous trend of distorting linguistic history for sensationalism.
Controversy often compels us to revisit history, but only with facts in hand. Recently, Tamil actor Kamal Haasan stirred a hornet's nest by claiming that the Kannada language “evolved from Tamil.” This statement is not only factually incorrect but deeply disrespectful to the rich heritage of Kannada.
Let’s get the basics right. Both Kannada and Tamil are descendants of the Proto-Dravidian language, a mother tongue that existed over 4,000 years ago and branched into more than 27 Dravidian languages, including Telugu, Malayalam, Tulu, Kodava, and Gondi. Kannada is not a byproduct of Tamil—it is a linguistic sister, not a daughter. Claiming otherwise is like saying Italian evolved from Spanish simply because they share Latin roots.
Kannada has a documented history dating back to at least the Halmidi inscription (450 CE), considered the earliest written record in Kannada. Even earlier, Kavirajamarga (circa 850 CE) highlights the rich literary tradition that had already taken shape. Tamil, of course, has its own proud legacy—but that does not justify belittling another language.
Actors like Kamal Haasan may be revered in cinema, but their off-screen comments often lack scholarly rigour. Comparing phonetic similarities to justify linguistic superiority is absurd. By that logic, Tamil’s similarity with Korean would imply Korea has Tamil roots!
Such remarks reflect a dangerous mix of ego and ignorance. The people of Karnataka, grounded in facts and pride, have rightly rejected this flawed narrative. No baseless claim can shake the foundation of Kannada’s 1,500-year-old cultural and literary history. It's time public figures stop rewriting history and start respecting it.
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